On Tuesday, Celtic make the short hop across Tameside for our third away game in four days when we face Ashton (kick off 7:45pm). Ashton are currently fourth on seventy-three points, seventeen places and twenty-eight points above Celtic having played three more games. There will be a match centre and Twitter feed for the game.
Ashton have had a solid season, losing only twice between the start of October and March, both away, once at Stafford and once at Altrincham. They are currently unbeaten in five, with two wins and three draws, including the away game at Bower Fold at the start of April. They have won three, drawn one and lost one in their last five home games, the loss being 2-1 to Coalville Town, and all season have only lost four at home.
Matthew Chadwick is their top scorer on sixteen; six goals clear of Liam Tomsett, and they have had twenty different goal scorers netting seventy-eight goals (split equally home and away), at a rate of 1.9 goals per game, the second best attack in the league behind Altrincham. They have also have the fifth best defence in the league, conceding fifty-four this season (twenty-two at home) at a rate of 1.3 goals per game (one goal a game at home). They have kept twelve clean sheets (eight at home) and failed to score in just one home match (against Workington back in September), and in three away games.
Ashton's last match was Saturday, when they drew 1-1 away at Halesowen, thanks to a very last minute equaliser from Tomsett. In that match they lined up as:
1. Dave Carnell
2. Dominic Smalley
3. Lewis Baines
4. Josh Granite
5. Aaron Chalmers
6. Sam Sheridan
7. Nicky Platt
8. Liam Tomsett
9. Dean Smalley
10. Daniel Mooney
11. Nic Evangelinos
Celtic's last match was the 4-3 (AET) away loss to Nantwich in the Cheshire Senior Cup semi-final last night. In that match, we lined up as:
1. George Sykes-Kenworthy
2. Harrison Holgate
3. Alex Honeyball
4. Danny Morton
5. Luke Ashworth
6. Jack Taylor
7. Jake Charles
8. Oli Roberts
9. Liam Dickinson
10. Matty Wolfenden
11. Connor Hughes
Celtic will be without Ross Killock and Tom Brown through injury whilst Harrison Holgate won't be available due to not being allowed to play two games in two days and Jack Taylor will also be missing through work commitments. Greg Wilkinson could be back after his layoff, and there will have to be some changes because asking players to play four games in six days is a massive ask.
We have played Ashton this season, at home, when the game finished 2-2 in a cracking tie, with Matty Wolfenden's two goals twice cancelled out. Our last visit to Hurst Cross was in 2005, when both teams were in the Conference North; that game finished 3-2 to Celtic, with a last minute own-goal from Dean Johnson (thumping header, worthy of any striker!) adding to Scott Bonsall's and Aron Wilford's goals. In the five visits since the nineties, we have won three, lost one and drawn one.
A win would see us rise a place, a loss could see us drop a place (if Coalville beat Halesowen). Other games tonight: Barwell (59pts 9th) v Lancaster City (53pts 17th)
