On Saturday, Celtic travel one of the shortest distances in the league when we go to Oldham to face Avro. Avro are behind Celtic in fifth on goal difference only with twenty-two points. Kick-off is 3pm.

Both teams have twenty-two points, but Celtic have a goal-difference of eleven to Avro’s nine. Celtic got to their twenty-two points with more wins than Avro, but Avro got theirs with fewer losses. Only Bury have lost fewer games than Avro’s two. With only one loss at home, again, only Bury can beat that. Unlike Celtic, Avro are on an unbeaten run of eight matches, currently a league record. They’ve not lost since August, either home or away. Their last game saw them draw 2-2 away at Witton, coming after three winning games.

In those winning games, Avro conceded none, and scored seven in the process, of their six clean sheets in total. The league’s top scorer, Kyle Hawley, is also Avro’s top scorer, with ten, well ahead of the rest of the team, with nobody else on more than two. On average, Avro have scored 1.5 goals per game, 1.7 overall. Defensively, they concede 0.7 goals per game, 0.7 goals per home game and 0.9 overall. They’ve only failed to score once, a goalless draw at home to Newcastle.

Avro’s last match, against Kidsgrove was abandoned when Avro were six-nil up and Kidsgrove had seen two reds. In that game, though, Avro lined up:
1. Cameron Mason
2. Chiekh Thiam
3. Adam Owen
4. Jack Morrow
5. Jack Kenny
6. David Fitzpatrick
7. Samuel Davidson
8. Jake Cottrell
9. Kyle Hawley
10. Harry Salt
11. Ryley Smith

In Celtic’s last match, the 5-1 defeat in the Cheshire Senior Cup to Northwich Vics, Celtic lined up as:
1. Conor Harte
2. Mike Koral
3. Greg Wilkinson
4. Max Leonard
5. Sean Tse
6. Jack Tinning
7. Jack Irlam
8. Liam Tongue
9. Ruben Jerome
10. Scott Dylan
11. Elliott Rokka

The good news from the Cheshire Senior Cup was that all Celtic’s recent injury woes seem behind us. Celtic are capable of reaching second, if Atherton (away at Darlaston) and Bury (away at Vauxhall) both lose, but so are Avro, should they win. Shifnal (at home to Mossley) and Bootle (at home to Congleton) are also on the same number of points as Celtic, whilst Chasetown and Vauxhall are within striking distance.