Match Preview :- Boston United - Saturday December 3rd, 2016 (15:00:00)

On Saturday, Celtic face one of the three teams we have beaten this season: Boston. Boston are currently seventeenth on twenty points, four places and eleven points above Celtic. There will be a match centre for this game.

Boston's season has been disappointing by their standards, with five wins and five draws. Only two of those wins have come on the road, beating Telford and Altrincham. They came in Boston's best patch of the season which was September and October, where they lost only once in nine games. Since then, they have lost their last two games including a 9-2 thrashing by AFC Fylde that puts Celtic's 5-0 defeat there into perspective. That is their only loss on the road since August, with three draws and two wins.

On average, Boston are scoring 1.4 goals per game (1.3 away), but conceding 2.1 goals per game (2.7 away). They have the fifth worst defence in the league, and the fifth worst attack. Their top scorers are Jay Rollins and Greg Smith, both of whom have seven goals. They have kept four clean sheets, but only one on the road (a 1-0 win over Altrincham), but have only failed to score in four matches (twice on the road, way back in August, when they lost 2-0 away at Chorley).

Last season, Boston played us on the last day of the season, thrashing us 5-0 in order to get into the play-offs ahead of Nuneaton, after we'd beaten them 3-0 at their place. The season before, it was a 1-1 draw both home and away. You have to go back to December 2011 for the last time we beat Boston at Bower Fold, a game that finished 3-0 with a brace from Craig Hobson and a goal for Arthur Gnahoua. In their last five visits, there has been one win for Celtic, two for Boston and two draws.

Boston have recently parted ways with their manager, Dennis Greene, and are currently looking for a new one, with Martyn Bunce becoming the caretaker manager. In their last match, the 9-2 defeat away at Fylde, Boston lined up as:
1. Dion-Curtis Henry
2. James Goode
3. Nat Brown
4. Joe Robinson
5. Marcus Marshall
6. Taylor Miles
7. Joe Maguire
8. Lewis Hilliard
9. Ben Gordon
10. Jay Rollins
11. Gregg Smith.

Celtic are still without the services of Shay Gorton, and now Danny Wisdom has been added to the list of injured Celtic defenders. Keil O'Brien returned from injury at Stocksbridge, with the suspension for his sending off coming in for the next match. However, Adam Mather will be suspended for his sending off at Tamworth. In Celtic's last match, the 2-2 draw in the FA Trophy away at Stocksbridge, Celtic lined up as
1. Grant Shenton
2. Danny Hall
3. Danny Wisdom
4. Matty Hughes
5. Keil O'Brien
6. Aaron Chalmers
7. Darren McKnight
8. Gary Gee
9. Liam Dickinson
10. Danny Wilkins
11. Aidan Chippendale

This is a match Celtic can win, and we desperately need to. We are seven points from safety with Christmas fast approaching. Altrincham are only two points behind us, and could easily over take us with a win at home to Tamworth.

There is a nearly full fixture list this Saturday, Curzon, Brackley and Halifax are all in FA Cup action. Other fixtures:
Altrincham (22nd 7pts) v Tamworth (5th 36pts)
Bradford Park Avenue (16th 20pts) v Kidderminster Harriers (3rd 37pts)
Darlington (4th 37pts) v Salford City (7th 33pts)
Gainsborough Trinity (18th 19pts) v FC United of Manchester (12th 23pts)
Gloucester City (9th 30pts) v Stockport County (10th 29pts)
Harrogate Town (11th 28pts) v AFC Telford (14th 21pts)
Nuneaton Town (19th 16pts) v Alfreton Town (15th 20pts)
Worcester City (13th 22pts) v AFC Fylde (1st 44pts)

Match Sponsor
British Protection
Ball Sponsor
Bayfreight Ltd
Man of the Match Sponsor
Geoff Howard
Programme Sponsor
Programme sponsor
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0161 338 2828