On Saturday, Celtic host Scarborough Athletic at Bower Fold. Scarborough are currently seventh on 25 points, eight places and 10 points ahead of Celtic in 15th having played two more games than Celtic. Athletic are three points from the play-offs.

Kick-off is 3pm. 

Tickets are available on the gate or online.

Though Scarborough have won their last two games, beating both Buxton and Basford, both of these games were at home. 

Their last away match was a 1-0 defeat at South Shields on New Year’s Day. In their last five away matches, their results have been less than consistent, with wins away at Warrington and Bamber Bridge, but losing to Hyde and Buxton. Apart from an opening day away draw at Basford, Scarborough have not had another draw away from home since winning six and losing five, including a 6-0 thumping from FC United and a 5-1 defeat at Buxton.

Scarborough have conceded more goals than any other team in the top half of the table, with thirty-five going in, giving them the only negative goal-difference in the top 11. 

They concede an average of 1.6 goals per game away from home (1.4 overall), though they have had six clean sheets (10 overall). 

They have failed to score in four away matches (seven overall) and are scoring at a rate of 1.1 goals per game (1.3 overall), with their top scorer being Luca Colville on six. 11 of their conceded goals came against two teams, FC United and Buxton, skewing their stats somewhat.

We visited Scarborough earlier in the season, coming away with a deserved 3-0 win, with goals from Ashley Smith-Brown and Shane Killock to add to the own goal that capped off the game. This is a small measure of revenge for the 3-0 defeat we suffered at their hands in their last visit to Bower Fold during the truncated 20/21 season. 

Since Celtic dropped to the Northern Premier, Scarborough have visited three times, winning two and Celtic winning once, the sensational opening day game of the 2019/20 season when Celtic won 5-1. Celtic have a great record in Scarborough, with two wins and a draw, but less so at home.

In Scarborough’s last match, their 2-1 home win over Buxton, Scarborough lined up as:
1. Ryan Whitely
2. Kieran Weledji
3. Ashley Jackson
4. Simon Heslop
5. Will Thornton
6. Bailey Gooda
7. Brad Plant
8. Lewis Maloney
9. Jake Day
10. Kieran Glynn
11. Cameron Wilson

In Celtic’s last match, the 1-0 home win over Atherton, Celtic lined up as:
1. Liam Hughes
2. Keenan Quansah
3. Ashley Smith-Brown
4. Sam Wedgbury
5. Connor O’Grady
6. Shane Killock
7. Scott Bakkor
8. Charley Doyle
9. Raul Correia
10. Matthew Liptrott
11. Luke Stowe

Stephen Brogan missed the last match with a thigh strain, with Keenan filling in at fullback. Adding to the squad is Ntumba Massanka on loan from South Shields. 

A win for Celtic could lift us four places to 11th, depending on other results. A loss is unlikely to see us drop any places, due to the large goal difference between us and Hyde and Gainsborough, who are the only teams within three points of us.