Match Preview :- Nantwich Town - Saturday March 2nd, 2019 (15:00:00)

On Saturday, Celtic travel across Cheshire to face Nantwich Town (kick off 3pm). Nantwich are currently fourth in the league, nine places and twenty-two points above Celtic. There will be a match centre and Twitter feed for the game.

Nantwich are having an excellent season, having lost just two at home and three on the road. In September and October they went on an eleven game unbeaten run, which would have been a twenty game run, but for a reversal at home to Matlock. Their last five home games have seen a bit of a dip, with draws with South Shields and Scarborough and a loss to Witton, but they did beat Basford (3-2) back at the end of December and, most recently, Bamber Bridge (2-0) on Tuesday. In sixteen home games this season, they have won nine, lost two and drawn five.

Nantwich have scored fifty-three goals this season, putting them just outside the top five attacks. They have conceded thirty-eight, again just outside the top five defences. Danny Glover and Sean Cooke are currently vying for top scorer with nine and eight respectively, though Joseph Malkin is putting in a final straight spurt right behind on seven. In all they have fourteen different scorers. At home they score an average of 1.7 goals per game, whilst conceding 1.1 goals per game. They have kept five of their ten clean sheets at home and failed to score in four home games.

We have already played Nantwich this season, drawing 1-1 at Bower Fold with Ross Dent's equaliser not enough to spur Celtic on to victory. Their most recent visit was in the FA Trophy when Celtic won 1-0 thanks to a Scott Bakkor penalty. Our last visit to the Weaver Stadium was in April when we lost in the Cheshire Senior Cup after drawing level three times through a Jake Charles brace and a goal from Matty Wolfenden, only to lose in extra time. Our last league visit saw a reverse of the Cheshire Senior cup game, where the Dabbers twice pegged Celtic back, only for Matty Wolfenden to score a stoppage time winner and the game finish 3-2 to Celtic. In the last thirty years, we've mainly visited in cup competitions, and in seven visits, Celtic have won four and Nantwich three.

In their last match, the 2-0 home win over Bamber Bridge, Nantwich lined up as:
1. Will Jaaskelainen
2. Jamie Morgan
3. Louis Barnes
4. Joel Stair
5. Toby Mullarkey
6. Caspar Hughes
7. Troy Bourne
8. Matt Bell
9. Danny Glover
10. Sean Cooke
11. Callum Saunders

In the Celtic's last match, the 0-1 home defeat to LAncaster, Celtic lined up as:
1. Paddy Wharton
2. Douglas Nyaupembe
3. Nathan Heath
4. Liam Tongue
5. Chris Smalley
6. Olly Marx
7. Scott Bakkor
8. Mark Lees
9. Dan Cockerline
10. Ross Dent
11. Neil Kengni

Celtic's form in 2019 has been poor, with two wins, one at home and one away, two draws (both away) and five losses. This has seen Celtic plummet down the form table to sixteenth and started to draw us in the battle for survival. Although we could move up to eleventh with a win (if Matlock lose to North Ferriby and Whitby lose to Basford), five teams are now within three points of Celtic, and we could drop to seventeenth with a loss, depending on Marine, Lancaster and Bamber Bridge results. It could have been worse, if Grantham's goal difference was better, and they and Hednesford and Grantham draw, as that would put us one place above the drop zone. In other words, Celtic need some wins. Soon.

Table
P Pts
2 Farsley Celtic 30 62
3 South Shields 30 61
4 Nantwich Town 32 61
5 Gainsborough Trinity 32 52
6 Buxton 31 49
Results
Sat 02 Mar 2019Stalybridge Celtic4-2
Tue 26 Feb 2019Bamber Bridge2-0
Sat 23 Feb 2019Warrington Town3-3
Sat 16 Feb 2019Scarborough Athletic1-1
Sat 09 Feb 2019Farsley Celtic1-2
Goal Scorers
Malkin, Joseph10
Cooke, Sean8
Glover, Danny7
Saunders, Callum5
Lawrie, James5
Previous Meetings
Saturday November 11, 2023
3
2
Saturday January 21, 2023
0
4
Saturday September 17, 2022
1
2
Tuesday February 15, 2022
1
5
Saturday August 14, 2021
3
2
Records
Home win Whitby Town4-1Sat 15th Sep
Away win Stafford Rangers1-4Wed 26th Dec
Home defeat Matlock Town1-4Sat 3rd Nov
Away defeat South Shields4-0Sat 1st Sep
Home score Lancaster City5-2Sat 25th Aug
Away score Warrington Town3-3Sat 23rd Feb
Games Since... Overall Home Away
Last Scored 111
Last Conceded 221
Last Won 113
Last Drew 221
Directions
Distance: 53
Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

From the M67 join the M60 towards Stockport.
After 7 miles, leave the M60 at Junction 4 (Chester, M6) to join the M56 Stay on the M56 for 7 miles, coming off at junction 7 (Northwich, M6) to join the A556.
The roundabout can be avoided by using the slip road.
Stay on the A556 for 5 miles to the roundabout with the M6.
Join the M6 southbound (Birmingham) avoiding the roundabout by using the slip road.
Stay on the M6 for 18 miles to Junction 16 (A500, Crewe and Nantwich).
At the roundabout at the end of the slip road, turn right (3 of 4) onto the A500.
Stay on the A500 for one mile to a roundabout with the A51, cross the roundabout (2 of 4) onto the A51 into Nantwich.
After a mile and two roundabouts (first exit off each), cross the roundabout by the station onto the A530 (Water Lode).
Follow Water Lode round for half a mile, and the club is on the right hand side.