Match Preview :- Scarborough Athletic - Tuesday October 9th, 2018 (19:45:00)

On Tuesday, Celtic host table topping Scarborough Athletic (kick off 7:45pm). Scarborough finished second last season, eight points behind South Shields, and have had a solid start to their first season in the Northern Premier League, winning seven, losing twice and drawing three to put them top on twenty-four points, four places and three points above Celtic. There will be a match centre and Twitter feed for this game.

Scarborough finished second, on ninety-five points, beating Hyde into third place by three points after winning thirty of their forty-two matches. This season saw a mixed bag of results in the opening five matches, with two wins, two draws and a loss, losing 1-0 away at Grantham. Since then, they have gone on to win six of their eight games, a record blotted only by a 1-1 draw away at Mickleover and 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Nantwich Town. Their last two matches saw them beat Witton 2-0 at home and beat Stafford 3-1 in Stafford.

As is probably expected, James Walshaw is their top scorer and already topping the league goal scorers, with eight so far this season, scoring in Scarborough's last five matches. Right behind him, on six points, is the league's join fourth top scorer, Wayne Brooksby, who has six goals. Scarborough have scored a total of twenty-four goals this season, meaning the two of them have scored over half of Scarborough's goals. Eleven of Scarborough's goals have come away, at a rate of 1.8 goals per game (2 per game, overall), whilst they have conceded their fourteen goals at a rate of 1.2 goals per game, six of these have come away from home, at a rate of a goal per game. With such a tight defence away from home, it's no surprise that their away form is slightly better than their home form, with thirteen points from eighteen coming on the road, whilst eleven from eighteen have come at home. Scarborough are at their most dangerous right after the restart, with five of their goals coming in this period, whilst seven of the goals scored against them have come in the last ten minutes.

We've not faced Scarborough Athletic before, with the team formed in 2007 after the liquidation of Scarborough. We've face Scarborough five times, winning the last match back in 2007 in a game that saved Celtic and doomed Scarborough, thanks to a late Matty Barlow goal. That stands as our only victory over the Seagulls, with Scarborough drawing 2-2 the last time they visited the Fold, in 2006, after coming back from a first half two goal defecit when Jamie Kay and Lee Ellington scored. Scarborough's last win was in 2003 in the Trophy, when they beat us 3-0, whilst the season before, they beat us 3-2 at Bower Fold and drew 1-1 in Scarborough.

Scarborough's line up contains a couple of familiar faces in James Cadman and Ross Killock, although in Scarborough's last match, the 3-1 away won over Stafford, Killock was on the bench. In that match, Scarborough lined up as:
1. Thomas Taylor
2. Joshua Lacey
3. David Morris
4. Luke Dean
5. Kevin Burgess
6. Bailey Gooda
7. Wayne Brooksby
8. Nathan Vallentine
9. James Walshaw
10. Michael Coulson
11. James Cadman

In Celtic's last match, the 2-1 away win over North Ferriby, Celtic lined up as:
1. James Aspinall
2. Josh Solomon-Davies
3. Scott Wilson
4. Ross Dent
5. Liam Tongue
6. Michael Clarke
7. Scott Bakkor
8. Glenn Rule
9. Chris Sharpe
10. Matthew Wolfenden
11. James Caton

James Caton is an unlikely starter after straining a hamstring in the opening half hour against North Ferriby, whilst Chris Sharp will need to have his ankle examined after a robust challenge in Humberside. Glenn Rule was taken off as a precaution to ensure he'll be fit for Tuesday's match, whilst Tom Brown is still a few weeks away with his hamstring as is Jake Turner with his wrist.

Celtic could theoretically go second on goal difference (or top if we win 4-0!), depending on the Warrington result away at Whitby and the Basford result away at Gainsborough. Playing the top team is always a big ask, but Celtic, too, are full of confidence, so who knows?

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