Match Preview :- Brackley Town - Saturday April 29th, 2017 (15:00:00)

On Saturday, Celtic's season to forget comes to an end with a tough away trip to Brackley Town. Brackley are currently eighth in the league on seventy points, forty-one points and thirteen places above Celtic. They are unable to reach the play-offs, being four points shy of Salford's seventy-four points. There will be a match centre and Twitter feed for this game.

Brackley have been hovering just outside the play-off spots all season. Their home form has let them down a little bit, with six home losses, to three away losses, and with eight home wins to eleven away wins. Recent form, however has meant that they are unbeaten in eight. That said, their last home win was a 2-1 victory over AFC Telford, since then they have had three home goalless draws to Boston and Halifax and, most recently, Gainsborough. They have only won twice at home in the last ten home games, the other being a 2-0 win over Kidderminster.

Their top scorer this season is James Armson, with twelve, though Lee Ndlovu is running him close for their top league goal scorer this season with ten. They might not have the best attack, scoring sixty-one (twenty-two at home) this season at a rate of 1.5 goals per game (1.1 at home), but they do have the fourth best defence in the league behind Stockport, Chorley and Halifax, conceding forty-one goals this season (nineteen at home) at a rate of a goal per game. Nine of their thirteen clean sheets have been at home, and eight of their failures to score have also been at home.

The last meeting between the sides, back in December, was a 1-0 win for Brackley, whilst our last visit there was a 3-2 win for Celtic, this was our only win there in four attempts, with goals from Adam Farrell, Jack Higgins and Bohan Dixon. Our last win, though was at home last season when we beat them 3-1, with goals from Chris Simm, Charlie Joyce and Alex Mudimu. In nine meetings, we have won two and lost six, with only one draw, a 1-1 draw at Bower Fold back in 2014.

Brackley's last match, the 2-1 away win over Harrogate, saw Brackley line up as:
1. Laurie Walker
2. Ellis Myles
3. Alex Gudger
4. Shane Byrne
5. Luke Graham
6. Gareth Dean
7. Glen Walker
8. James Armson
9. Lee Ndlovu
10. David Moyo
11. Adam Walker

Celtic's last match, the 4-2 home defeat, also to Harrogate Town, saw Celtic line up as:
1. Grant Shenton
2. Danny Morton
3. Matt Regan
4. Kristian Platt
5. Adam Mather
6. Aaron Chalmers
7. Kieran Dunbar
8. Darren McKnight
9. James Roberts
10. Danny Wilkins
11. Mathias Bakare

Darren McKnight joins the list of injuries ahead of the final league match, with Danny Pilkington and Danny Wisdom both to be missing through injury, and Matty Hughes through suspension.

There's nothing to play for, for either team. It would be nice to sign off with a win, though. Elsewhere, champions Fylde are hosting Worcester, who need to win to stay in the Conference North and relegate Gainsborough, if Trinity don't win away at FC United. Stockport and Chorley will be trying to get into the play-offs, when they face Gloucester and Halifax. With Salford and Darlington playing each other for their right to stay in the play-offs – this is likely to be the tie of the day.

The final suite of fixtures for the Conference North are:
AFC Fylde (1st 85pts) v Worcester City (20th 35pts)
AFC Telford (17th 41pts) v Harrogate Town (11th 58pts)
Alfreton Town (41th 18pts) v Nuneaton Town (54th 12pts)
Chorley (6th 74pts) v FC Halifax Town (3rd 77pts)
Curzon Ashton (14th 49pts) v Boston United (47th 15pts)
FC United of Manchester (13th 51pts) v Gainsborough Trinity (19th 36pts)
Kidderminster Harriers (2nd 79pts) v Bradford Park Avenue (16th 43pts)
Salford City (5th 74pts) v Darlington (4th 76pts)
Stockport County (7th 72pts) v Gloucester City (10th 63pts)
Tamworth (9th 66pts) v Altrincham (22nd 21pts)

Directions
Distance: 147
Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes

Head up Mottram Road towards Mottram.
Join Mottram Road towards Hollingworth.
At the traffic lights with the A57 Woolly Lane towards Glossop, continue straight ahead towards Hollingworth and Tintwistle.
After the lights the road becomes the A628.
Stay on the A628 and it will become the Woodhead pass.
After about 14 miles, you will reach the Flouch roundabout.
Turn right (exit 3 of 4) to join the A616 (signposted M1).
After 9 miles you will reach another roundabout, go straight across (exit 3 of 5) to stay on the A616.
After 1 1/2 miles you will reach the M1.
Join the M1 going southbound towards London.
Stay on the M1 for 102 miles to junction 15A (A43).
At the second roundabout at the end of the slip road, turn right (exit 2 of 3) onto the A43.
Stay on the A43 for 16 miles across three roundabouts, at the fourth roundabout, turn right (exit 3 of 4) onto Northampton Road.
After 1 1/2 miles, turn left onto Churchill Way (signposted "Football Club").
The ground is right at the end of this road.