Newcastle University vs West Allotment Celtic Pre-Match Report
Celtics sixth league win in a row at the weekend meant they climbed up to third in the league table as they look to reach the top of the mountain tonight, against a very tricky Newcastle University side who have also enjoyed a good start to their season.
West Allotment only seem to know how to win at the minute, and that trend continued on Saturday against a struggling Washington side. This was actually Celtics second league game against Washington in the space of a week, as well as being their second game in a row against the Blues due to a mid-week match against Tow Law being postponed. It is certainly safe to say that after a heavy 5-1 loss and another 3-1 loss at the weekend, this Washington side will be sick of the sight of West Allotment, and especially striker, Matthew Hayton who put three goals past them across the two league games. It was a much harder road to three points in this game for West Allotment than the previous game against Washington, however. After a slow start from both sides, the lead was actually taken by the home side in the 33rd minute as Brad Chisholm fired in from close range following a low cross from the flank. Washington had the ball in the back of the net again soon after, but the goal was thankfully disallowed after a referee spotted a push on a Celtic player in the goals build up. The visitors finally found their goal scoring touch just before half time when Michael Baxter raced through onto goal and slotted the ball past the Blues keeper in the 44th minute. After another positive start to the second half, the away side eventually grabbed the lead in the 75th minute as Foster made an excellent effort in front of goal to ensure he forced the ball into the net for the goal. Despite more positive attacking football from the home side, West Allotment went on to wrap up all three points and a sixth win in a row in the final minutes of the game. Matty Hayton scored in his sixth game in a row as the striker he drove the ball beautifully into the home sides goal. Overall, this was another result well earned for Celtic as they continue to climb up the league table at a rapid rate.
Tonight, is the night that Celtic could finally reach the top of the league table. A win by seven goals seems unlikely, but is possible, and would lead to Celtic sitting atop the league if they can pull it off tonight. More realistically, a win by any amount of goals would guarantee that Celtic move up one spot into second place, breathing down the neck of first place Crook Town, and continue to put pressure on the current leaders. A loss for Celtic would not be too costly overall but could see the team fall down to fourth with their opponents overtaking them in the process, and even down to fifth place if they lose by three goals or more. This would be damaging to Celtics surge of the league table but would not completely stop their momentum with games in hand still on many of the sides around them.
The home side tonight have started off the season brightly and find themselves currently sitting in seventh spot following a 1-1 draw against Chester-Le-Street in their last game. The Students scored nearly bang on the hour mark, in the 56th minute as Keith Douglas grabbed a goal for the home side. It was to be late heartbreak in the end for Newcastle University though, as Jay Smith nicked a goal in the 89th minute of the match to grab a point for the away side on the night. Celtic will be hoping that this last-minute disappointment will still be in the minds of the Newcastle Uni players and distract them tonight. However, the result will ultimately come down to West Allotments performance, as they will once again have to go out and prove themselves against another talented side.
The last time Celtic faced Newcastle University was on the 1st February 2020, when West Allotment suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to the University side. This result will definitely be one that Celtic will not want a repeat of tonight as it would mean the team would drop down into fifth place and lose ground on that top spot in the league.
