Match Preview :- Solihull Moors - Saturday December 17th, 2011 (15:00:00)
After their heroics in the FA Trophy against Stockport County on Saturday and Tuesday, Celtic will be brought back down to Earth with a bump as we travel to south Birmingham to face Solihull Moors in the league. Kick off 3pm. There will be a match centre for this game.

Solihull are currently sixteenth on twenty-three points, half the points total of Celtic and fourteen places behind us. With just seventeen goals scored, they have the worst attack in the league. They make up for this by having one of the best defences in the league, just behind Celtic's twenty-three conceded.

Solihull had a bad start to the season. It took seven games before Moors got any points on the board at all, after finishing last season very strongly. Since losing their opening seven games results have started to pick up. An away win at Boston followed by a home win over Altrincham saw the results start rolling in. A great away win at Nuneaton, with home wins over Gloucester, Boston, Bishop's Stortford and Harrogate followed, meaning Solihull are now unbeaten at home in the four games since the home defeat to Droylsden back at the start of October. In the process they have scored ten goals and conceded just two.

Since our first meeting under their former name of Moor Green back in September 2004, we have met fourteen times in the league only. We have a fairly decent record over Solihull, with two wins out of seven and three draws. We have lost to them on their own patch just twice. Our last win was back in January 2007 when we won 2-0, but our last visit there saw us go down 3-1 back in September 2010. Between those two games was a 2-2 draw. In our last eight meetings, Celtic have won four, drawn three and lost just once.

Solihull's top scorer this season is Jordan Fitzpatrick who has three goals, with four players challenging for the Golden Boot on two goals apiece. Their most dangerous period is the last twenty minutes when seven of their seventeen goals have gone in. Around the interval is their most vulnerable period with nine of their conceded twenty-four scored on either side of the interval. Moors have failed to score ten times this season (four times at home) and kept seven clean sheets (three of them at home). They score an average of 0.8 goals per game (1.3 at home) and concede 1.2 goals per game (1.1 at home). They have had two goalless draws, both away from home to Halifax and Colwyn Bay. Three of their clean sheets at home have come in their last six games.

Like ourselves, Solihull were in FA Trophy action midweek. Unlike ourselves, after holding York City to a 2-2 away draw on Saturday, they were beaten comfortably at Damson Park 3-0 by York to exit the Trophy. Solihull have no suspensions ahead of the match and have a full squad to choose from. In their last match, the 3-0 home defeat to York City, they lined up as:
1. Jasbir Singh
2. David Karonji
3. Stuart Pierpoint
4. Danny Spencer
5. Andre Francis
6. Jordan Fitzpatrick
7. Gavin Hurren
8. Michael Blackwood
9. Simon Johnson
10. Lee Morris
11. Richard Walker

Celtic will be without Adam Kay (wrist injury) and Rhys Meynell who is suspended for three games, which means he will be ineligible for both Hyde games. In our last match, the stunning 2-1 win over Stockport County, Celtic lined up as:
1. Jan Budtz
2. Joel Bembo-Leta
3. Andy McWilliams
4. Rhys Meynell
5. Chris Lynch
6. Jack Rea
7. Steve Brogan
8. Greg Wilkinson
9. Craig Hobson
10. Lloyd Ellams
11. Connor Jennings

Celtic have not won away from home in four matches now, with two losses and two draws, losing our most recent away league match at Gainsborough. With the automated prediction algorithm suggesting a 3-1 win for Celtic, this would be a welcome boost ahead of our next away game on Boxing Day at Hyde. There should be regulation wins for Hyde, Guiseley and Nuneaton on Saturday, all of whom are at home. This makes a win even more vital, to maintain the gap on the chasing pack and ensuring Hyde don't get too far away before the derbies.

Other games this Saturday (Celtic are second on forty-six points):
Blyth Spartans (12pts 22nd) v Altrincham (29pts 9th)
Colwyn Bay (28pts 12th) v Worcester City (32pts 8th)
Droylsden (28pts 10th) v Corby Town (32pts 7th)
Eastwood Town (13pts 21st) v Workington (17pts 19th)
FC Halifax Town (33pts 6th) v Hinckley United (18pts 18th)
Gloucester City (26pts 13th) v Bishops Stortford (16pts 20th)
Guiseley (38pts 3rd) v Boston United (28pts 11th)
Histon (23pts 15th) v Gainsborough Trinity (37pts 5th)
Hyde (52pts 1st) v Vauxhall Motors (19pts 17th)
Nuneaton Town (37pts 20th) v Harrogate Town (25pts 14th)

Directions
Distance: 107
Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes

From the M67 join the M60 towards Stockport.
After 7 miles, leave the M60 at Junction 4 (Chester, M6) to join the M56 Stay on the M56 for 7 miles, coming off at junction 7 (Northwich, M6) to join the A556.
The roundabout can be avoided by using the slip road.
Stay on the A556 for 5 miles to the roundabout with the M6.
Join the M6 southbound (Birmingham) avoiding the roundabout by using the slip road.
Stay on the M6 for 72 miles to junction 4a (M42, The North).
Stay on the M42 for 4 1/2 miles to Junction 6 (Birmingham South East).
At the roundabout at the end of the slip road, turn right (exit 3 of 4) onto the A45 (Coventry Road).
After 2 miles (at the first set of traffic lights) turn left onto Damson Parkway.
The ground is three quarters of a mile down Damson Parkway on the right.