On Friday night Celtic will host Bootle in the re-arranged fixture. Bootle are currently eleventh in the league after three games, eight places and three points behind Celtic. Kick off 7:45pm.

Bootle have one of each result so far in the league, having won at home, lost away, and drawn at home in their opening matches this season. Their opening day game saw them beat Newcastle 2-1, whilst their last away match was a 2-0 loss at Widnes and their most recent match ended in a 1-1 draw at home to Witton. Like Celtic, Bootle are out of the FA Cup, having lost pre-season 3-1 away at Prestwich Heys. They have scored three, with three different scorers. Conceded four, with at least one goal in each match, and two goals in their only away match of the season.

Last season, Bootle finished thirteenth. Only Witton drew more away matches, with Bootle drawing seven matches on the road, giving them an away record of six wins, seven draws and six losses. Although they won the same number of matches at home, the lost ten times at home, giving them a better away record. With sixty-one goals conceded, they had the fourth worst defence in the league.

Previously, we’ve only met Bootle in the FA Cup and FA Trophy. Most recently, in 2021 Celtic knocked Bootle out of the FA Cup. Though Celtic had gone ahead in that match, a ten-minute spell saw Bootle surge to 3-1 with ten minutes to go, when Bod Hodkinson scored a hat-trick. Celtic got back to 3-3 with Matty Jones grabbing the equaliser in stoppage time and Celtic won on Penalties. In 1993 it took a replay to knock Bootle out of the FA Cup, the game at Bower Fold finishing 202, before Celtic went to Bootle and won 3-1.

In Bootle’s last match, the 1-1 home draw with Witton Albion, Bootle lined up as: 1. Owen Mooney
2. Ethen Vaughn
3. Arthur Lomax-Jones
4. Tom Moore
5. Leon Legge
6. Charlie Doyle
7. Mason Fawns
8. Billy Reeves
9. Ste Milne
10. Andy Scarisbrick
11. Ben Hodkinson

In Celtic’s last match, the 1-0 away win over Clitheroe, Celtic lined up as: 1. Luke Hewitson
2. Jake Kenny
3. Lucas Cook
4. Brandon Newell
5. Connor O’Grady
6. Greg Wilkinson
7. Brad Byrne
8. Michael Brewster
9. Obua Mugalula
10. Aaron Dwyer
11. Jordan Burton

Charlie Doyle recently moved from Celtic to Bootle to bolster their midfield.

With no other games on Friday, Celtic could, with a win, go top, for a day at least. On Saturday, Kidsgrove will be hosting Runcorn and Chasetown are at home to Vauxhall Motors. It being early on in the season, despite the eight place gap, a win for Bootle would see them leapfrog us, if they win by two goals.