Match Preview :- Worksop Town - Tuesday March 13th, 2007 (19:45:00)
Celtic face another team hovering around the relegation spots, in yet another six-pointer. Tuesday sees us visit Worksop Town for a 7:45pm kick off. Worksop are currently three points behind Celtic having played a game less with an identical goal difference, thus a win for Worksop would lift them above Celtic; however, a win for Celtic could lift us to thirteenth.

Worksop lost their last game 2-0 away at Blyth, but their last two home games saw them take four points with a win over Barrow and a draw with Nuneaton, four valuable points given the way that the teams in the league basement are picking up points. That win over Barrow was their only win in their last five matches, and their previous home win was back at the start of December when Worksop beat Lancaster. Excluding Lancaster, their last home win was over Hyde United back in October.

Our previous meeting with Worksop was also our last league clean sheet. Saturday the second of September. Twenty five league games ago. It?s a big record, to go with the highest aggregate game (the one we lost to Hyde) and the biggest away defeat (our loss with Droylsden). The goalkeeper who was in goals for most of those twenty-five games will be in the opposition nets on Tuesday, so expect the game of his life from Paul Pettinger. Though Petts kept a clean sheet in his first two appearances for the Tigers (the 2-0 win over Barrow and the 0-0 with Nuneaton ? both at home), he conceded two against Blyth on Saturday.

Taking the recent form of the two teams, the automated prediction algorithm is offering a ray of light for Celtic fans, with a 2-1 win to Celtic. We?re obviously not going to keep a clean sheet, but our top scorer (Lee Ellington) has scored more than Worksop?s top three goal scorers (Jon Froggartt 8, Ben Saunders 6, Tony Crane 5). On average, Worksop score 1.3 goals per game at home (1.1 overall), and concede 1.3 (1.5 overall). They have kept five clean sheets at home this season (nine overall), which is pretty impressive. Most of their goals are scored in the second half with twenty-two of their thirty four goals scored in this period, with the mid-point of the half seeing them net nine. Conceding is fairly equally spread throughout the game, with a five goal peak at sixty-five minutes.

Hucknall, Vauxhall and Workington have all done the double over Worksop this season, and with Celtic already having a win over the Nottinghamshire outfit, we could join that band, and add Worksop to the three we?ve already achieved over Leigh, Alfreton and Redditch.

Worksop have drafted in some new faces recently, since Ian Bowling took over. Obviously there is Paul Pettinger, but he has also brought in Barnsley fringe players Nathan Jarman and Thomas Beevors. Worksop?s main left-back Kevin Davies is unlikely to make an appearance, currently sitting on the sidelines with an injury, otherwise, Worksop have a full squad to choose from.

In their last match, the 2-0 loss away at Blyth, Worksop lined up as:
1. Paul Pettinger
2. Steve Nicholson
3. Kevin Dawson
4. Luke Staton
5. Luke Pritchard
6. Antony Jackson
7. Lee Thompson
8. Jon Froggartt
9. Ben Saunders
10. Tony Crane
11. Nathan Jarman

Apart from Celtic?s long term injuries of Mark Haran and Steve Smith, Steve Brodie and James Olsen both limped off in the win over Leigh RMI last Tuesday. In the draw against Farsley last Saturday, Dominic Krief limped off and played no part in the Leigh match. Hopefully, the blank Saturday has been able to give the players chance to recuperate a little.

In our last match, the 2-1 win over Leigh, we lined up as:
1. Simon Bishop
2. Grant Black
3. Scott Maxfield
4. Paul Sykes
5. Mike Flynn
6. Ashley Winn
7. Steve Brodie
8. Matty Barlow
9. Lee Ellington
10. Mark Hume
11. James Olsen

Celtic have a chance in this match, but it will be a very tough match, with Worksop feeling that they can win it also. With Leigh hosting Blyth and Redditch hosting Barrow, there will be five teams aiming to pull away from the bottom. Barrow won?t have an easy match at Redditch, for Redditch will be hoping to put Leigh in the drop zone and escape it, which they could do should they beat Barrow and Blyth beat Leigh. We are currently eight points clear of the drop zone; regardless of events elsewhere, if we win we will be between nine and eleven points clear, and that can only be a good thing.
Directions
Distance: 48
Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Head up Mottram Road towards Mottram.
Join Mottram Road towards Hollingworth.
At the traffic lights with the A57 Woolley Lane towards Glossop, continue straight ahead towards Hollingworth and Tintwistle.
After the lights the road becomes the A628.
Stay on the A628 and it will become the Woodhead pass.
After about 14 miles, you will reach the Flouch roundabout.
Turn right (exit 3 of 4) to join the A616 (signposted M1).
After 9 miles you will reach another roundabout, go straight across (exit 3 of 5) to stay on the A616.
After 1 1/2 miles you will reach the M1.
Join the M1 going southbound towards London.
Stay on the M1 for 41 miles to junction 26 (Nottingham).
At the roundabout at the end of the slip road, turn right (exit 3 of 4) to join the A610.
After 2 miles, take the slip road (signposted for Ikea) At the roundabout at the end of the slip road, turn left (exit 1 of 4) onto A6096 (Gin Close Way).
After 1/4 of a mile, there is a roundabout bear right (exit 2 of 3) to stay on the A6096 (Awsworth and Crossal By-pass) After nearly a mile there is a right turn (the first right after the roundabout), turn right here onto Newtons Lane.
This road immediately becomes Awsworth Road, and the ground is the only building on the left hand side.