Match Report -
Celtic Draw At Home With Farsley
By Deborah Taylor

In a game where both sides could have won it, a draw was probably a fair result.

Farsley started off stronger, with debutant keeper, Paddy Wharton, tested early on by a wicked free kick from Will Bathurst, and former Stalybridge defender, Jack Higgins almost got the opener from another set-piece, this time Scott Wilson's leg denying the goal. The opener finally came nineteen minutes in when Stalybridge just could not clear the ball from their own box with any conviction, and Bathurst found himself with space at the edge of the box to pick his spot in the bottom corner.

It was almost an instant reply when Neil Kengni went on a surging run that left defenders in his wake, with his curling shot over Kyle Trenerry, but crashing back off the crossbar. The visitors should have been two up when James Spencer drew Wharton one-on-one, but he miscued completely as he pulled his shot back across the face to trundle past the far post. Chris Sharp was desperately unlucky at the other end, evading a lunging tackle to get into the box, from an acute angle his shot was well struck and saw the net bulge, but it was the side netting. Trenerry had to be alert when Liam Tongue tried a distance special, as Stalybridge started to dominate proceedings.

It was only a matter of time before Celtic were level. Sharp's lay off to Glenn Rule was the opener Rule needed, his rocket of a shot sped through the box. Ross Dent was unable to get out of the way of it, striking the outside of his leg to deflect it beyond the outstretched fingertips of Trenerry. Scott Bakkor went close to adding to the lead off a corner, flicking the in-swinging corner narrowly wide of the target to leave it all square at the interval.

The visitors again started the stronger, with James Spencer going one-on-one with Wharton for a second time, this time his shot was on target, but Wharton superbly denied him, close range. Moments later and it was an even better stop from the young Tranmere loan keeper, this time a close-range volley from Paul Walker off a corner that Wharton parried away.

Unfortunately for Wharton, the ball fell to Spencer, who lifted the ball over Wharton and Scott Wilson on the line and just under the bar.

Celtic were twice reprieved when the visitors were scant inches from adding to their lead. Spencer's curling shot hit the woodwork and only a last-ditch block on the line from Wilson put the follow-up shot from Chris Atkinson wide at the expense of a corner.

And that let off allowed Celtic to draw level with a visionary ball from Rule to send Neil Kengni on a run, outpacing Isaac Baldwin to whip in a perfect cross for Ross Dent, arriving at space to knock the ball past Trenerry.

Matthew Wolfenden almost gave Celtic the win with a glancing header off a free kick and Tongue's angled drive needed a knee from Higgins to deny him the winner. Nathan Cartman's drilled shot from the edge of the box was superbly stopped by Wharton to deny Farsley the win, and in stoppage time, Luke Parkin was one-on-one with Wharton, but lobbed keeper and bar, whilst at the other end Ross Dent was one-on-one with Trenerry to deny Celtic the win.

1Trenerry, Kyle  
2Turner, Lewis  
3Baldwin, Isaac  
4Atkinson, Chris  
5Higgins, Jack  
6Clayton, AdamYellow Card 
7Hornshaw, George  > 67
8Atkinson, Ben  > 80
9Spencer, JamesYellow Card 
10Walker, Paul  
11Bathurst, Will  > 85
12Cartman, Nathan  < 67
14Parkin, Luke  < 85
15Ellis, Danny  < 80
16Britton, Matthias  
17Hall, Ted