Match Preview :- AFC Fylde - Tuesday April 5th, 2016 (19:45:00)

On Tuesday, Celtic face AFC Fylde (kick off 7:45pm) for the rescheduled fixture. Fylde are currently third in the league on sixty-seven points, fourteen places and twenty-five points above Celtic having played a game more. There will be a match centre for this game.

Fylde have been in the play-off spots all season, even topping the table during October. After losing their opening game away at Solihull, Fylde had an excellent start to the season, losing just once in their next fourteen games, including a stretch of five consecutive wins during which they scored fifteen goals, conceded once, kept four clean sheets and beat Celtic. They are unbeaten in their last seven games, with five wins and two draws. Fylde are now fourteen points off top spot and while they are mathematically capable of catching Solihull, Solihull only need five points to take the championship, less if Ferriby and Fylde lose. Being seven points clear of sixth spot suggests that they have their play-off spot confirmed, it's now down to where they finish. Their last away game, at Brackley was a goalless draw, whilst their last away win was at Stockport when they won 4-0. Their last away loss was in mid-February when Lowestoft beat them 3-1. All of their losses away this season have seen the winning team score precisely three goals.

Danny Rowe and Dion Charles are both in double figures for the season already. Danny Rowe's nineteen goals puts him third in the league goal scorers' chart, whilst Dion Charles is ninth. With this pair, Fylde have the third best attack in the league, with half of the goals scored coming from Rowe and Charles. On average they score 1.9 goals per game (1.7 away) and concede 1.2 goals per game. They have kept thirteen clean sheets in total, with six of them coming on the road. Fylde have only failed to score in four games (only once at home).

We have already met Fylde this season, and they inflicted a heavy defeat on us, beating us 5-0 at their place. This follows on from a 3-0 defeat we suffered there last season. The only other meeting between the two teams, and their previous visit to Bower Fold, finished 3-0 for Celtic. Ben McKenna, Aidan Chippendale and Liam Dickinson all scoring in a ten minute spell.

Matt Blinkhorn is the major doubt for the Coasters, having missed their last two games, but Bohan Dixon, the former Celtic midfielder will be available. In their last match, the 0-0 draw away at Brackley, Fylde lined up as:
1. Ben Hinchliffe
2. Connor Hughes
3. Adam Sumner
4. Josh Langley
5. Tom Hannigan
6. Bradley Barnes
7. Dion Charles
8. Sam Finley
9. Danny Rowe
10. Matthew Hughes
10. James Hardy

A major doubt for Celtic is John Shaw who was stretched off in Celtic's last match, the 2-1 away defeat to Harrogate Town. However, Matty Hughes could be back. In that match, we lined up as:
1. Tony McMillan
2. Peter Wylie
3. Oliver Crowley
4. John Shaw
5. Jack Higgins
6. Dale Wright
7. Ben McKenna
8. Charlie Joyce
9. Chris Simm
10. Alec Mudimu
11. Aidan Chippendale Celtic could leap-frog Telford, Bradford and Gloucester if we win, whilst a loss could see Lowestoft and Worcester overtake us, leaving us in nineteenth. Teams in the bottom three are now within reach of us, Celtic need a win.

Other games on Tuesday:
Harrogate Town (64pts 4th) v Lowestoft Town (39pts 20th)
Worcester City (41pts 18th) v Bradford Park Avenue (43pts 15th)

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