The 2-2 draw away at Kendal Town last weekend ended an impressive February, which saw the Blues narrowly lose home and away against Scarborough Athletic. A 6-4 victory over the aforementioned Mint Cakes and ofcourse, how can we forget…a 2-0 win against Atherton Collieries in the Challenge Trophy Semi-Final.
This solid run of two wins and a draw in five games now leads the Blues into arguably their biggest and toughest fortnight in years.

When second placed Darlington 1883 leave Shawbridge at 5:00 o’clock on Saturday evening, preparation will prepare immediately for big games against play-off chasers Warrington Town and Spennymoor Town. Before the huge Challenge Trophy final against Chorley at the Macron Stadium a week on Monday.

The Blues have slipped down to 13th in the table, however if things stayed the same between now and the end of the season, our campaign would be classed as a huge success.

Bookmakers had Clitheroe as joint favourites to gain relegation come April 2015, dropping into the North West Counties. However, Simon Garner’s men sit an astounding twenty six points above the drop zone and sit a generous fifteen points behind Bamber Bridge, who currently sit in the final play-off spot.

A lot of the Blues good fortune has been down to their up-turn in home form. The side have only lost four of their fifteen home matches this campaign. Including two wins and two draws at Shawbridge since the turn of the year.

In fact, Clitheroe have scored eleven times in their last five games in front of their own supporters.

The wait for that all important clean sheet goes on after the side shipped two away at Kendal Town last weekend. The Blues have not kept a shut-out this season at home. You have to look back to the 28th December 2013, to find the last time Clitheroe prevented their opponents from scoring in a league game.

Alex Palffy has kept the sides last two clean sheets. During the 6-0 and 4-0 wins against Prescot Cables and Radcliffe Borough.

This season alone the Blues have had Andrew Dawber, Alex Palffy, Peter Collinge and Zac Hibbert in goal at Shawbridge. Despite the qualities, of all four shot-stoppers that ‘0’ next to the opposition scoreboard hasn’t arrived yet and it is a mystery to all as to why?

Clitheroe have seemingly done favourably well against the top ten in the division this season. In the league this season, the Blues have beaten Northwich Victoria, (3rd) Harrogate Railway Athletic, (10th) Salford City (1st) and Droylsden (7th) at Shawbridge.

Aswell as defeating Bamber Bridge away in the Challenge Trophy quarter-final and matching Darlington 1883 back in November, a game which ended 1-1.

The Blues key-man for Saturday’s fixture is forward Sefton Gonzales. The 6ft4 frontman has scored just two in his last seven games, however Clitheroe’s top scorer is a big game player and on his day, he is an exceptional talent.

Having scored seventeen times in all competitions this season, the former Droylsden hitman will use his direct running style and aerial prowess to ‘bully’ Darlington’s defence and create space for the attacking players around him.

Our opponents Darlington 1883 sit twelve places (2nd) and twenty three points (65) above the Blues going into Saturday’s game.
Apart from leaders Salford City, the Quakers have beaten the majority of sides that they have faced. The men from the North East sit three points off top spot in the table and worryingly for Clitheroe possess the strongest away record in the whole division.

The side managed by Oxford United legend Martin Gray have won nine times on the road this season, picking up twenty nine points on the road out of a possible fourty five.

However, the promotion hopefuls go into this game licking their wounds after back to back away defeats. The Non-League world was shocked when on the 21st February, Darlington 1883 were defeat 4-2 against Kendal Town.

That was strange, but what happened three days later just added to the bewilderment as Gray’s side lost away at Farsley AFC 3-2.

Combine this to the 2-0 defeat on the road to Salford City back in January and you can see our opposition do have a weakness. Having lost three of their last five matches away from Heritage Park.

Darlington 1883 have the best defensive record in the league, having conceded just twenty five times in thirty fixtures. The side have scored seventy one times meaning they have an incredible +46 goal difference.

Despite their defensive prowess, the men from the North East have also kept just one clean sheet in their last seven games. With the aforementioned shut-out coming on the 7th February during a 5-0 home victory against Ossett Town.

Having only score twice in the famous black and white, top scorer Nathan Cartman still has a lot to prove. Cartman scored an unbelievable twenty nine times for Harrogate Railway Athletic before his move to the North East and he is the man Clitheroe’s back four need to watch closely if they are to have any chance of coming away from the game with a positive result to their name.

Contributions from Amar Purewal (12) and Graeme Armstrong (17) have also made the away side the most feared strike force in the division.
The last time the sides met at Shawbridge, Darlington 1883 went away 3-2 winners in a real cracker of a game. When the sides faced each other earlier in the season, a last minute Sefton Gonzales goal gave the Blues a fair point, after the Quakers backroom staff described Clitheroe as the best side the Blues have this season.

A win for Clitheroe could see them move up to twelfth in the table, if Lancaster City drop points against league leaders Salford City. Three points for our visitors from Darlington could see them move into top spot, if Lancaster City defeat Salford City….

It’s a funny old game!