Central visit Tintwistle as season’s end edges closer

Tintwistle Athletic host Manchester Central on Tuesday as the Division One season draws ever closer to its conclusion.

Manchester Central will play their penultimate league game of the season on Tuesday night when they make the trip to face the side directly below them in the Division One table where a win for the home side could see them close the gap to Central to just two points.

Central suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Hindley Juniors on Tuesday which meant they now could only finish as high as eighth in the table this season, even if they win their remaining two league fixtures.

Tintwistle meanwhile have enjoyed a run of three consecutive wins on the bounce with league wins over Boothstown and Wilmslow Albion sandwiched by a Derbyshire Divisional Cup North win over Glapwell FC which saw them through to the next round.

Central's upcoming opponents impressively dispatched Wilmslow Albion last time out with a 5-2 away win that saw them close the gap to Central to five points, strengthening their chances of finishing above the side in eighth with still four games to play.

Central will be looking forward to the conclusion of their season after enduring a turbulent campaign, which saw a winning start, losing only one of their five opening games, but a 5-4 defeat at Elton Vale kickstarted a run that saw them win just five fixtures in 17 games spanning back to September.

It has also been an experimental season for Chris Tomkinson and his side, particularly at the back end of the campaign. Numerous changes and switches to the starting 11 have certainly hindered Central’s progress this season, with a lack of consistency and continuity resulting in less chemistry and cohesion on the pitch.

Both Tomkinson and Chairman Paul McGuire have voiced the need for change over the past few months and have used the final months of the season to begin preparation for the next Division One campaign in 2023/24.

Like Central, Tintwistle have endured an inconsistent campaign, sitting ninth in Division One, struggling to string a run of form together for most of the season, and have found difficulties in netting on their home turf.

The net has bulged only 18 times when Tintwistle have hosted a Division One fixture, who have also struggled for consistency at home, but they have won their last three home games in the league, most recently knocking off Boothstown in late March.

There was nothing between the two sides when they met in October, playing out a 1-1 draw at Seashell Trust thanks to a Claudio Costa equaliser off the bench after the visitors had taken the lead.

This midweek clash can hardly be predicted as to how it will play out, with such inconsistencies for both teams this season meaning it really could go either way as we reach the tail end of the campaign, with both surely looking to finish strong.

However, with nothing riding on the fixture for either one of these sides, it could turn out to be a highly entertaining meeting in Division One, with neither team having anything to lose.