On Saturday Celtic are back in league action when we travel to Darlaston Town for the first time. Darlaston are currently twenty-first in the league on fourteen points, thirteen places and seventeen points behind Celtic. Kick-off is 3pm.

Darlaston are four points clear of bottom club Trafford, and five points off escaping the bottom four, with a game or two in hand on the other bottom four sides. Since the two wins in the opening three games, Darlaston have only won one other match, when they beat Atherton 2-0. That stands as their only home win of the season so far. With two draws to add to the win, they have picked up five points at home, the same as Trafford, giving these two the lowest number of home points so far. There are signs of improvement, in their last five home matches, they have drawn two and won one, losing to Bury (most recently) and Clitheroe, however, they have been in the bottom two since September.

Nobody has scored fewer home goals than Darlaston’s eight, giving them the worst attack in the league, though they have scored in most home matches, failing to score against only Kidsgrove and Stafford, and have scored in their last four home matches. Two of their last five home matches have seen Darlaston keep clean sheets, over that period scoring five and conceding six. Overall they score an average of 0.9 goals per home game (0.8 overall), whilst conceding 1.7 at home and 1.8 away. With four goals, Jake Collins leads their league golden boot table, with James Rowland just behind on three. Ruben Jerome has scored as many goals on his own as Darlaston have scored at home this season.

We’ve only met Darlaston once so far this season, when they visited Bower Fold and Celtic won 6-0, with a league record home score. Braces for Benni Smales-Braithwaite and Liam Tongue added to a goal each for Max Leonard and Jack Tinning in a game where Celtic dominated from kick off to final whistle.

In Darlaston’s last match, the 0-0 away draw with Wythenshawe Town, Darlaston lined up as:
1. Stan Amos
2. Bailey Storey
3. Harry Chesterton
4. Billy Corns
5. Alex Foreshaw
6. Roman Allen
7. Tyler Bruck
8. Ollie West
9. Jake Collins
10. Jake Pearson
11. Kieron Cook

In Celtic’s last match, the heartbreaking 2-1 defeat away at Chasetown, Celtic lined up as:
1. Charlie Monks
2. Jordan Butterworth
3. Kyle Brownhill
4. Aaron Chalmers
5. Brandon Newell
6. Jack Tinning
7. Ellis Horan
8. Charlie Doyle
9. Ruben Jerome
10. Andy Scarisbrick
11. Jack Irlam

Liam tongue should be back, after his wife gave birth to a baby boy, and Andy Scarisbrick came through the Chasetown game without incident. Mike Koral will be assessed.

A win for Celtic could lift Celtic back into the top five, with Chasetown (away at Wythenshawe), Runcorn (at home to Congleton) and Vauxhall (away at Nantwich) all within three points. Atherton (away at Stafford), Bootle (away at Kidsgrove) and Clitheroe (away at Breck) are all within three points of Celtic, so a loss could see us drop to eleventh. The top two of Avro (away at Newcastle) and Lower Breck are starting to pull away, so a win would keep us in touch.