Match Preview :- Ashton United - Wednesday January 1st, 2020 (15:00:00)

On the first day of the New Year, Celtic are at home to face Tameside neighbours Ashton United. Ashton are currently twenty-first in the table on fifteen points, just three points off bottom spot, fifteen places and twenty points behind sixth placed Celtic though they have played five fewer games.

Ashton have won four games this season, losing nine and drawing three. Their last away win was their last win when they beat Buxton 2-1 thanks to two penalties. That was a follow up to a solid 3-1 home win over Gainsborough. Their last four matches, however, have all been losses, most recently losing 2-1 at home to FC United. They have only played two games in December. It could be argued they have been better away from Hurst Cross this season than at home, with three wins on the road, and only one at home, picking up five from twenty-four points at home and ten from twenty-eight on the road.

Only Stafford have scored fewer goals than Ashton, who have found the net twenty-one times this season, most of those goals scored away from home with fourteen scored on the road – though this could be in large part to their best away win of the season smashing four without reply past Grantham. This means they score at a rate of 1.6 goals per game away from home and 1.2 overall. They have never kept a clean sheet at home, but have managed two away, conceding 1.9 goals per game away from home and two goals per game overall. Their top scorer, Josh Wilson, is also better away from Hurst Cross than at it, scoring five of his seven goals whilst travelling. They have failed to score three times away from home this season, most recently in back-to-back away games at Lancaster and Witton. Overall, they have failed to score seven times.

Historically, we've had some good results against Ashton. In the last thirty years, they have only won once at Bower Fold, in the President's Cup back in 2003. Their last visit here, last season, was a 2-2 draw, with that being their only visit here in fifteen years. Our last win over them was in in 2004 when we beat them 2-1 in the Conference North with goals from Phil Eastwood and Andy Hayward. They have visited seven times in thirty years, out of which, we have won four, lost once and drawn twice.

In Ashton's last game, the 1-2 defeat at home to FC United, they lined up as:
1. Greg Hartley
2. John Lufudu
3. Stephen Rigby
4. Christopher Rowney
5. Jonathon Hunt
6. Sam Sheridan
7. Ben Hardcastle
8. Michael Brewster
9. Josh Wilson
10. Liam Tomsett
11. Craig Mahon

In Celtic's last match, the 2-1 away win at Hyde United, Celtic lined up as:
1. Alex Fojtíček
2. Declan Walker
3. Kallum Mantack
4. Ross Dent
5. Stephen O'Halloran
6. Chris Smalley
7. Scott Bakkor
8. Anthony Whitehead
9. Craig Hobson
10. Darius Osei
11. Jonathan Ustabasi

Since Michael Clegg became their new manager, Ashton have been busy in the transfer market, amongst others, they broke the club record for a transfer fee to get Ben Hardcastle from Atherton Collieries and Craig Mahon joins on loan from Chester. Alex Fojtíček will be serving a one match ban for his sending off against Mickleover, with Celtic signing Toby Savin on loan from Accrington who goes straight into the match squad.

Ashton's last match against FC United saw FC United replace Celtic in the top five, going third and pushing Celtic into sixth. However a win for Celtic and results going our way, could see us leapfrog three teams and go into third ourselves, with FC United and Radcliffe playing each other and Basford (at home to Grantham) all level on points with Celtic. Lancaster and South Shields are only four points clear at the top. Celtic do need to look over our shoulder though, with Warrington only a point behind. A win for Celtic would start to open up a gap on the chasing pack.

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