On Saturday, Celtic travel to Brackley Town (kick off 3pm). Brackley are currently twenty-first in the league on eight points, four places and three points behind seventeenth placed Celtic, having played a game less. There should be a match centre for this game.
Brackley haven't had the best of starts to this season's campaign, with two wins and two draws out of their opening nine games. They are only one win behind Celtic, though with a much lower goal difference, (-8 to Celtic's -2). Out of their five home games this season, they have beaten Gainsborough Trinity (3-2) and Hyde (1-0). They did manage a goalless draw with Worcester City, but have been beaten by Boston (1-0) and Guiseley (3-0). Their only point on the road this season was a goalless draw at Bradford Park Avenue.
This is a massive fall from last season, when they finished in seventh, eleven points off a play-off spot; twelve places and twenty-eight points ahead of nineteenth placed Celtic. In our last four meetings, Celtic haven't beaten Brackley, with our last visit there finishing 3-0 in Brackley's favour. In the return trip, Celtic came back from behind and got a 1-1 draw at Bower Fold, relying on a Tom Sharp own goal to cancel out Brett Solkhon's early opener. In the season before, Celtic were thoroughly beaten by Brackley, 3-0 at Bower Fold, and 4-1 in St James Park.
Last weekend was FA Cup weekend, and whilst Celtic crashed out, Brackley went through after a replay when Farnborough held them to a 2-2 draw at St James Park, but Brackley won 1-0 in the replay. In that match, the 1-0 away win at Farnborough, Brackley lined up as:
1. Billy Turley
2. Dwayne Samuels
3. Chris Carruthers
4. Eddie Odhiambo
5. Tom Sharpe
6. Ryan Austin
7. Ebby Nelson-Addy
8. Sam Whittall
9. Greg Pearson
10. Ryan Rowe
11. Eric Odhiambo
Matty Mainwaring has sat out the past few games through injury, but there was a welcome start to Anthony Malbon in Celtic's 1-0 loss away at Shildon in the FA Cup in our last match. In that match, we lined up as:
1. Lewis King
2. Kelvin Bleau
3. Nathan Heath
4. Matty Hughes
5. Matt Regan
6. Harley Wigley
7. James Cadman
8. Sam Staunton-Turner
9. Anthony Malbon
10. Paul Ennis
11. Liam Dickinson
Celtic could be lifted into the top half with a win on Saturday, whilst Brackley could draw level on points with Celtic if they win, dragging Celtic further towards the bottom spots. Whilst it is still early days, as Jose Morinho said recently, it is better to be leading than chasing at any point in the campaign.
Other matches on Saturday:
AFC Fylde (22pts 1st) v North Ferriby United (15pts 8th)
Barrow (20pts 2nd) v Lowestoft Town (13pts 13th)
Boston United (18pts 6th) v Hednesford Town (12pts 14th)
Chorley (20pts 3rd) v Harrogate Town (12pts 14th)
Colwyn Bay (13pts 11th) v Oxford City (18pts 5th)
Gainsborough Trinity (14pts 9th) v Worcester City (14pts 10th)
Guiseley (18pts 4th) v Tamworth (9pts 19th)
Leamington FC (13pts 12th) v Hyde (5pts 22nd)
Solihull Moors (11pts 16th) v Bradford Park Avenue (9pts 18th)
Stockport County (17pts 7th) v Gloucester City (8pts 20th)
