Match Preview :- Colwyn Bay - Saturday January 10th, 2015 (15:00:00)

On Saturday, Celtic travel to the North Wales coast to face Colwyn Bay. Colwyn Bay are currently fifteenth in the table on twenty-seven points three places and two points ahead of Celtic. There will be a match centre for this game.

Colwyn Bay started the season well thanks to their away form, but in recent weeks, even their impressive away form has crashed, and they now have just one win in twelve and no wins in the last six, though they've picked up three draws in that period. Their last win was back in November when they beat Gloucester City at home 3-1. Their last points at home were a 3-3 draw with Hyde between Christmas and New Year, sandwiched between home losses to Solihull Moors and Stockport County. In their thirteen home games this season, they have won two, against Gainsborough and Gloucester, with eight losses, including a 5-0 loss to Fylde.

Celtic have won three of their last five away games, whilst Colwyn have lost three of their last five home games. Their top scorer is no stranger to Celtic, Obi Anorou has scored eleven goals for the Seagulls, most of them at home. His closest rival is Rob Hopley on four, whilst another former Celt, Tom Buckley is on three. At home they're scoring an average of 1.3 goals per game, and conceded 2.2; they have failed to score in six games, and kept two clean sheets against Bradford and North Ferriby – both those games ending in goalless draws.

Celtic have a decent record at Colwyn Bay, though they won the last two encounters with Celtic, both were at Bower Fold. The last win was earlier this season when they won 2-1. Last season, at Llanelian Road, Celtic won 2-1 with goals from Oscar Durnin and Sean McConville; the Colwyn Bay scorer on that day was Paul Ennis. Colwyn Bay's last win at Llanelian Road over Celtic was back in 2011, a game that finished 2-0 to the Seagulls, but out of seven visits in the last twenty years, Celtic have won four (including a 7-1 win 2001), drawn two and lost only once.

Colwyn Bay are on the lookout for a new manager after their last defeat, a 5-0 defeat away at Boston saw Frank Sinclair shown a red card and resigning. Their squad had been decimated by injuries in recent weeks, but they have signed a replacement defender for Sinclair with Mike Lea joining from Marine. Assistant manager Gus Williams is likely to be in charge in the dugout for Saturday's game. To add to the injury woes, Jonathon Royle's loan has ended, and he returns to Wrexham, leaving Colwyn short of central defenders. In their last game, the defeat at Boston, Colwyn Bay lined up as:
1. Chris Sanna
2. Danny Taylor
3. Louis Moss
4. Lanre Olapade
5. Jonathon Royle
6. Frank Sinclair
7. Prince Haywood
8. Obi Anoruo
9. Rob Hopley
10. Paulo Mendes
11. Wes Baynes

Celtic will be without Matty Hughes, who starts his four match ban on Saturday, and, Liam Dickinson who has one match left on his four match ban. George Lomax and Aidan Chippendale missed the last match through injury whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be eligible having been rested in Celtic's last game. In that game, the phenomenal 2-1 win away at Solihull, Celtic lined up as:
1. Lewis King
2. Kelvin Bleau
3. Nathan Heath
4. Matt Regan
5. Matty Hughes
6. Stefan Galinski
7. Ben McKenna
8. Scott Kerr
9. James Cadman
10. Paul Ennis
11. Kevin Holsgrove

Celtic could leapfrog Colwyn Bay with a win on Saturday, indeed, if results go our way we could get to the dizzy heights of fourteenth with a win. A loss, however, could see us drop back into the bottom three if results go against us.

Other games this weekend:
Brackley Town (29pts 13th) v Harrogate Town (27pts 16th)
Gloucester City (22pts 20th) v Gainsborough Trinity (25pts 19th)
Hednesford Town (34pts 11th) v Lowestoft Town (28pts 14th)
Tamworth (42pts 4th) v Guiseley (45pts 3rd)
Worcester City (34pts 12th) v Bradford Park Avenue (20pts 21st)

Directions
Distance: 85
Time: 2 hours

From the M60, take Junction 4 onto the M56.
Follow the M56 to its conclusion at a roundabout.
At the roundabout, turn left (exit 1 of 3) onto the A5117.
Less than a mile down the road, there is a second roundabout.
Go straight across (exit 2 of 4) to stay on the A5117.
After about 3 miles, you will reach a t-junction with the A550.
Turn left onto the A550.
The A550 turns into the A494 just after the slip-road for Sealand.
Stay on this road, until the junction for the A55 (signposted Colwyn Bay).
Leave here.
Stay on the A55 for about 26 miles, coming off at the junction for Old Colwyn.
At the the end of the slip-road, turn left onto the B5383 (Llanelian Road).
After a 100 yards there is a crossroads, with the Marine Hotel on the left.
Go straight across to stay on Llanelian Road, after about 1/2 mile the ground is on the right just past a grassy bank, opposite some houses.