On Saturday, Celtic host Warrington Town. Warrington are currently fifth in the league, eleven places and sixteen points above Celtic having played a game more. Kick-off is 3pm and tickets are available on the gate or online.
Warrington have been there or there abouts for the play-off spots all season, though a poor start to 2022 saw them dip to seventh, but three wins in their last five have pulled them back into contention. Their last match was an away defeat to Morpeth, in which they lost 2-0, following on from a home win over Morpeth in a rescheduled doubleheader. Their last visit to Tameside was to Hyde, when they lost 2-1. Their home form is much better than their away form, with nine wins from seventeen, whilst away they have had six wins from sixteen. However, they’ve lost the same amount home and away, at four. Warrington have drawn six of their away matches this season.
In Jordan Buckley, Warrington have the league’s second top striker, on seventeen, with Sean Williams and Josh Amis some way behind on nine apiece. On average they scored their 23 away goals at a rate of 1.4 goals per game (55 goals overall at a rate of 1.7 goals per game). They have the league’s third best attack. They have failed to score twice on the road and once at home. Their last away match was one of those games where they failed to score. Defensively, they have conceded 21 goals away from home at a rate of 1.3 goals per game, with forty conceded overall, at a rate of 1.2 goals per game. They have kept four of their ten clean sheets away from home.
Warrington beat us earlier in the season for the first time at their place, at our place they have a better record, winning their last visit just before lockdown 2-0, and the one before that in 2019, 2-1. Our last win over them at Bower Fold was in the 18/19 season, when we won 2-0 thanks to goals from Liam Dickinson and Greg Wilkinson. In four visits, we have won two and lost two.
In Warrington’s last match, the 2-0 away loss to Morpeth, Warrington lined up as:
1. Daniel Atherton
2. James Baillie
3. Lewis Coulton
4. James Harris
5. Mark Roberts
6. Evan Gumbs
7. Isaac Buckley-Ricketts
8. Sean Williams
9. Joshua Amis
10. Stefan Mois
11. Luke Duffy
In Celtic’s last match, the 1-0 home defeat to Runcorn Linnets in the Cheshire Senior Cup, Celtic lined up as:
1. Liam Hughes
2. Matthew Liptrott
3. Stephen Brogan
4. Sam Wedgbury
5. Connor O’Grady
6. Kennan Quansah
7. Jay Fitzmartin
8. Charley Doyle
9. Raul Correia
10. Sam McLintock
11. Justin Johnson
Stephen Brogan was back after his suspension, however, Connor O’Grady had to be stretchered off during the Runcorn match and will be out for a while. Raul Correia who became injured during Runcorn’s goal, is also unlikely after suffering concussion.
A win for Celtic, as well as a welcome end to a run of four defeats, could see us rise three places, with Basford, Radcliff and Atherton all within reach. A loss, however, could see us drop four places, with Gainsborough, Mickleover, Nantwich and Hyde all within three points of us, this is perilously close to the drop zone.