Match Preview :- FC United Of Manchester - Saturday April 16th, 2016 (15:00:00)

On Saturday, Celtic make the short hop over to Moston to face former ground tenants, FC United of Manchester. FC United are currently on forty-nine points in twelfth, three points and three places ahead of Celtic. There will be a match centre for this game.

FC United have advised that there is no segregation for this game, Anyone attending the game can park on Lightbowne Road or, if preferred, there is safe parking at St Matthew's RC High School M40 0EW for £3, and not to park on St Mary's Road or those off it. A football special double decker bus runs from Stevenson Square, stand TE, at 2.00pm and 2.20pm prompt £1.50 single. It returns to Manchester straight after the match from Lightbowne Road. Supporters travelling by tram should get off at Newton Heath and Moston, turn right at the top of the steps and use the free shuttle bus from the Railway pub up to the ground (last one about 2.40pm). They are also asking for anybody with spare football boots to bring them to the game (See here).

FC United have adapted well to the Conference North, and look set for a mid-table finish. Mathematically, they cannot get into the play-offs, and with forty-nine points, it would take a huge swing of fortunes for Lowestoft and Brackley to put FC United in the drop zone. After a series of five games without loss, taking in four wins, at the end of August, FC United reached their season high of eighth. However eight games without a win taking in seven straight losses – a season record – they dropped to their season low of twentieth. Since then, they've been up and down, and their recent record is one loss in six, with four wins and a draw. Their last six home games have been wins against Harrogate, Chorley and North Ferriby and losses against Alfreton, Fylde and (their latest home game) Boston. Not an easy set of home fixtures, so getting nine from eighteen is impressive.

Their top scorer this season is George Tompson on eleven, with Sam Madeley close behind on nine. They score an average of 1.9 goals per game at home (1.5 overall) and concede 1.8 goals per game at home (1.9 overall). They have the fifth worst goal difference in the league. FC United are most dangerous just after the restart, with twelve of their fifty seven goals coming in this period, but are very vulnerable at the end of the match, when they have conceded fifteen of their seventy-two goals. Only the bottom two have conceded more goals, giving them the third worst defence in the league (Celtic have the fourth worst!). They've kept two clean sheets at home, but have only failed to score once, when Worcester City won 2-0 back in October.

We've only met once in the league, earlier this season when we won 1-0 at Bower Fold thanks to a penalty from Bohan Dixon. We have also met in the Manchester Premier Cup (final a week on Tuesday), at FC United, a game we won 4-3, with goals from Osei, Tames, Hughes and Simm making the score-line see-saw to a Celtic victory. Our only other competitive meeting was in the FA Cup in October 2009, when FC United drew 3-3 with Celtic at their place and won the replay 1-0.

In FC United's last match, the 3-2 away win at Corby Town (now unable to escape the bottom three), FC United lined up as:
1 Dylan Forth
2 Dale Tonge
3 Chris Chantler
4 Thomas Brown
5 Scott Kay
6 Luke Ashworth
7 Matthew Wolfenden
8 Sam Sheridan
9 Dale Johnson
10 Jerome Wright
11 George Thomson

Celtic's last match, the incredibly important 2-0 home win over North Ferriby, saw Celtic line up as:
1. Tony McMillan
2. Peter Wylie
3. Danny Wisdom
4. Matty Hughes
5. Jack Higgins
6. Aaron Chalmers
7. Charlie Joyce
8. Alec Mudimu
9. Adam Farrell
10. Chris Simm
11. Steve Tames

FC United are within catching distance, should Celtic beat them, we would be level on points, but have a superior goal difference. Should we lose, we could well drop back down to eighteenth again, with four teams all capable of overtaking us, whereas a win for us, and a draw for Worcester versus Bradford, would see us climb three places, and should Brackley lose, would see us mathematically safe. Our win on Saturday saw Solihull promoted, and they face Hednesford. If Hednesford lose they will join Corby in the relegated category. It's another important weekend of fixtures!

Other matches this weekend:
Brackley Town (40pts 19th) v Chorley (56pts 8th)
Bradford Park Avenue (46pts 14th) v Worcester City (47pts 13th)
Curzon Ashton (54pts 10th) v Gloucester City (38pts 45th)
Gainsborough Trinity (46pts 16th) v Lowestoft Town (40pts 20th)
Harrogate Town (68pts 4th) v Boston United (64pts 6th)
North Ferriby United (70pts 3rd) v AFC Telford (43pts 18th)
Solihull Moors (C) (84pts 1st) v Hednesford Town (34pts 21th)
Stockport County (54pts 11th) v Corby Town (R) (31pts 22nd)
Tamworth (59pts 7th) v AFC Fylde (71pts 2nd)

Directions
Distance: 9
Time: 23 minutes

Leave the M60 at junction 22.
At the end of the slip-road, go straight on to Hollingwood Avenue (A6104).
At the Greengate roundabout take the first exit onto Lightbowne Road (B6393).
After half a mile, Broadhurst Park is on your left.