On Wednesday, Celtic return to the DCBL Stadium in Widnes, this time to face Widnes. Widnes are currently top of the league, one point and three places above Celtic, with a game in hand. Kick-off is 7:45.

An indifferent start to the campaign with two wins, two draws and two losses in their opening six matches saw them stutter to a start, but unbeaten in four, with three wins, lifted them to the top of the table. Wins over Mossley (2-0), Wythenshawe (2-1) and Stafford (4-0) ended in their last match when they drew 1-1 at home to Avro. All their losses this season have come away, with four wins and a draw at home. Away from home, Widnes picked up five points from a possible fifteen.

Widnes have conceded two goals at home all season, with three clean sheets. Only Wythenshawe and Avro have so far found a chink in their home defence. Overall, they have the four best defence in the league in terms of goals conceded, but Celtic currently hold the longest scoring run in the league (8 games), and hope to continue that on Wednesday night. James Steele is currently leading Widnes’s league goal scoring chart, and is joint third in the league’s lead goal scorers. On average they score two goals a game at home (1.9 overall), failing to score in just one away game. They also concede only 0.4 goals per game at home (0.9 overall) and have kept four clean sheets with three at home. With ten goals scored in the last five minutes, Widnes are strong finishers.

We met Widnes three times last season. Most recently they knocked us out of the FA Cup, winning 1-0 at Bower Fold, but in the league, we won the home fixture 4-3, with two penalties in the last few minutes drawing Widnes level, then restoring Celtic’s lead in stoppage time. In our only other encounter, we drew 1-1 at the DCBL, with a late Darius Palma penalty wiped out by a wonder goal from Steve Milne.

In Widnes’s last match, the 1-1 home draw to Avro, Widnes lined up as:
1. Mark Halstead
2. Ben Rydel
3. Matty Rain
4. Brendan O’Brien
5. Jadel Musanhu
6. Louis Isherwood
7. Steve Irwin
8. Adam Bott
9. Jack McGowan
10. Sean Miller
11. James Steele

In Celtic’s last match, the 2-1 away defeat to Newcastle Town, Celtic lined up as:
1. Charlie Monks
2. Jordan Butterworth
3. Javid Swaby-Neavin
4. Prince Anunjiru
5. Aaron Chalmers
6. Max Leonard
7. Jack Banister
8. Liam Tongue
9. Joe Duckworth
10. Jack Irlam
11. Matty Bryan

Celtic will be without Matty Bryan after his sending off against Wythenshawe Town.