Central back in Division One action as they take on Tintwistle Athletic

Manchester Central look to pick up their first three points in over a month when they host promotion rivals Tintwistle Athletic in Matchday 10 in Division One.

Central are back in Division One action on Saturday afternoon when they welcome Tintwistle Athletic, in a game that is sure to be closely fought, battled and played between two sides who sit close to each other in the Division One standings.

Tintwistle come off the back of a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Bolton Lads and Girls club, which saw them miss out on the chance of leapfrogging Central in the table, and a potential mental edge ahead of an important fixture.

This ended their brief winning run in Division One, following impressive back-to-back wins over Avro Reserves and Hindley Juniors. The upcoming visitors will look to get back to winning ways on Saturday afternoon to continue their push for the promotion places.

Central were in cup action last weekend, picking up a crucial win via penalties over Heywood St James, following a 2-2 thriller in the 90 minutes. Number One Daniel Whiting was the hero in the end for Central, making multiple key saves in the shootout, including the decisive game winning stop.

This not only sent Central into the last four of the Manchester Challenge Trophy but ended a run of two straight defeats and gave the team a much-needed boost ahead of a tough fixture in Division One.

The goals for Central were scored by two players who are proving to be more vital in every game that comes. Ruben Abreu netted his fourth goal of the season whilst only starting three times, whereas Fuad Kasali has continued his hot streak, scoring in his fourth consecutive game.

Tintwistle impressively have threats all over the pitch for Central to worry about, having had 11 different goal scorers this season. This will only mean the home side will have to be at the top of their game defensively if they want to secure a first clean sheet ironically since their last Division One win.

This will be the first meeting between these two sides this season, however, the last time these two teams met was in the 2018 Murray Trophy final, where Central ran out victors in the penalty shoot-out following a 0-0 draw.

Now it would be hard to believe Tintwistle have forgotten about that defeat, and it would be wise to think revenge will be playing on their minds on Saturday, no matter what the stakes are this time around.

It’s a huge game for both sides, with big promotion ramifications. With these two just separated by two points in the league table, it will see either Central extend their advantage, or see Tintwistle leapfrog their opponents.

Central can’t afford any more dropped points against the teams around them, if they wish to at least gain promotion to the Premier Division. It’s a must win for them, if they wish to keep ground with league leaders Bolton Borough and maintain close distance with those above them.