First Team News
First Team

Stalybridge: Preview

Posted by Kelly Gilchrist
Posted on Fri 6 Jan 2017
Posted in First Team

FC Halifax Town make the trip to Bower Fold to face Stalybridge Celtic this Saturday, January 7 (3pm). Town are without a win in nine games in all competitions, a run which has included four Vanarama National North fixtures. Over the festive period, the Shaymen lost 3-2 to Darlington at Blackwell Meadows on Boxing Day, before returning to the MBi Shay Stadium on New Yearโ€™s Day to claim a point, drawing 2-2 with the Quakers. New striker and former Liverpool man Adam Morgan, signed from Curzon Ashton, scored all four of Halifaxโ€™s goals in those games.

Stalybridge sit second-bottom, in 21stย in the Vanarama National League North. Only Altrincham are below them, and Celticโ€™s tally so far of 10 points leaves them 11 points off safety as Gainsborough Trinity sit 19thย on 21 points. Stalybridge currently have the worst goal difference in the league, their -37 differential slightly worse than Altrinchamโ€™s -35.

They have conceded the most goals in the league (57) and scored the least (20). In their 11 games at their home of Bower Fold, they have lost nine and picked up just four points. They beat Gainsborough 3-2 in early September, and drew 3-3 with Boston United at the start of December for their only home points of the season. Their other two wins came courtesy of visits to Boston and Bradford Park Avenue (both 1-0).

Andy Owens is Stalybridgeโ€™s top scorer in the league this season, with five, and former Huddersfield winger Aidan Chippendale has notched four.

Stalybridgeโ€™s scheduled game on Monday January 2, against Curzon Ashton, was postponed due to the pitch condition.

Saturdayโ€™s meeting will be the third of the season between the two sides; both previous matches took place at the Shay. A Liam King penalty gave the Shaymen three points in a 1-0 September win before Josh Wilde and Danny Honeโ€™s goals saw Town to a 2-1 victory three weeks later in the Emirates FA Cup third qualifying round.

Town will have to manage without a central figure in the backbone of the team once more, as Scott Garner serves the final game of a three match suspension picked up in the FA Cup second round replay defeat to Eastleigh. Loanee and Wembley winner with the Shaymen Sam Johnson is likely to start in goal again in his second spell at the club.

ย 

Recent formย (Vanarama National League North fixtures only, most recent first):

Stalybridge Celticย LLLDLL

FC Halifax Townย DLDLWL

ย 

ย 

Follow the game:
There will be full match commentary on Shaymen Player.ย ย 
Match updates will also be available on the Shaymen Wall as well as the clubโ€™s official Twitter feed. (https://twitter.com/FCHTOnline)ย ย 
Shaymen Player will also have full match commentary from the game as well as extended match highlights from the game, as well as all the reaction from Billy Heath and the rest of the camp.ย 


Read more posts by Kelly Gilchrist

Our
Principal
Partners
Our
Football
Partners
0
0