On Saturday, Celtic travel to Ellesmere Port to face Vauxhall Motors. Motors are currently eighteenth in the league on thirty-one points, thirteen points and ten places behind Celtic. Kick-off 3pm.

Vauxhall’s best spell came around October, when they won five and drew one in nine games. Since Boxing Day, they have won one, and drawn two in their last ten, seeing them drop from a high of ninth, to just above the drop zone. Their only win of 2024 was two home matches ago when they beat Northwich. In their last ten home games, they have won two and drawn one. Their previous home win at the start of December when they beat Nantwich.

Vauxhall have the highest number of different scorers in the league, with sixteen different players on the score sheet this season. Connor Haywood and Ben Holmes are joint leaders of their scorers’ chart with five apiece, Haywood scoring all five of his goals at home. The Motormen have scored most of their thirty-seven goals at home, netting twenty-six. On average, they score 1.3 goals per game, 1.7 of them at home. Only Northwich have conceded more than Vauxhall’s fifty-eight goals this season, thirty-four at home. They concede an average of two goals per game, with 2.3 at home. They have conceded in every home game this season, and failed to score four times.

Since 2000 we have played Vauxhall thirty-four times. We have visited Ellesmere fifteen times, Celtic winning six, Vauxhall four and with five draws. Our last visit, in the Conference North in 2014 saw us win 3-1. Vauxhall’s last win over us at their place was in 2012 when they won 1-0. They have won the last two meetings, both at Bower Fold, the most recent earlier this season, when they beat an under-strength Celtic 2-1.

In Vauxhall’s last league match, the 2-0 away defeat by Clitheroe, Vauxhall lined up as:
1. Jack Atkinson
2. Ethan Goldbourne
3. Jason Akiotu
4. Ben Dufton-Kelly
5. Adam Hughes
6. Mitchell Duggan
7. Joe Brandon
8. Ben Holmes
9. Connor Rankin
10. Jake Kirby-Reed
11. George Nugent

In Celtic’s last league match, the 2-1 home win over Newcastle, Celtic lined up as:
1. Luke Hewitson
2. Pawel Zuk
3. Cole Lonsdale
4. Max Leonard
5. Connor O’Grady
6. Craig Hobson
7. Aaron Dwyer
8. Joe Robbins
9. Massanka Ntumba
10. Darius Osei
11. Rio Clegg

A win could see Celtic return to the top six spots, with Witton in sixth, three points ahead but with a worse goal difference away at Hanley. Level on points with Celtic, Clitheroe, are away at fourth placed Bootle. Four teams are within three points of Celtic, Widnes (at home to Trafford), Nantwich (away at Chasetown), Avro (away at Runcorn), and Mossley (at home to Kidsgrove), so a loss could see Celtic drop to twelfth.