On Boxing Day, Celtic make the quick hop up Wakefield Road to Mossley. Moseley are currently thirteenth, nine places and nine points behind Celtic having played two games fewer. Kick off 3pm.

After a great start to the season, winning five of their opening seven matches, they rose to second in the table. A 6-3 loss away at Clitheroe signalled a change in fortune. They lost four on the trot and dropped down the table. In the eleven games since, they have won two and lost six. Their last match saw them lose 5-3 away at Prescot. They’ve only had two home matches since the start of November, losing 3-0 to Runcorn, and – most recently – drawing 1-1 with Witton. Their last home win was back in September when they beat Hednesford.

Top of their scorer’s chart is Oumar Camara, with seven of their twenty-six goals this season. On average of a goal per game at home and 1.4 per game overall on average. They have scored in every home game except one, the loss against Runcorn. On average, they concede 1.2 goals per home game and 1.7 overall, having conceded thirty-one in total, with ten of those at home, keeping 3 of their six clean sheets at home.

You have to go back to 1992 to see the last time the two teams met in the league when Celtic won 5-0 at Bower Fold, after winning 1-0 in Mossley. The last time Mossley won was 3-0 at Bower Fold back in 1989. Since those league meetings, we’ve met twice competitively in the Manchester Cup. The last competitive meeting in Mossley was in 2016, which Mossley won 3-1. The last competitive meeting was this season, when Celtic won 1-0 back in October, at Bower Fold, Jack Irlam breaking the deadlock.

In Mossley’s last match, the 5-2 away loss at Prescot, Mossley lined up as:
1. Christopher Thompson
2. William Shepherd
3. Darren Holden
4. Ben Darby
5. Jack Grundy
6. Luke Barlow
7. Kane Hickman
8. Andy Keogh
9. Reece Webb-Foster
10. Alfie Belcher
11. Jack Banister

Celtic’s last match, the 2-1 home win over Hanley Town, saw Celtic line up as:
1. Luke Hewitson
2. Pawel Zuk
3. Cole Lonsdale
4. Joseph Robbins
5. Connor O’Grady
6. Jack Tinning
7. Obua Mugalula
8. Michael Brewster
9. Aaron Dwyer
10. Jack Irlam
11. Darius Palma

Celtic are now five points behind top spot Leek (at home to Newcastle), who also have a game in hand. Even with a win, we can’t catch them. Prescot are one point ahead and Runcorn are level on points, but ahead on goal difference. They play each other in Runcorn. A draw in that match and a win for Celtic will put us second with a win. Avro (at home to Trafford) are a point behind whilst Kidsgrove (Away at Clitheroe) and Bootle (at home to Liverpool) are two points behind, meaning we could drop to seventh with a loss.