Match Preview :- Stockport County - Saturday September 21st, 2013 (15:00:00)

On Saturday, Celtic face former league side Stockport County in a league encounter (kick off 3pm). Stockport are currently nineteenth on five points, six places and five points behind Celtic, and eager to get their season going after a succession of bad seasons saw them relegated from the league and Conference National, and into our division. There will be a match centre for this game.

Please note that this game will be segregated, but the price remains the same as all season: £12 for adults and £7 for concessions.

Stockport finished just inside the relegation spots last season, four points away from Southport. On fifty points, having got thirteen wins and eleven draws. This season, their only win has been at home to Gainsborough trinity (whom they beat 3-1), and they are yet to win on the road, although they have held Workington to a 0-0 draw. Other than that, their last three away games have all resulted in losses, conceding eight goals in the process, and scoring just twice. Stockport have conceded the same number of goals as Celtic (sixteen), but scored eight to our eleven.

We have played Stockport five times, once in a friendly that Celtic won 7-3 back on August 2000 at Bower Fold. In the four competitive games, Celtic beat Stockport in a thrilling 5-1 win in the Cheshire Senior Cup back in April 2001 at Ewen Fields, and knocked Stockport out of the FA trophy in the 11/12 season, when we held them to a 2-2 draw at Edgley Park, and then beat them 2-1 in the replay. The most recent meeting between the two teams was last season when they knocked us out of the FA Cup, in a frenetic game that finished 5-3.

Stockport do not have any apparent injury worries, and have no suspensions. In their last match, the 2-1 defeat away at Vauxhall Motors that Stockport lost after leading 1-0, only to be beaten by a ninetieth minute Lloyd Ellams goal (yes, the former Celt), Stockport lined up as:
1. Ian Ormson
2. Kyle Jacobs
3. Stephen O'Halloran
4. Danny Gosset
5. Jordan Fagbola
6. Kieran Charnock
7. Adriano Moke
8. Jamie Hand
9. Kristian Dennis
10. Phil Jevons
11. Iain Howard

Celtic remained without Lewis Hatch for Celtic's last match, the exciting 3-2 win at home over Harrogate Town, but Conal Platt returned after his groin strain. In that game, Celtic lined up as:
1. Matty Urwin
2. Kelvin Bleau
3. Andy McWilliams
4. Joel Bembo-Leta
5. Mark Lees
6. Kristian Platt
7. Tom Buckley
8. Callum Warburton
9. Conal Platt
10. Sean McConville
11. Greg Wilkinson

Celtic could do with putting two wins at home together to get some belief back on the terraces, especially in what is perceived as a big game, although (and nobody would have thought this would be the case), Celtic are the favourites going into the game! A win could see us into the top ten, whilst a loss could see a drop of three places.

There is a full programme on this Saturday: AFC Telford (11pts 10th) v Colwyn Bay (10pts 12th) Barrow (6pts 17th) v Histon (14pts 7th) Bradford Park Avenue (12pts 9th) v Solihull Moors (18pts 3rd) Gloucester City (9pts 14th) v Boston United (15pts 6th) Guiseley (8pts 15th) v Hednesford Town (19pts 1st) Harrogate Town (13pts 8th) v Brackley Town (18pts 2nd) Leamington FC (5pts 18th) v Gainsborough Trinity (4pts 22nd) North Ferriby United (16pts 5th) v Altrincham (17pts 4th) Vauxhall Motors (11pts 11th) v Oxford City (4pts 21st) Worcester City (4pts 20th) v Workington (7pts 16th)

Game of the weekend are Ferriby against Altrincham, which could see one or the other fall out of the play-off spots.

Match Sponsor
Brother UK/Neil Wolstenholme
Ball Sponsor
Stanley Square Conservative Club
Man of the Match Sponsor
Dee Hughes
Programme Sponsor
Programme sponsor
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0161 338 2828