Celtic are back at home on Saturday when Worksop Town will be the visitors for a 3pm kick off. This will be Worksop?s final visit to Tameside, having already visited Droylsden and Hyde. The Hyde match has been Worksop?s only win in their opening matches this season, taking just four points from eighteen. This has left the Tigers in seventeenth, five points and seven places behind Celtic.
Celtic are coming into the game off the back of a defeat away at Workington, whilst Worksop are coming off the back of a defeat away at Droylsden. Celtic have conceded two goals in every home match thus far, whilst Worksop have failed to score in half of their opening games, but they did put two past Droylsden.
Five different players have scored Worksop?s five goals this season, so their top scorer by dint of scoring most recently is Steve Robinson with his ninetieth minute strike at the Butcher?s Arms. Lee Ellington and Mark Hume are currently Celtic?s top scorers on two apiece, with Lee?s last minute header at Workington enabling him to continue his goal every other game ratio at the moment.
Worksop have scored too few goals to spot a pattern, though three out of the five have been in the first half, whereas they are conceding most heavily (seven of the ten conceded) in the first half hour. Celtic are conceding most heavily (six of the eight) in the last twenty minutes, whilst scoring mainly in the second half. Worksop?s goal per game ratio is 1.3 away (0.8 overall), to Celtic?s 2.3 at home (1.5 overall). Goals conceded is 1.7 away for Worksop (1 overall) to Celtic?s 2 per home game (1.3 overall).
Worksop have kept only one clean sheet, the opening day draw against Scarborough, whilst Celtic have kept two clean sheets, both away. The prediction algorithm has gone for another 3-2 win for Celtic. This would do nicely, and could well put us into the top five. Previous meetings between the two sides would bear out a Celtic win, with Worksop taking only two wins in their last eleven visits to Bower Fold, and Celtic taking seven.
Former Celtic favourite Andy Parton was in the line up against Droylsden, his first start for the Tigers, though he didn?t make it to the end of the game, being substituted. In that 3-2 loss, they lined up as:
1. Steve Wilson
2. Steve Nicholson
3. Kevin Davies
4. Glen Downey
5. Antony Jackson
6. Michael Simpkins
7. Karl Everett
8. Steve Robinson
9. Andy Parton
10. Tony Crane
11. Jon Froggatt
Celtic saw Lee Morris come off the bench at Workington for his league debut, but were still without injured players Nick Buxton, Mark Haran and Ben Smith. In that 2-1 defeat, Celtic lined up as:
1. Paul Pettinger
2. Grant Black
3. Jamie Kay
4. Barrie Keeling
5. Mark Hume
6. Ashley Winn
7. Steve Brodie
8. Kevin Parr
9. Lee Ellington
10. Paul Sykes
11. Scott Maxfield
Celtic could really do with getting a second home win against Worksop. The visitors will not be a push over as they go looking for another win in Tameside to match the one at Hyde.