On Wednesday, Celtic travel to Runcorn Linnets stadium to face Northwich Victoria in the Cheshire Senior Cup. Vics are currently top of the Midlands Football League Premier Division.

Vics have lost one league match this season, when Lye Town beat them 3-2 in Lye. They were knocked out of the FA Cup in the extra preliminary round by Campion, a team they got revenge over in the FA Vase, coming from behind to put the tie to penalties, which Vics won. The only draw Northwich have had this season has been at home to Brocton, which finished 1-1.

This season, Northwich have scored thirty-one goals in eleven games, and conceded nine, so they’re scoring nearly three goals a game, whilst conceding less than one. The only game they didn’t score in was their FA Cup extra preliminary round, losing 2-0. Since then, they have scored in every match, league or cup. They beat Abbey Hulton United 6-0 at home, and Highgate United 5-0 away.

Since the 90s, we’ve met Northwich Victoria twenty-five times. They’ve knocked us out of the Cheshire Senior cup twice, and we’ve knocked them out three times, all in the last three meetings in the cup. In the last five meetings, we’ve won two, Vics have won two with one draw. Our last away win over them was in the Cheshire Senior Cup back in 2005, which Celtic won 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Phil Eastwood. The last meeting between the two sides was at Bower Fold also in the Cheshire Senior Cup, which Celtic won 3-0 back in 2013 with two from Tom Buckley and a another from Corey Gregory.

In Northwich Victoria’s last game, the 1-1 (4-2 on pens) home win over Campion in the FA Vase, Vics lined up as:
1. Jefferson Abreu
2. Ryan Atkinson
3. Matthew Clarke
4. Sean Cooke
5. Andre Da Silva Mendes
6. Harry Davis
7. Mamadou Djabi
8. Matthew Harrison
9. Joseph Hurst
10. Adrian Kandeke
11. James Potter

In Celtic’s last match, the 1-0 home defeat to Bootle, Celtic lined up as:
1. Charlie Monks
2. Jordan Butterworth
3. Kyle Brownhill
4. Charlie Doyle
5. Jack Byrne
6. Brandon Newell
7. Ellis Horan
8. Liam Tongue
9. Benni Smales-Braithwaite
10. Tunde Owolabi
11. Andy Scarisbrick

Northwich are on a runaway steamroller of their league this season, whilst Celtic are the mid-week masters, this game could go either way.