On Tuesday night (weather permitting), Celtic are in Integro League Cup action when we travel across Tameside to face Ashton United (kick off 7:45pm). Ashton are currently in seventeenth in the league on fifteen points, seven points and ten places below Celtic, though they do have three games in hand on us so are in somewhat of a false position.
It took a month for Ashton to register their first league win this season, starting with two draws and three losses, including a 2-0 loss to Celtic in August. It took longer still to register their first and only home win, when they beat Gainsborough Trinity 3-1 in mid-October. They followed this up with a 2-1 win away at Buxton meaning they have now won four games, three of them away. They have only played five games at home so far this season, the fewest of any team, winning one, drawing two and losing two.
They have scored eighteen goals in total, six of them at home (half of those in the one game), at a rate of 1.4 goals per game in total and 1.2 per game at home. They have failed to score in five games (two at home). At the other end, they have conceded twenty-one goals in total (at a rate of 1.6 goals per game) and seven at home (at a rate of 1.4 per game). They have conceded in every home game this season. Their top scorer is currently Josh Wilson, who has six goals, with Sam Sheridan in second with three. Both have scored two goals at home.
The two teams have met this season, when Celtic won 2-0 at Hurst Cross thanks to goals in each half from Scott Bakkor and Craig Hobson. We have a fairly decent record at Hurst Cross, winning in our last three visits. In the last thirty years, we have visited seven times, won five and lost once, mostly in the league, but in cup competitions, we have met in the President's Cup four times, winning three and losing once, and knocked them out of the FA Cup back in 1996.
In Ashton's last match, the 1-0 away defeat to Matlock in the Trophy, they lined up as:
1. Jon Worsnop
2. John Lufudu
3. Nicky Clee
4. Gianluca Havern
5. Jonathon Hunt
6. Tom Field
7. Lewis Walters
8. Chris Rowney
9. Josh Wilson
10. Liam Tomsett
11. Jordan Slew
Apart from player/manager Jody Banim, Ashton have a number of former Celts in their squad, including Connor Hughes and Steve Tames. They also have Tom Field, who played for us in the 2005/06 season, Dave Carnell, our keeper in the 2009/10 season and Sam Sheridan who came on loan from Altrincham during the 17/18 season.
Celtic come into the game after a great comeback to beat Bamber Bridge 3-2 at Bamber Bridge, with the joint fourth league goal scorer, Darius Osei grabbing two and Craig Hobson adding to his tally with the winner. In that match, we lined up as:
1. Alex Fojtíček
2. Declan Walker
3. Jack O'Leary
4. Mark Lees
5. Stephen O'Halloran
6. Chris Smalley
7. Jonathan Ustabasi
8. Anthony Whitehead
9. Craig Hobson
10. Darius Osei
11. Neil Kengni
