On Saturday, Celtic are at home to Widnes. Widnes are currently eighth in the table on forty-five points, two places and one point ahead of Celtic. Kick off 3pm.

October to December saw Widnes lose only once in nine games, with four wins, bringing them up to the edge of the play-offs, where they have been ever since. Home form has kept Widnes there, with a much better home record than away. Widnes have lost their last two of their last four away games, with their last away win coming against Newcastle in February, the losses coming against Hednesford in January and, most recently, Liverpool in March. The other was a 1-1 draw with Chasetown. By contrast, at home, they have played six and won five, the only team to make them drop points in this period was Celtic, when we drew 1-1 at the start of February.

Fifteen goals on the road is the fifth worst away attack in the league, but with nineteen conceded they have the fourth best away defence. On average, they score a goal per game away from home (1.4 overall), whilst conceding 1.3 goals per away game (1.0 overall). Widnes have kept two of their ten clean sheets on the road and have failed to score five times on the road and eight times overall. Jack McGowan is edging their league goal scorers’ chart with ten goals, though Sean Miller and James Steele are breathing down his neck with nine each.

We’ve only met Widnes once, when we visited in February and drew 1-1 after a Darius Palma penalty conversion giving Celtic a second half lead, cancelled out in the dying moments after a wonder goal from Stephen Milne.

In Widnes’s last match, the 2-0 home win over Trafford, Widnes lined up as:
1. Cameron Terry
2. Brendon O’Brien
3. Lewis Coulton
4. Jack Byrne
5. Will Bell
6. Fisnik Hajdari
7. Nathan Caine
8. Olly Wright
9. Jack McGowan
10. Sean Miller
11. James Steele

In Celtic’s last match, the 3-1 away defeat to Vauxhall Motors, 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. Greg Wilkinson
9. Ntumba Massanka
10. Rio Clegg
11. Joe Robbins

Four teams are within reach should Celtic win on Saturday, including Widnes. A win for Celtic would see us leapfrog the visitors. Also within reach are Nantwich (at home to Mossley), Witton (at home to Chasetown) and Clitheroe (at home to Runcorn). If all results go Celtic’s way, we could climb to sixth. Avro (at home to Vauxhall) and Mossley (away at Nantwich) are within reach of Celtic, so a loss could see us drop to twelfth.