On Saturday, it’s the Old Firm Derby, Northern Premier West version, when Stafford roll into town for the league fixture. Stafford are currently sixteenth on twenty-three points, twelve places and fourteen points behind Celtic. Kick-off is 3pm.

Stafford had an excellent start to the season, winning four of their opening six, shooting up the league. Since the end of August though, Rangers have had just two more wins. One of them over us. They have had four draws in that period, but in their last fifteen games, they have lost eight, including the last three. This has seen them sink down the table, a situation they will want to halt as soon as possible. Their last away win was at the start of October, when they beat Kidsgrove Athletic 1-0, while their last win was the 4-0 defeat of us at their place, but two draws and four losses leave them five points clear of the bottom four.

Three of Stafford’s top five scorers (Scott Wara, Dan Cockerline and Dylan Scott) are all ex-Celtic, but their top scorer is Jack Birch, who has five. With seven goals conceded in the opening ten minutes, they have the worst start to matches in the league. On average, they score 1.1 goals away from home (1.4 overall), failing to score in three games (six overall), whilst they concede 1.7 goals per game across the board and have kept half of their eight clean sheets while on the road. In their last five games, though, Stafford have conceded seventeen goals. Before November, Stafford had the third best defence in the league. In that same period they have scored ten, making twenty-seven goals in five matches. Definite value for money!

In every game that Stafford have won over Celtic in the pat twenty years, Celtic have not scored. In every game Celtic scored, Celtic won or drawn. Our last meeting was earlier this season when a disappointing Celtic suffered our worst league defeat this season. Last season we beat Stafford home (1-0) and away (3-1), whilst Ranger’s last win at Bower Fold came the season before when the won 2-0 while both teams were in the Norther Premier. Since 1990, Stafford have visited fifteen times, winning six, with Celtic winning seven, and with two draws.

In Stafford’s last match, the 3-2 home defeat to Atherton Collieries, Rangers lined up as:
1. Zack Noble
2. Andrew Burns
3. Ben O’Hanlon
4. Mason Rees
5. Scott Wara
6. Jack Birch
7. Che Ranger
8. James McQuilkin
9. Dan Cockerline
10. Kaimon Anderson
11. Jack Sherratt

In Celtic’s last match, the 3-2 home win over Nantwich Town, Celtic lined up as:
1. Charlie Monks
2. Mike Koral
3. Kyle Brownhill
4. Aaron Chalmers
5. Jordan Butterworth
6. Jack Tinning
7. Charlie Doyle
8. Liam Tongue
9. Ruben Jerome
10. Max Leonard
11. Ellis Horan

Charlie Doyle limped off against Nantwich, and will be assessed ahead of Saturday, while Benni Smales-Braithwaite could be out until the New Year.

Celtic are three points behind second placed Avro, though Avro do have two games in hand and not playing on Saturday. We are three goals behind them, so a win by three goals, with other results going our way, would put us second. We are level on points with Vauxhall (at home to Darlaston), but they have a one better goal difference. In the other direction, if results go against us, Shifnal (away at Atherton) are a point behind and have a game in hand, whilst Runcorn (away at Khalsa), Bury (at home to Mossley) and Chasetown (at home to Trafford) are all two points behind. A loss could see us drop to eighth.