The ins and outs of Centrals first home fixture of the season

Central started the season with a disappointing 4-2 defeat away at Avenue FC last week. However, they will have the chance to put things right on Saturday in their first home game of the season up against Tintwistle Athletic.

This week the gaffer put emphasis on how important it is to win your home games, stating "You've got to win your home games. Lads should want to come down and not get beaten at home." Chris Tomkinson's side started last season with exactly that attitude, winning their first five games at home in all competitions. But, the season ended on the opposite end of the scale, where Central won just one of their last four at home.

This weekends opposition finished just one place below Central in the league last season. Resulting in a good test for the home side, against a team who last season performed at a similar level. However, despite the similar league positions, Central got the better of Tintwistle over their two league games last season. The home fixture back in August finished 1-1, but the away fixture in April was one of Centrals best performances of the season, winning 5-2 thanks to a first half storm where Chris' side went into the break with a 5-1 lead.

As for Tintwistle, they started this season with a solid 2-0 win against East Manchester FC and will have the chance to build a solid foundation for the season if they can pick up three points on Saturday. On the other hand, without sounding too harsh, their opponents from last week were one of last seasons worst performers. Only Wilmslow Albion lost more games and finished on a lesser goal difference. Meaning Saturday's clash at Seashell Trust will be a much bigger test for the glossop based side.

Ultimately, this is a clash which could go either way. But Central will be expecting that their four home wins during pre-season can reflect into the new season. The match will get underway at 14:00 on Saturday the 19th August at the Seashell Trust. Hopefully Chris Tomkinson's side can really get their season underway, Come on Central!