Match Preview :- Bradford Park Avenue - Tuesday August 11th, 2015 (19:45:00)

On Tuesday, Celtic start their home campaign against Bradford Park Avenue (kick off 7:45pm). Bradford drew their opening game 2-2 at home to Telford, with former Celtic midfielder (albeit on loan) Michael Potts scoring both goals for them. There will be a match centre for this game.

Bradford finished last season in a respectable thirteenth – all the more remarkable, as they looked relegation candidates by January. This was due to an inordinate number of postponements thanks to cup runs and the weather that wasn't kind to them. They played four games in December and January, and they were away. Once they started playing again on Valentine's Day, Avenue lost just five games until the end of the season, winning eight and drawing six. Their wins included two 1-0 wins over Celtic.

Their top scorer last season was Chib Chilaka, who scored fourteen of their fifty-two goals. In the overall goal-scorers chart, he was eleventh. He was more than double his nearest rival, Richard Marshall, who had six. Only four teams scored less than Bradford. Bradford were mid-table at conceding with 66, only four less than Celtic. Celtic's last win over Bradford was in December 2012, when we won 2-0 at home, and 3-1 away in September 2012. In Bradford's seven visits to Bower Fold, they have won two, lost three and drawn two.

This season started off with a draw for Bradford, they were leading 2-0 at half time, but what can best be described as a bruising second half that saw four dismissals, three for Alfreton, Alfreton pulled back two goals, and came away with a draw. Two of the sendings off came after the full time whistle, with a mass brawl seeing Luke Dean for Bradford and Dan Bradley singled out for dismissals.

In that match, Bradford lined up as:
1. Jon Stewart
2. Alex Pursehouse
3. Adam Mather
4. Luke Dean
5. Adam Clayton
6. Simon Ainge
7. Craig King
8. Paul Marshall
9. Chib Chilaka
10. Michael Potts
11. James Walshaw

Celtic lost their opening game 2-1, in another best described as bruising, but with no dismissals, away at Hednesford Town. In that game, Celtic lined up as:
1. Tony McMillan
2. Peter Wylie
3. Aidan Chippendale
4. Matty Hughes
5. Jack Higgins
6. John Shaw
7. Adam Farrell
8. Dale Wright
9. Chris Simm
10. Aarron Chalmers
11. Bohan Dixon

Celtic will be looking to get their first points on the board at home, whilst Bradford will be looking to repeat their feet of last season, by winning at Bower Fold.

Other midweek games:
AFC Fylde v Hednesford Town
AFC Telford v Curzon Ashton
Alfreton Town v Lowestoft Town
Boston United v Solihull Moors
FC United of Manchester v Stockport County
Harrogate Town v Gainsborough Trinity
North Ferriby United v Chorley
Nuneaton Town v Brackley Town
Worcester City v Tamworth
Corby Town v Gloucester City (Wednesday)

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