Stalybridge Celtic welcome Corby Town for their first visit to Bower Fold. Corby are freshly promoted into the Conference North after winning the Southern Premier league by one point over Farnborough Town, and currently sit second, with a perfect start to their new season, having scored five goals without reply in their opening two fixtures. There will be a Live Match Centre for this game.
Corby have not lost away from home since they were beaten by Brackley Town on December 27th 2008. In that time, away from home they have had three draws and fifteen wins. One of those wins came this season when they beat Stafford Rangers. Corby last tasted defeat in March when they lost 2-1 against play-off winners, Gloucester City. We have seen in previous seasons that a freshly promoted team carries their momentum with them, and with a bit of money behind them can aim for back to back promotions, like Gateshead did last season.
With very little data to work on, the automated prediction algorithm is suggesting an away win for Corby in this match, with a 5-3 score-line. Hopefully that won?t be the case, and Celtic can get their home campaign off and running. Corby will be a difficult team to break down, if previous results are anything to go off. They are three points and eight places ahead of Celtic currently, but that will all change quickly depending on results on Saturday.
Corby don?t appear to have any injury worries ahead of Saturday?s match. In their last match, the 2-0 away win over Stafford, Corby lined up as:
1 Mark Osborn
2 Dean West
3 Tony Jaszczun
4 Phil Gulliver
5 Chris Hope
6 Gavin Strachan
7 John Turner
8 Steve Towers
9 Mark Stallard
10 Leon Mettam
11 Paul Mayo
Celtic ?s last match was a 3-0 defeat at the hands of fancied AFC Telford, and in that match, Celtic lined up as:
1. Paul Phillips
2. Richard Battersby
3. Andy Smart
4. Steve Woods
5. Michael Carr
6. John Hardiker
7. Dave Hankin
8. Keith Briggs
9. Joe O?Neill
10. Matty Barlow
11. Warren Peyton