Match Preview :- Whitby Town - Tuesday August 15th, 2017 (19:45:00)

On Tuesday, Celtic get one of their long away trips out of the way when we travel to the East Coast to face Whitby Town. Whitby lost their last match away 1-0 at Barwell. Last season, they finished sixth, having won twenty-three matches and drawn ten.

Whitby's home form last season was slightly better than their away form, winning thirteen and drawing six, compared to winning ten and drawing four away. They kept fifteen clean sheets, six of them at home, and failed to score in eight matches, with just one of those at home, when they were beaten 3-0 by Grantham Town. Forty of their sixty-four goals came at home at a rate of 1.7 goals per game, whilst they conceded twenty-seven of their fifty-six conceded goals at home at a rate of 1.2 goals per game. Their top scorer was Dale Hopson, who scored twenty-seven in the league last season, scoring in twenty-two matches, Matthew Tymon was their second highest scorer on thirteen.

Over the past thirty years, we've met Whitby fifteen times, most recently in the FA Cup, which Celtic won 3-1 in October 2012; Jamie Mullen and Greg Wilkinson the Celtic scorers. Prior to that, we knocked them out of the FA Trophy, winning 3-0 in 2008, though they returned the favour beating us 1-0 at Bower Fold in 2004. In the league, we've visited Whitby five times. Our last visit was in 2003 when we won 2-0 with Kenny Mayers and Colin Potts the scorers in that game. Whitby's last victory in the league was the same season, when they won 3-1 at Bower Fold for the return leg. Whitby's last win over us at their ground was in 1999 when they won 1-0. In five visits, we've won the last three and lost two.

In Whitby's opening match, the 1-0 away defeat at Barwell, they lined up as:
1. Shane Bland
2. Callum Martin
3. Daniel McWilliams
4. Andrew May
5. Luke Bythway
6. Steve Snaith
7. Adam Gell
8. David Carson
9. Mikey Roberts
10. Matty Tynon
11. James Risbrough

Celtic's opening match was the 1-0 home win over Nantwich Town, in which we lined up as:
1. Joe Slinn
2. Danny Morton
3. Joe Garvin
4. Andrew Langford
5. Luke Ashworth
6. Alex Honeyball
7. Theo Bailey-Jones
8. Oli Roberts
9. Aaron Burns
10. Jake Charles
11. Greg Wilkinson

Celtic started with a win, which will be a big confidence boost. Importantly, it was a clean sheet for Celtic, with the defence coping with everything Nantwich threw at them. Whitby are one of the top teams in the league, and will be looking to get some points on the board at home, whilst Celtic will be hoping to do something we only managed once last season, and that is string wins together.

Directions
Distance: 114
Time: 3 hours

From the M62 Junction 20 (A627(M)).
Head towards Leeds.
Stay on the M62 until Junction 33 - A1 (about 40 miles).
Stay on the A1 to junction 49 (Thirsk).
The slip-road takes you onto the A168.
Stay on the A168 for 7 1/2 miles.
You will come to a roundabout.
Turn left (exit 2 of 4) onto the A170 (York Road).
Almost immediately you will reach another roundabout.
Turn right (exit 3 of 4) onto the A170.
After about 20 miles you will come to a roundabout.
Go straight across (exit 2 of 4) to stay on the A170.
After 6 1/2 miles you will reach a roundabout.
Turn left (exit 1 of 4) onto the A169 (Malton Road).
After about 17 miles, you will go up a hill coming to a t-junction with the A171.
Turn right onto the A171.
Take the first left (signposted Whitby) onto the B1460.
This road joins the B1416 (Castle Road).
Turn left onto it.
Just down Castle Road, you will come to a garage/spar shop on your left and a Lidl supermarket on your right Turn left after the spar onto Love Lane (signposted Sandsend).
Follow this road for about 1/4 of a mile.
You will come to a roundabout with the A174.
Turn right.
The club is down the A174 on the left, just after a garage/off-licence.