Match Preview :- Tamworth - Saturday September 13th, 2014 (15:00:00)

Saturday's visitors to the Fold are Tamworth. Tamworth were relegated out of the Conference National last season, and started this season with high hopes. Currently they are in nineteenth, one place below Celtic on eight points, below on goal difference only. There will be a match centre for this game.

Last season they finished on thirty-nine points in the second relegation spot, six points from safety. They'd not had the best record in their run in, winning three and drawing two out of their final ten games, and have only one once on the road in the last ten matches, including this season. That win was over fellow relegation strugglers, Dartford. This season they've continued in the same vein, with four straight on the road draws, one win and one draw at home; so while they have only lost twice (to Stockport 1-0 and Chorley 3-0) apart from beating Gloucester 2-1, they've not won either.

Their top scorer this season has been Kirk Jackson, who has two. They've failed to score in three matches this season, two of which they lost, and the other was an opening day goalless draw with Harrogate, which was also their only clean sheet of the season. Celtic haven't beaten Tamworth at Bower Fold in recent times, with Tamworth's last visit here in 2008 a 2-2 draw with two goals from Andy Smart to take the lead and to grab an equaliser. That result followed an earlier season magnificent win in Tamworth, where we won 3-0, with one of the goals a thirty-five yard lob on the run from Terry Barwick that had been a contender for goal of the season. Tamworth's last win at Bower Fold was in the FA Trophy, when they beat us 2-0. Not scoring against Tamworth was a bit of a theme until the 3-0 win, as we failed to score against them in three times of asking.

Tamworth have twice had to rely on late penalties to take anything from their games, the most recent their last match, which finished 1-1 away at Gainsborough Trinity. In that match they lined up as:
1. James Belshaw
2. Shane Clarke
3. Kayden Jackson
4. Michael Townsend
5. Daniel Preston
6. Paul Green
7. George Grayson
8. Robert Purdie
9. David Hibbert
10. Kevin Thornton
11. Brendon Daniels

Celtic's last match finished 1-0 to Harrogate in Harrogate, despite intense pressure in the last fifteen minutes. In that match, Celtic lined up as:
1. Lewis King
2. Kelvin Bleau
3. Nathan Heath
4. Matty Hughes
5. Matt Regan
6. James Cadman
7. Wade Joyce
8. Matty Mainwaring
9. Ben McKenna
10. Charlie Ennis
11. Liam Dickinson

Celtic have been unlucky in the previous two matches, but luck should even out over the season. A win on Saturday could see us lifted back into the top half, whilst a loss could see us drop into the bottom three, something we don't really want, even this early in the season. Other games on Saturday:
Barrow (16pts 3rd) v Leamington FC (13pts 7th)
Brackley Town (4pts 21st) v Hyde (2pts 22nd)
Colwyn Bay (11pts 9th) v North Ferriby United (13pts 6th)
Gloucester City (8pts 17th) v AFC Fylde (16pts 2nd)
Harrogate Town (9pts 16th) v Solihull Moors (7pts 20th)
Hednesford Town (11pts 10th) v Guiseley (14pts 4th)
Lowestoft Town (10pts 14th) v Bradford Park Avenue (10pts 15th)
Oxford City (12pts 8th) v Gainsborough Trinity (11pts 11th)
Stockport County (10pts 12th) v Boston United (14pts 5th)
Worcester City (10pts 13th) v Chorley (17pts 1st)

Match Sponsor
S Williams & Sons
Ball Sponsor
Stalybridge Celtic Fans Day
Man of the Match Sponsor
Stalybridge Celtic Fans Day
Programme Sponsor
Stalybridge Celtic Fans Day