On Saturday, Celtic host Nantwich Town. Nantwich are currently one place and two points behind Celtic, in eleventh with twenty points, having played a game more.

It wasn’t the best of starts for Nantwich, having to wait until the seventh game of the season to rack up a win, when they beat Congleton Town at home 4-0, followed immediately by a second win away at Northwich beating 1874 3-0. Prior to that, they got three draws and three losses, leaving them near the bottom of the table. However, their last five have seen the Dabbers pick up more wins, beating Kidsgrove (away 4-1), Runcorn (at home 3-1) and Lower Breck (at home 3-2) in their most recent game. Nantwich’s last away game was a 1-1 draw with Newcastle. Overall, away from home, they have three losses, three draws and two wins.

Since their season turned around at home to Congleton, Nantwich have scored in every game except one, a 2-0 loss at Bootle. They’ve racked up twenty-three goals, and though they’ve only kept two clean sheets in that period, they have conceded fourteen. Over the season so far, the Dabbers have an average of 1.9 goals per game on the road, and conceded 1.8 goals per game away from home. Fourteen different scorers, with Aidan Roxburgh leading the pack with six, two ahead of Ethan Hartshorn. Ovewrall they have the third best attack, whilst away from home, they drop to the fifth best attack.

Since both teams dropped into the NPL West together three seasons ago, Nantwich have visited Bower Fold three times, and scored two in every game, whilst losing every game and Jack Irlam has scored in every game. Their last visit saw Celtic win 3-2, grabbing their customary second in stoppage time, with Max Leonard and Ruben Jerome joining Irlam on the scoresheet. In the last forty years, they’ve visited twelve times. Celtic have won six of them, Nantwich five and there was one draw back in 2018. Nantwich have knocked us out of the Cheshire Senior cup four times, and beaten us in the final back in 2012, whilst Celtic have knocked the Dabbers out of the FA Trophy three times.

In Nantwich’s last match, the 3-2 home win over Lowe Breck, the Dabbers lined up as:
1. Wolsoncroft, Blake
2. Roxburgh, Aidan
3. Stafford, Jack
4. Hartshorn, Ethan
5. McWilliams, Josh
6. Kennedy, Patrick
7. Collins, Joe
8. Piggott, Joe
9. Pope, Oliver
10. Enright, Luke
11. Moore, Byron

In Celtic’s last match, the 1-1 away draw at Padiham, Celtic lined up as:
1. Charlie Monks
2. Cam Fogerty
3. Mike Koral
4. Liam Tongue
5. Jack Kenny
6. Charlie Doyle
7. Rohan Butler
8. Andy Scarisbrick
9. Lewis Rawsthorn
10. Jack Irlam
12. Declan McLoughlin

Obua Mugalula and Josh Granite were both missing through injury at Padiham, and Chester recalled Jack Kenny, whilst Fortune Maphosa left the club, leaving Celtic without a recognised centre-back for Saturday’s clash. Harvey Brookes has joined, who’s a left back, and Tunde Bayode should be cleared to play and join Declan McLoughlin who impressed against Padiham in dreadful conditions, but it will be a makeshift backline once again to face Nantwich for what, hopefully, won’t be the Nightmare Before Christmas.