On Tuesday, Celtic are back at home to face Congleton Town. Congleton are currently nineteenth in the table on eight points, sixteen places and eight points behind Celtic. Kick off 7:45pm.

Despite being unbeaten at home. Congleton are yet to pick up points on the road, losing all four games, most recently against Nantwich. At home, they’ve drawn with Mossley and Bury, and beaten fellow bottom-six teams, Darlaston and Witton. With losses to Khalsa, Stafford and Kidsgrove joining their loss to Nantwich, this has left them tied with Khalsa for the worst away record so far this season, though they have conceded fewer away goals than Khalsa.

With only one goal scored on the road, they equal Khalsa, Newcastle and Bury in that regard. That goal was scored by Richard Duffy, but Max McCarthy has scored the most league goals for them so far this season, with three. Daniel Needham and Sean Brisley have got Congleton’s two other goals. On average, they score 0.2 goals per game away from home (0.8 overall), whilst conceding 1.8 goals per game on the road (1.2 overall), keeping no clean sheets away (but 2 at home) and failing to score in three (plus another at home). Their weakest spell is right after the restart, when they conceded three of their ten conceded goals this season, and have scored a third of all their goals in stoppage time.

We’ve yet to beat Congleton in the league (though we’ve only played them twice), and we’ve never beaten them at Bower Fold. Their last visit in December last year saw them win 2-0. Our only wins over them have been in cup competitions, once in the league cup and three in the Cheshire Senior Cup, the most recent being a 3-0 in Congleton in 2021, with Charley Doyle (not the current Charlie Doyle), Marcus Dackers and Matty Jones scoring.

In Congleton’s last match the 2-0 away defeat to Nantwich, Congleton lined up as:
1. Dave Parton
2. Owen Beamon
3. Matty Liptrott
4. Peter Williams
5. Shaun Brisley
6. Jack Bates
7. Ebou Badje
8. Tom Allen
9. Tom Hampton
10. Kieron Knapper
11. Danny Needham

In Celtic’s last match, the 2-1 away defeat by Kidsgrove, Celtic lined up as:
1. Charlie Monks
2. Mike Koral
3. Kyle Brownhill
4. Jordan Butterworth
5. Jack Byrne
6. Jack Tinning
7. Charlie Doyle
8. Liam Tongue
9. Benni Smales-Braithwaite
10. Tunde Owolabi
11. Andy Scarisbrick

Mike Koral limped off against Kidsgrove and will require a fitness test, whilst Jack Irlam and Ruben Jerome are both highly unlikely. Chasetown are at home to Newcastle, if Celtic win, and Chasetown don’t, Celtic will go top, with their opponents, Runcorn in an FA Trophy replay after holding Morpeth to a draw in the northeast.