Match Preview :- Mickleover FC - Saturday December 21st, 2019 (15:00:00)

On Saturday, Celtic are in our final home match of the year when we host Mickleover Sports (kick off 3pm). Mickleover are currently in thirteenth place on twenty-four points, seven places and eight points behind of sixth placed Celtic, though they have a game in hand.

Until the start of October, Mickleover were having a decent season, losing three games in their opening twelve that lifted them all the way to second. Since then, they have won just one in their last seven, seeing them slide down the table, with the one win being a 1-0 away win at Buxton. Their most recent two away games have both been losses, losing 3-2 to Bamber Bridge and 4-1 at Scarborough. Apart from the Buxton win, their only other two wins on the road out of ten away games came at Hyde (winning 3-2) and Atherton (winning 3-1), both during their good spell of runs. They have also drawn twice on the road, a 2-2 at Gainsborough and 1-1 at Grantham.

The Buxton won was their only clean sheet on their travels, though they have kept three other clean sheets at home, whilst they have failed to score in only two away games, both of which were their opening away games back in August to Witton and Warrington. In their last five away games, they have conceded twelve and scored eight. They are just outside the top five of lowest scoring teams in the league, scoring twenty-four goals this season, fourteen away from home, at a rate pf 1.3 goals per game (1.4 away). They are definitely mid-table when it comes to conceding, having conceded thirty goals (eighteen away from home) at rate of 1.6 goals per game (1.8 per game away). Their top scorer this season is Mason Warren, with seven, just ahead of Lee Hughes on six. When not winning at half time away from home, they have never gone on to win the game, and they have scored more penalties this season than any other team, with five, four of which are from Warren.

So far, we've been unable to beat Mickleover. Earlier this season we lost in our opening fixture in Derby, when Jack Storer scored with their only effort on goal in the opening five minutes. Their last visit here, last season, was a goalless draw, with the season before seeing them win both games, beating us 5-0 at home that season. We've only scored once against them, last season's visit to Derby when we lost 2-1 with Elliott Cooke's late wonder strike not enough to cancel out a brace from Shaquille McDonald.

Mickleover's last match was a 4-1 reversal at Scarborough, in which they lined up as:
1. Nathan Broome
2. Durrell Berry
3. Ben Turner
4. Aman Verma
5. Pablo Mills
6. Greg Young
7. Andrew Wright
8. Mason Warren
9. Lee Hughes
10. Stuart Beavon
11. Ryan Nesbitt

Celtic's last game was our 0-0 away draw with Lancaster. In that match, we lined up as:
1. Alex Fojtíček
2. Declan Walker
3. Kallum Mantack
4. Ross Dent
5. Stephen O'Halloran
6. Chris Smalley
7. Scott Bakkor
8. Anthony Whitehead
9. Craig Hobson
10. Darius Osei
11. Jonathan Ustabasi

A win for Celtic could lift us a place into fourth, with Radcliffe and Warrington both within three points, Basford are also within three points, but have a nine better goal difference. Radcliffe are away at South Shields, whilst Warrington are at Morpeth. Basford are hosting Hyde. Only Witton and FC United of Manchester are within three points of us, and they are both at home to Whitby and Grantham respectively.

Celtic's current great run and Mickleover's wobble gives us a great chance to not only get back into the top five, but also to end the poor series of results against Mickleover.

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