Farsley Celtic will be looking to secure their first home win of the season when they entertain Brackley Town on Saturday.
All four of Farsley’s wins have come on the road this season, and head coach Clayton Donaldson will be hoping for a change of luck and all three points on Saturday in our first home fixture since we played Banbury United on 23 September.
The Celts’ last game was a fortnight ago, an impressive 2-1 win at Scarborough and skipper Chris Atkinson said the players are looking to build on some strong away performances and go into the Brackley game full of confidence.
“Brackley are a very organised and experienced side, so we know it’s going to be a tough game, like every game is in this league.” Atkinson said.
“But if we can replicate the performance we put in at Scarborough we are confident we can get that first win at home which we deserve with the overall performances we have been putting in. The lads can’t wait to get out there again!”
Head coach and striker Clayton Donaldson said: “It’s likely to be a very physical game and very tough. They’ve been in and around the playoffs and pushing for automatic promotion for the past few years and are a strong and organised side.
“It’ll be a tight game but we have prepared well and are going into it after a great win at Scarborough. We’re full of confidence.”
Team news
Donaldson is hoping to be fit after picking up a slight hamstring strain in our last game at Scarborough but fellow forward Darren Stephenson completes the second of his three-match ban and will miss out.
20-year-old defender Jack Leckie, who is with the Celts on a season-long loan from Hull, is injured and isn’t expected to return until December. Fellow defender Lewis Turner recently underwent surgery to try remedy his long-term injury problems.
Joao Silva will also miss the game and Conor Branson is also a doubt after feeling a twinge in training.
Versatile Jordan Carroll will return after his one-match ban and goalkeeper Zan-Luk Leban returns to Farsley after keeping two clean sheets for Slovenia U21s during the international break.
How are Brackley faring?
Brackley Town will be looking to build on Saturday’s win over Spennymoor, which was their first victory in five league games.
Goals from Dan Turner (two) and Danny Newton put Gavin Cowan’s side in a commanding position midway through the first half and inconsistent Brackley sit just outside the play-off positions three points above Farsley, who have a game in hand.
Tickets and supporter information
The game kicks off at The Citadel 3pm on Saturday, 21 October. Admission is by cash or card on the gate or tickets can be bought in advance. Full supporter information can be found here.