On Saturday, Clitheroe are Celtic’s first visitors of 2024. Clitheroe are currently seventh in the league, five points and three places behind Celtic with two games in hand. Kick-off is 3pm.

Clitheroe rocketed up the league, with two losses in their opening ten games, both at home. Their last ten have seen them slide away a little, with three wins and five losses. One of those losses in the first part of the season was against us, when we beat them in Clitheroe, so they will be looking for some revenge. Their good start to the season did see them top the table briefly, back in October. Clitheroe’s away form has been better than their home form. At home they’ve won four, drawn three and lost four. Away they’ve won five, drawn two and lost three. Clitheroe have not lost since Christmas, with two home draws with Kidsgrove and their most recent match, Nantwich which ended goalless. Their last away game saw them beat Widnes 2-1. Their previous away game saw them lose at Liverpool.

Sefton Gonzales scored both goals in their last away win, and with four goals away to Hednesford, is currently the league’s second highest goal scorer with fourteen goals. He is by far and away their top scorer, with Vernon Parny and John McGrath in joint second on four apiece. Clitheroe are a late finishing team, with twelve goals in the last five minutes and another five right before half time. Concentration is key before the whistles. Om average they score 1.9 goals per game away from home, and 1.8 overall, having failed to score just once on their travels (at Hanley in November). Defensively, they have conceded an average of 1.4 goals per game away from home and 1.3 overall, keeping two of their five clean sheets on the road. Only Leek Town have a better attack than Clitheroe thanks to Gonzales’s fourteen goals this season.

This is Clitheroe’s first visit to Bower Fold in the past forty years. Celtic have visited Clitheroe three times in that period, twice for friendlies and the two teams have only met once competitively, earlier this season when Celtic won 1-0 thanks to a Jordan Burton first half goal and a solid second half defensive performance.

In Clitheroe’s last match, the goalless home draw with Nantwich, Clitheroe lined up as:
1. Hakan Burton
2. Jacob Hanson
3. Jack Sloan
4. Andrew Teague
5. Cameron Lancaster
6. William Hall
7. Richard Baker
8. Danny Wilkins
9. Sefton Gonzales
10. Ross Dent
11. Veron Perry

In Celtic’s last league match, the 4-0 away win over Bootle, Celtic lined up as:
1. Luke Hewitson
2. Pawel Zuk
3. Cole Lonsdale
4. Max Leonard
5. Connor O’Grady
6. Jack Tinning
7. Obua Mugalula
8. Joe Robbins
9. Jack Irlam
10. Aaron Dwyer
11. Darius Palma

Celtic could go third with a win, level on points with second placed Prescot if results go our way. Prescot (home to Vauxhall) are three ahead but have ten goals on us in goal difference. We could leapfrog Runcorn (away at Newcastle) as they are two ahead. Three points behind Celtic are Avro (away at Liverpool) and Witton (at home to Bootle), though only Avro have the goal difference capable of overtaking us if results don’t go our way.