On Saturday, Celtic make their last long trip of the season when we head south to play Corby Town for this Conference North clash (kick off 3pm). Corby are currently eleventh in the league on forty-five points, six points and five places below Celtic, having played a game less (a game they play on Thursday against Eastwood). Brian has organised a coach to this match, but please note, there will NOT be a match centre for this game.
After a good start to life in the Conference North even topping the table, Corby?s subsequent results saw them win just four games since topping the table in October. Three of those wins came at home, beating Hyde, Droylsden, and Vauxhall, a team they also beat away. At home, more recently, they have only lost once in the last five, and that was their last game against Alfreton. We?ve met them twice this season, both times at home, when they knocked us out of the FA Trophy, and of course, at the start of this season, when they beat us 3-1, so this is a chance to gain a bit of revenge.
Corby?s top scorer this season is Liam Mettam, who has found the net eighteen times, which puts him fourth in the top league goal-scorers? chart. His rivals, Jack Defty and Steve Diggin are both on six, quite some distance behind him. Although they have scored fourteen of their fifty three goals in the last fifteen minutes, making this their most dangerous period, they have also conceded seventeen of their fifty-six goals in the last twenty, making it their most vulnerable also. They also have eight goals in the opening ten minutes. On average they score 1.6 goals per game and concede 1.6 goals per game. They were on the wrong end of a 6-3 home defeat to Gloucester City in August, which stands as the league?s highest scoring game this season so far. Their best home result was a 4-1 win over Vauxhall.
Corby have lost the services of a few players recently as they transferred out, including Brett Solkhon (to Brackley) and Jason Lee (to Ilkeston). However, they appear to be injury and suspension free. Corby?s last match, the 2-1 home defeat to Alfreton saw them line up as:
1. Tom Cross
2. Chris Hope
3. Paul Mayo
4. Phil Watt
5. Phil Gulliver
6. Leon Hibbert
7. Jamie McGhee
8. Steve Towers
9. Jack Defty
10. Leon Mettam
11. Glen Walker
Celtic will be without Keith Briggs (through suspension), but the injury crisis is slowly easing, with Michael Carr returning to action against Vauxhall Motors, though Richard Battersby was injured in that match, and Craig Hobson and John Hardiker were both still sitting it out through injuries. In that game, which finished 3-2 to Vauxhall, Celtic lined up as:
1. Dave Carnell
2. Richard Battersby
3. Andy Smart
4. Steve Woods
5. Warren Peyton
6. Tim Ryan
7. Dave Hankin
8. Keith Briggs
9. Joe O?Neill
10. Jody Banim
11. Matty Barlow
The automated prediction algorithm is suggesting a 2-2 draw for this game. However, Corby have a game just two days earlier, and hopefully Celtic can use this to their advantage.
Other games this week (Celtic are on 51pts in 7th)
WednesdayIlkeston Town (51pts 8th) v Workington (56pts 6th)
ThursdayEastwood Town (50pts 10th) v Corby Town (45pts 11th)
SaturdayAlfreton Town (63pts 3rd) v Northwich Victoria (41pts 14th)
Droylsden (60pts 4th) v Southport (77pts 1st)
Eastwood Town (50pts 10th) v Solihull Moors (41pts 15th)
Gainsborough Trinity (43pts 12th) v Hinckley United (57pts 5th)
Gloucester City (38pts 18th) v Stafford Rangers (40pts 16th)
Harrogate Town (23pts 21st) v Blyth Spartans (42pts 13th)
Hyde United (40pts 17th) v Redditch United (37pts 19th)
Ilkeston Town (51pts 8th) v Fleetwood Town (76pts 2nd)
Workington (56pts 6th) v Telford United (51pts 9th)