5 Things You Need to Know Ahead of Tintwistle Athletic

Images From: Manchester Central Flikr, Credits: Rafaella Macintosh.

Division One action returns to Seashell Trust on Saturday, as Manchester Central face off against 7th-placed Tintwistle Athletic. So, before the whistle blows, here are five things you should know.

1. CENTRAL POINTLESS FOR FOR 42 DAYS

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Discounting the two Manchester FA Challenge Cup wins over Avro Reserves and Heywood St James, Manchester Central have been winless since the 5-0 demolition of Wilmslow Albion on the 17th of September.

Despite having netted on 8 occasions, Tomkinson's side have failed to score any points since, having lost 5-4 to Elton Vale, 3-2 to Bolton Borough, and 4-2 to Govan and University of Manchester.

Therefore, Central will be hoping that they can fix the leak at the back whilst continuing to keep the goalscoring machine at the front firing as they search for their first points in over a month.

2. A PROMOTION 6-POINTER?

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Much like Central, the visitors have too had a fine start to the season. At the time of writing, Tintwistle Athletic sit in 7th in Division One, just two points behind Central. After having played 9 games, the visitors will arrive at Seashell Trust with one draw, four wins and four losses.

However, of the teams that both sides have played, the results have been remarkably similar. Central recreated Tintwistle's opening day 5-0 win over Wilmslow Albion in match-week 6, whilst both teams narrowly beat Avro Reserves by one goal and were both defeated by Govan and University of Manchester.

The table, and the form of the two teams, suggest that Saturday should bring a tightly contested game. With both clubs pushing for one of the three promotion places, this fixture could play a major role in determining the finishing order come the end of the season.

3. TINTWISTLE ATHLETIC ARE DIVISION ONE MAINSTAYS

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The 2022/23 marks the fourth successive season that Tintwistle Athletic have spent in Manchester Football League Division one - amongst the longest time spent in the league by any of the teams currently in the division.

The visitors were promoted from Division Two in 2017/18, after finishing in 2nd place. They then adapted well to the Division One, finishing in 6th place in the first season before being 2nd at the conclusion of the 2019/29 season - however, this was not a promotion spot at the time.

However, following the 2020/21 season which was written off due to COVID-19, Tintwistle's ascension seems to have slowed. After finishing second-bottom of Division One last season, however, the bright start the visitors have had will be welcome.

4. TINTWISTLE ALREADY CLOSE TO EQUALING THEIR 2021/22 POINTS HAUL

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Tintwistle scored just 18 points in the entirety of their 2021/22 Division One campaign, ending the season in 10th of 11 places. Furthermore, this weekend's visitors scored just 38 goals in the 20-game season - the 4th least.

Therefore, they will be delighted with their stellar start, which sees them already just 5 points off of last season's tally. Furthermore, Athletic have also seen an upturn in the number of goals scored to match.

With 22 goals scored already, Athletic are set to more than double their return on last season. The visitors will surely pose a tough challenge as their form suggests they are looking upwards as they try to fight their way out of Division One for the first time in four years.

5. THE FIRST-EVER LEAGUE MEETING

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The only time the two sides have faced one another was in the 2018 Murray Trophy Final, were Central lifted the trophy after a penalty win. Otherwise, Central and Athletic have never faced each other before in the league, having missed one another on multiple occasions since Central was re-formed in 2016/17. So, what can we expect?

Tintwistle are yet to keep a clean sheet since their first game of the season, having conceded 18 goals in 9 games. However, the visitors boast a strong attacking record, with 22 goals for. Thus, if trends continue, expect a free-scoring game as the two sides sacrifice their defensive rigidity in an attempt to take all three points by simply outscoring one another.

One to watch for this weekend's opposition is Scott Callum who is currently Tintwistle's highest goalscorer with 5 goals in 6 games. The attacking force is already close to equalling his tally for last season, where he finished the year as their second-highest goalscorer with 8 goals in 18 appearances.