Celtic are on the road on Saturday, visiting Redditch United for a 3pm kick off. Redditch are currently sixteenth in the table, three points and three places behind Celtic. With a superior goal difference, a win for Redditch would see them swap places with us, whilst a win for Celtic could see us climb back into the top half of the table.

We are something of a bogey team for Redditch, having met five times in recent history. In this time we have played three games at Redditch, and twice at home. We have won them all; scoring sixteen goals and conceding four. So Redditch will be looking for revenge as well as climbing the table.

Given Celtic?s away record this season, it could be the season that the 100% record goes, and the automated prediction algorithm has suggested a 2-2 draw. Celtic need to build on our last away game, the 3-2 win at Hinckley: another Birmingham based United. We have lost only one of our last six home and away games, the 2-0 defeat by Farsley being the blip. In that time we have beaten Hinckley and Alfreton, and drawn to Vauxhall (twice) and Worcester (in our most recent game).

Redditch?s recent form has seen them lose two of their last six, drawing three and winning one, a 4-1 victory over Workington in Redditch. Their most recent match was a 2-2 draw with Gainsborough at Gainsborough. Before that, they lost at Kettering 3-1, and their last home match was a draw with Vauxhall Motors. All season they have won only three of their ten games, drawing three. A pair of back-to-back wins at the end of October saw them rise to their highest league placing this season when they got to eleventh. Since then they have not won, and dropped to their current sixteenth.

Scoring goals isn?t a problem, with six in the opening quarter of an hour, and five in the last five minutes. Their lack of wins comes down to the fact that they have conceded thirty-three goals, though Celtic can better that with thirty-seven. Celtic have conceded an average of just over two goals a game for the last ten games, with our last clean sheet being back in August when we beat Worksop. Redditch, though have conceded nearly three goals a game over the same period, with their last clean sheet midway through September when they beat Hyde United.

Getting the goals for Redditch are Simon Hollis and Carl Palmer with seven and six respectively. This gives Redditch two entries in the top-twenty goal scorers, at seventh and fifteenth. Celtic also have two in the list, Lee Ellington and Mark Hume (eleven and six respectively), putting them at third and fifteenth respectively. Hollis has helped Redditch to an average goal per home game ratio of 1.7 (1.5 overall), whilst their concessions have been 1.8 at home and 1.7 overall. They have scored in all but one of their home games, whilst Celtic have scored in all but one of their away games.

In their last match, the 2-2 draw with Gainsborough, Redditch lined up as:
1. Richard Anstiss
2. Chris Cottrill
3. Damien Whitcombe
4. Richard Softley
5. Exodus Geohaghon
6. Sam Alsop
7. Lee Downes
8. Chris Murphy
9. Scott Rickards
10. Simon Hollis
11. Carl Palmer

Celtic are still awaiting the return of Mark Haran, and the toils of the season are taking their toll on the players. Steve Smith was missing from the line-up in our last match, the 1-1 draw with Worcester, but both James Turley and Neil Prince made an appearance coming off the bench. Steve Brodie also made it through ninety minutes, as did new signing Dominic Krief, though Mark Hume had to be replaced. In that match, Celtic lined up as:
1. Paul Pettinger
2. Grant Black
3. Scott Maxfield
4. Barrie Keeling
5. Paul Sykes
6. Ashley Winn
7. Steve Brodie
8. Dominic Krief
9. Lee Ellington
10. Mark Hume
11. Lee Morris

This is a match that Celtic need to win to keep the momentum going. It will be a difficult match, but with our record against the Worcestershire outfit, they should hold no fear for us. We can beat the top of the table; let?s beat a team from around our current position!