On Saturday (weather permitting), Celtic are back in League action when we travel to Matlock (kick off 3pm). Matlock are currently in eighth in the league on twenty-one points, one point and one place below Celtic, though they do have a games in hand on us.

Matlock had a great start to the season, winning their opening four games, and drawing the next two, putting them top of the table in the early part of the season. Since then, they have only won twice more: a 3-0 win away at Whitby and, most recently, a 3-1 home win over Mickleover in mid-October. Their last two games, one at home and one away, have both been losses, losing 2-1 to Warrington in their last home match, and 1-0 away at Radcliffe in their last match. That win is the only win in their last six matches and they have had only two wins in their last eleven matches, though they have also had three draws.

Their nineteen goals (twelve at home) have been scored by six different scorers, with Marcus Marshall currently leading their pack with six. On average they score 1.2 goals per game (1.5 at home) and have scored in every home game, and only twice away. Of the seventeen goals conceded (at a rate of 1.1 goals per game) eleven have been at home (1.4 per game) and they have kept only one clean sheet at home and four overall. They are vulnerable around half time, when they have conceded eight goals, with another four just before the end. In the four games they have been losing at half time, they have never gone on to win.

Over the last thirty years, we've visited Matlock seven times, mostly in the league. The last time we won there, though, was in 1991 when we won 3-0 to add to the 1-0 win the year before. Matlock have won five of the encounters at their place, including the last three visits since 2012, including Matlock knocking us out of the FA Trophy in 2012. There has never been a draw between the two teams! Our last visit was a 3-1 win for Matlock almost exactly a year ago with Liam Tongue's second half equaliser cancelled out by two goals in stoppage time after they'd raced to a first minute lead.

Matlock were in Derbyshire Senior Cup action in mid-week, facing Borrowash Victoria, whom they beat 7-0! In that match, they lined up as:
1. Jon Stewart
2. Adam Yates
3. Ben Gordon
4. Jack Rea
5. Bailey Gooda
6. Dwayne Wiley
7. Luke Hinsley
8. Luke Dean
9. Chib Chilaka
10. Spencer Harris
11. Marcus Marshall

Only Jack Rea is a former Celt in their squad list, making nearly a hundred appearances for us between 2010 and 2012.

Celtic's last game was also a cup match, when we beat Ashton 2-1 away. In that match, we lined up as:
1. Alex Fojtíček
2. Kallum Mantack
3. Jack O'Leary
4. Mark Lees
5. Stephen O'Halloran
6. Nathan Valentine
7. Scott Bakkor
8. Anthony Whitehead
9. Neil Kengni
10. Darius Osei
11. Jonathan Ustabasi

A win for Celtic could put us in the top five as we are only one point behind Witton and FC United, who play each other. A draw there and a win for us would see us leapfrog them. A loss would see at least Matlock leapfrog us, but with six other teams within reach, we could fall quite a way. Mickleover and Radcliffe face off against each other, as do Grantham and Nantwich, Hyde host Bamber Bridge and Whitby are away at Basford, and so a worst case scenario would see us drop four places with a loss. But a win… well that could see us in the top five!