On Saturday Celtic travel to North Birmingham to face Chasetown. Chasetown are nineteenth in the league after six games, two games, five points and nine places behind Celtic. Kick-off 3pm.

Last season, Chasetown finished tenth. After a good start, they became inconsistent. One loss in the opening ten games lifted them to a season high of top. They were the last team Celtic played in the league last season, at Bower Fold, and Celtic won 1-0. This season has not started so well, with two wins in their opening seven, the first at home to Lichfield, beating them 3-2, and most recently, a 4-1 defeat of Shifnal Town. That is one of only two home games, the other being their last match, a 2-1 defeat to Kidsgrove. All their other games this season were away, and they are without a win away from home.

Joey Butlin (eight) just edged Jack Langston (seven), for the golden boot last season. Not a high scoring season for Chasetown, with the fifth worst attack in the league. However, they also had the fifth best defence, making them hard to breakdown, and if they got their nose in front, they generally won, with over thirty games with none or one goal in them. They had twelve clean sheets, though they also failed to score twelve times. Matt Hearsey has picked up the goal-scoring baton this season, and is already on six, putting him third in the overall league goalscorer leaderboard. At home, on average they’re scoring two, conceding two, but with only two games played at home, it’s not an indication.

Last season, the home teams won in both encounters. Celtic winning their last match 1-0 (with Jack Irlam the scorer), and Chasetown winning the reverse fixture 2-1, Andy Scarisbrick’s opener cancelled out in the last two minutes with a world-class goal and a disputed penalty. The season before, Celtic won both games, and the season before that, Chasetown won both, making the two teams equal in the league, but throw in the FA Cup, and Celtic have won four, drawn one and lost three in all competitions against Chasetown.

In Chasetown’s last match, the 4-1 away win over Shifnal, Chasetown lined up as:
1. Anthony Nunez
2. Olly Hayward
3. Taylor Morrison
4. Sam Wilding
5. Joel Kettle
6. Ethan Patterson
7. Tak Sambizi
8. Kevin Monteiro
9. Kyle Moseley
10. Luke Chapman
11. Matt Hearsey

In Celtic’s last match, the 1-0 home defeat to Wythenshawe, Celtic lined up as:
1. Charlie Monks
2. Mike Koral
3. Kyle Brownhill
4. Josh Granite
5. Fortune Maphosa
6. Cam Fogerty
7. Andy Scarisbrick
8. Liam Tongue
9. Ellis Horan
10. Jack Irlam
11. Obua Mugalula

Celtic need to put Tuesday night’s game behind them and concentrate on getting some wins on the board. Chasetown showed on Wednesday night that if a team gives them an inch, they can punish them.