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Stalybridge Celtic 4-0 Farsley Celtic

1/10/2008

CELTIC cruised into the third qualifying round of this season’s FA Cup thanks to a comprehensive mauling of hapless Farsley.

Having run Stalybridge close in the league contest at Throstle Nest earlier in the month, Steve Burr’s men were expecting a searching examination from the Yorkshire side, but they were blown away by a superb first-half display.

To be fair to the visitors, things could have panned out differently had referee Chris Dunn ruled in Farsley's favour when Paul Sykes bundled Scott Gardner over in the box on 16 minutes.

Nothing was given though, and when Keith Briggs was tripped right on the edge of the box 10 minutes later, Lee Ellington stepped up and curled a superb free kick into the top corner to give Stalybridge the lead.

Ex-Celt Dominic Krief was dismissed on 34 minutes when he picked up his second yellow for a rash challenge on Steve Torpey, having picked up his first in a clash with the excellent Keith Briggs.

Down to 10 men, the visitors were always going to be up against it and Terry Barwick rammed home the advantage within four minutes, lashing an unstoppable free kick high into the roof of the net from fully 30 yards.

Three minutes later, the game was as good as over when Ellington laid a peach of a pass into the path of the onrushing Torpey who drove home a splendid third from just outside the box.

The second half was a procession down the Bower Fold slope, with Celtic defied time and time again thanks to a magnificent performance in the Farsley goal by an overworked Curtis Aspden.

Without his heroics it could have been a cricket score, but Celtic had to be content with a bundled Matty Barlow effort just before the hour to set the seal on a fine afternoon’s work from the Celts.

There was a late scare for everyone when Farsley skipper Amjad Iqbal collapsed and was stretchered from the field, but he subsequently recovered and the home team were able to celebrate their triumph in earnest.

Attendance: 500
Keith Trudgeon