On Tuesday Night, Celtic are in cup action when we travel to Abbey Hey for the Manchester Cup. Abbey Hey are currently thirteenth in the Northwest Counties Division One South. Kick off is at 7:45pm.

Abbey Hey have won four and drawn two of their opening eleven matches this season. Their most recent home match saw them beat Ellesmere Rangers 1-0 at the start of September. Since then, they have had two away matches, beating Cheadle Heath Nomads 2-0 and, most recently, drawing 1-1 with Abbey Hutton United. Their last home defeat came at the hands of Cheadle Town at the end of August when they lost 2-0. They have played six matches at home this season, winning two and drawing one.

Abbey Hey’s worst defeat this season came away at Stockport Town, who beat them 8-0 at Stockport Town, whilst their best result was also away, beating Rocester 3-0. With two goals apiece, Rhys Clooney and Jack Tuohy are their current top scorers, with eight other players finding their way onto the score sheet. Abbey Hey have kept four clean sheets, most recently away at Cheadle Heath Nomads. They have failed to score five times, most recently in a 2-0 away defeat to Barnton. Overall, they are scoring a goal per game and conceding two per game. At home, they are still scoring a goal per game, and conceding 1.6 per game.

In the past thirty years, we’ve only played Abbey Hey once competitively. In 2015, we played in the Manchester Cup and won 4-1 thanks to a young striker coming off the bench and scoring a hattrick in fifteen minutes, before notching a fourth with ten minutes to go. That young striker was a debut for Darius Osei.

In Abbey Hey’s last match, the 1-1 away draw to Abbey Hutton United, Abbey Hey lined up as:
1. Joe Lawton
2. Daryll Grant
3. Dieter Downey
4. Elliott Fenton
5. Lewis Lacy
6. Joel Bembo-Leta
7. Jake Dunford
8. Luke Hincks
9. Ben Halfacre
10. Jack Tuohy
11. Rhys Clooney

In Celtic’s last match, the 1-2 home defeat by Nantwich Town, Celtic lined up as: 1. Greg Hall
2. Tom Miller
3. Louis Danquah
4. Luke Hinsley
5. Dahrius Waldron
6. Moses Yoak
7. Theo Bailey-Jones
8. Harry Benns
9. Raul Correia
10. Cameron Darkwah

This is a break from league action against a team we should, on paper, do well against in a competition we’ve done reasonable well in over recent years, getting to the final the last time we played in it, beaten in the last minute by FC United’s freaky wind-assisted goal.