On Monday, Celtic face Stockport County (kick off 3pm). Stockport are currently tenth in the league on six points, six places and two points ahead of sixteenth placed Celtic. There will be a match centre for this game.
This is Stockport's second season in the Conference North. A good start to 2014 saved them a further successive relegation, as it was, they finished fourteenth on fifty points, eleven points and five places ahead of Celtic. That said, March and April saw them win just one game. Their last one a 3-1 home win over Harrogate, prior to that was a seven game goalless streak, which was a league record. Paul Jevons was their top scorer last season with twenty goals; Kristian Dennis was his closest rival for the golden boot on eleven goals.
This season Stockport started with a couple of defeats, but have since won twice. They were beaten at home by North Ferriby and away by Guiseley. However they followed that with a 1-0 away win at Tamworth and a good 3-1 home win over Bradford Park Avenue. Jack Ryan, who played on loan at Celtic last season, is on the score sheet at Stockport.
Our meetings last season with the Hatters saw the balance in Stockport's favour, with a goalless draw at Bower Fold and a 2-0 win for Stockport at Edgeley Park. Meetings before that were in cup competitions, with Celtic having the edge in those. We beat them in the Cheshire Senior Cup final, back in 2001, and knocked them out of the FA Trophy in 2011. Stockport's cup competition win was in the FA Cup in 2012, when they beat us 5-3 at Edgeley Park. Stockport have never won at Bower Fold. Admittedly, they've only been twice.
Stockpoort don't have any suspension worries ahead of the match, but keeper Danny Hurst had a head injury in their last, although he finished with his head bandaged he may be a doubt on Monday. In their last match, the 3-1 win over Bradford Park Avenue, Stockport lined up as:
1. Danny Hurst
2. Glenn Belezika
3. Scott Duxbury
4. Stephen O'Halloran
5. Daniel Gregson
6. Mark Lees
7. Remi Moses
8. Carl Baker
9. James Spencer
10. Jamie Milligan
11. Jack Ryan
Celtic lost 2-0 away at Chorley in our last match. In that game we lined up as:
1. Lewis King
2. Jack Truelove
3. Kelvin Bleau
4. Matty Hughes
5. Matt Regan
6. Sam Staunton-Turner
7. Aidan Chippendale
8. Matty Mainwaring
9. Ben McKenna
10. Charlie Ennis
11. Liam Dickinson
Whilst it's still early days, Celtic really need a win under their belt; especially at home, to try and get the fans back. Other games on Monday:
Brackley Town (3pts 20th) v Worcester City (3pts 19th)
Bradford Park Avenue (7pts 8th) v Hyde (0pts 22nd)
Colwyn Bay (4pts 14th) v AFC Fylde (4pts 13th)
Guiseley (10pts 2nd) v Gainsborough Trinity (4pts 17th)
Hednesford Town (4pts 15th) v Solihull Moors (4pts 12th)
Lowestoft Town (8pts 5th) v Leamington FC (6pts 9th)
North Ferriby United (10pts 1st) v Harrogate Town (2pts 21st)
Oxford City (8pts 6th) v Gloucester City (3pts 18th)
Tamworth (5pts 11th) v Boston United (9pts 3rd)