Birtley Town stat attack

NORTHALLERTON Town face Birtley Town at the Calvert Stadium tonight and ahead of the game we bring you all the stats you need.

Last season;

Birtley Town finished 17th in Ebac Northern League Division Two last season - winning 10, drawing 8 and losing 24. They scored 47 goals in their 42 league matches and conceded 83.

Town, on the other hand, finished 6th with 23 wins, 8 draws and 11 defeats, scoring 101 goals and conceding 63.

Town completed the league double over Birtley, winning 4-0 at the Calvert in September and 2-0 at Birtley in April. Steve Butterworth scored a brace in the corresponding fixture here last season, with Adam Emson and Carl Chillingsworth also on target. Colin Anderson and Jon Burton scored in the reverse fixture.

Previous meetings;

The two sides have met just 8 times in the league, the first as recently as 2009. Town have won 4 of the 8 games, with 1 draw and 3 wins for Birtley. The biggest win for either side was the 4-0 by Town last season, while Birtley's biggest win was 2-0 in 2010-11 season. Their only success at the Calvert was a 3-2 win in January 2012, achieved courtesy of 2 goals in the final 2 minutes.

Current form;

Birtley arrive just one place and one point behind Town in 5th spot. However, they have not won away from home since the opening day of the season at Darlington RA - a run of 4 defeats and 2 draws. However, they are unbeaten in all 9 home matches this season. Birtley have suffered back-to-back defeats at West Allotment Celtic in the last week - 2-1 last Saturday in the league and 3-1 the previous midweek in the League Cup.

Town have won their previous 2 home matches, scoring 7 times and conceding none, although they had only won one of the previous 6 at the Calvert. Town were beaten 4-2 at Jarrow Roofing last time out.

Players to watch;

Birtley's main goal-scoring threat comes from Daniel Taggart, who was scored 11 times so far this season, while Callum Hope has 6 and Matthew Fisher 5. Birtley also have Damon Reaks in their side, a young lad who played a game or 2 for Town in pre-season 2012.

Town's goals have been shared around the team this season with Anderson leading the way on 7 and defender Grant Hickman just one behind. Darren Kokes will be looking to add his goal at the weekend while Graham Caygill and Danny McLachlan also offer pace and energy up front.

Summary;

On paper there looks to be very little between the sides, although Birtley's lofty league position seems to be build on their solid home form with 20 of their 24 points being picked up at home. They are a good young side but perhaps lack the necessary experience to get a result on a cold midweek game away at one of the promotion favourites.

Town look to have got their own home form back on track after a poor run and apart from a twenty minute spell at Jarrow on Saturday, have been playing well in recent weeks. They now have a settled side and have finally started to gel. However, they are still likely to concede goals and that is something that could prove costly.

Prediction;

Town should be too strong for a young Birtley side, although the first goal will be crucial. If Town start as they did on Saturday and get in front, a good win could be on the cards. But give Birtley a sniff and it could be difficult night.

However, I expect Town to come out on top after what is sure to be a tight encounter. 3-1 Town, with a late breakaway goal to seal it.