Match Preview :- Guiseley - Tuesday March 18th, 2014 (19:45:00)

On Tuesday night, Celtic make the short hop across the Pennines to face Guiseley (kick off 7:45pm). Guiseley are currently ninth in the table on forty nine-points, eighteen points and nine places ahead of Celtic but with two games in hand on Celtic. There will be a live match centre for this game.

Guiseley are eight points off the play-off spots, but have games in hand on the teams in the top spots, meaning they could theoretically catch them, and get into the play-off spots again. Their recent form has seen them unbeaten in six, with four wins and two draws. They did have a wobble, with three consecutive losses to Worcester, Telford and Barrow. Their most recent games were both against Stockport County. They beat County at home, winning 2-0, but drew at Edgely Park 3-3 most recently. They have won their last three home games, with their last loss at home to Worcester at the start of February when Worcester won 1-0.

Celtic have beaten Guiseley in our last thirteen meetings. Once. In March 2000. We have never beaten them since the formation of the Conference North. That was ten meetings ago, in the nine since, Celtic have managed four draws, with Guiseley winning six times, twice at Bower Fold, four times at home. They have knocked us out of the FA Trophy twice and the FA Cup once, replacing Workington as the team we really didn't want. In the last league meeting at Bower Fold in April last season, Celtic managed one of the rare draws with the game finishing 1-1.

Guiseley's top scorer is Gavin Rothery with eight goals, though Izzy Johnson is hot on his heels with seven, and Wayne Brooksby is right behind on six. Guiseley score more away from home (1.8 goals per game) than they do at home (1.1) but they also concede less (1.1 goals per game at home to 1.7 goals per game away). They have kept seven clean sheets, four at home, and have failed to score five times at home (eight in total). Thirteen of their forty four goals this season have been around half time, whilst the bulk of the concession of their 42 conceded goals have been around the seventy minute mark.

Guiseley have no suspension or injury worries, and in their last match, the 3-3 away draw with Stockport, they lined up as:
1. Steve Drench
2. Andy Holdsworth
3. Ben Parker
4. Danny Hall
5. Danny Ellis
6. Jake Lawlor
7. Wayne Brooksby
8. Danny Boshell
9. Adam Boyes
10. Oli Johnson
11. Gavin Rothery

Celtic have no suspensions. Callum Warburton and Conal Platt are still on the long term injury list, but Lewis Hatch could be in contention, as could Obi Anorou. In Celtic's last match, the 3-1 away win over Vauxhall, Celtic lined up as:
1. Danny East
2. Oliver Crowley
3. Andy McWilliams
4. Danny Rowe
5. Matt Regan
6. Josh Green
7. Paul Ennis
8. Kristian Platt
9. Ryan Croasdale
10. Sean McConville
11. Liam Dickinson

Celtic's recent result should have increased confidence in the players, as they played very well. We are up against a team we have not beaten in over a decade, so it will be tricky, to put it mildly. However, now is a great time to have a good go at breaking that Guiseley Conference North duck.

Gloucester are away at Brackley, and you'd expect a Brackley win in that game, whereas Histon and Oxford play each other (hopefully a draw!), so whilst a win wouldn't move Celtic up any places, we could well drop two again, if we don't win. There is one other midweek game, with Bradford taking on Gainsborough Trinity on Wednesday.

Directions
Distance: 56
Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

From M62 Junction 20 (A627(M)) head towards Leeds.
At Junction 26, leave and join the M606 towards Bradford.
Stay on the M606 until the end and join the roundabout in the right hand lane.
Turn right on the roundabout (exit 6 of 7) onto the A6177 (Rooley Lane) following signs for Leeds Bradford airport.
After a mile, you will reach a roundabout, go straight across (exit 1 of 4).
Almost immediately you will reach another roundabout, again go straight across (exit 2 of 4) to stay on the A6177 (now called Sticker Lane).
You will go straight across three major junctions, and after about 2 1/2 miles you will reach a crossroads, with a minor road straight on.
Turn right onto the A658 (Harrogate Road) still following signs for the airport.
After 1/2 a mile, you will reach a roundabout, go straight on (exit 3 of 5) to stay on the A658.
Go straight across the crossroads with the A657 and you will come shortly to a roundabout.
Turn left at the roundabout (exit 1 of 4) onto the A65 (New Road) towards Ilkley.
Stay on the New Road for about a mile.
After a small one way system in the centre of Guiseley, it becomes Otley Road.
The ground is about 1/4 of a mile further on, on the right hand side.
There is a free car-park for the club on the postcode LS20 9PD.