On Easter Monday, Celtic make the short hop across Tameside to face Mossley. Mossley are currently in fifteenth, on fifty-three points, thirteen points and eleven places below Celtic. Kick off 3pm.

Mossley are safe from relegation, playing to find their finishing position, though this is a derby, giving this game a little more edge than normal. Plus, Celtic have a whisker of a chance of a play-off spot and must take it. Mossley had a decent spell between October and December, losing only once to Vauxhall Motors, winning seven and drawing three. This lifted them to a season high of fifth. Five wins since December has seen them sink down the table. In their last five home matches, they have lost two and drawn two, with the fifth being a 2-0 win over Bootle. Their last home match saw a 1-1 draw with league leaders Widnes, making the title race go to the wire.

Mason Fawns leads their league goal scoring chart this season, with ten, though former Celt, Obua Mugalula, is right behind on nine (and the scorer of the goal in our earlier 2-1 defeat of Mossley). On average, they score their twenty-two home goals (forty-four overall) at a rate of 1.1 per game, whilst their conceded sixteen home goals (forty-three overall) came at a rate of 0.8 goals per game (1.1 overall). Ten of their fifteen clean sheets came at home, and they have failed to score six times (twelve overall). Celtic’s front line will have their work cut out as Mossley currently hold the record for the best home defence in the league, with the most home clean sheets. They have the fourth worst home attack, with only the bottom three scoring fewer goals at home.

We have beaten Mossley once already this season, a 2-1 victory at Bower Fold, twice going ahead in the second half with goals from Liam Tongue and Lewis Rawsthorn. Our last visit there, in 2023, saw us lose 2-0, though we beat them twice in the same season, with a win in the Manchester Cup and another at home. Excluding friendlies, you need to go back to 1991 for Celtic’s last win at Seel Park, when we won 1-0. In our last five league visits, we have won four and lost one, the most recent.

In Mossley’s last match, the 2-0 away defeat to Hednesford, Mossley lined up as:
1. Finley Madigan
2. Jack Marrow
3. Gedeao Varela
4. Mark Lees
5. Mateusz Kardacz
6. Teddy Lavelle
7. Sean Kgwakgwa
8. Michael Brewster
9. Eric Yahaya
10. Mason Fawns
11. Obua Mugalula

In Celtic’s last match the 1-1 home draw with Vauxhall Motors, Celtic lined up as:
1. Charlie Monks
2. Javid Swaby-Neavin
3. Kyle Brownhill
4. Charlie Doyle
5. Sean Tse
6. Jack Tinning
7. Jack Irlam
8. Liam Tongue
9. Lewis Rawsthorn
10. Joe Duckworth
11. Benni Smales-Braithwaite

Max Leonard’s yellow against Wythenshawe means he has a three-match ban, for accumulation.

Incredibly, Celtic still have a straw to clutch to get into the play-offs. With six points still to play for Chasetown are four points ahead. A win in either of Chasetown’s remaining two games (at home to Hanley and away at Avro) would cement their play off spots. And while they should on paper beat Hanley, a win for Celtic would real them in further if they don’t. It’s a million to one shot, and don’t bet on it happening, but this is Celtic, and we like to do things the hard way.