Goal-scorer Grant's return is consolation for Celts (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Goal-scorer Grant's return is consolation for Celts

10:52am Sunday 8th March 2009 in Sport By Ian Whiting

Tamworth 2, Farsley Celtic 1

Second-placed Tamworth kept the pressure on Blue Square North leaders Gateshead by taking all three points from the visit of Farsley Celtic yesterday but Neil Parsley’s men took a lot of credit out of the game.

A harsh penalty award helped Tamworth to a 2-0 lead early in the second half but the Celts bounced back and a Gareth Grant strike led to a very tense ending. The home side held out, despite a couple of late scares.

There were not many chances in the game because it was so tight.

It was certainly a good performance by the Celts but, ultimately, not good enough.

Tamworth broke the deadlock in the 28th minute when Alex Rodman tapped in a Gareth Sheldon cross.

It was the only goal of the first half but there was more misery for Farsley.

Just nine minutes into the second half, Celts’ assistant manager Mark Jackson was adjudged to have fouled in the area and Sheldon netted the resulting spot kick.

Soon after Grant, the former Bradford City striker who has returned to Farsley for a second spell, pulled a goal back.

He kept his head and stroked the ball home after it had been put on a plate for him by Lee Tuck.

That gave the visitors the boost they were looking for and they sought what would have been a deserved equaliser.

Jackson almost redeemed himself with a late header that was cleared off the line, and Grant also went close.

Celts’ boss Parsley said: “It was a very close game and we were unlucky.

Again I felt we were unfortunate not to come away with a win, never mind a point, but I was very pleased with the effort.

“I asked Jacko after the game if he had fouled their player and he said he didn’t think it should have been a penalty. I couldn’t really see it from the dug out - it looked like a tangle from where I was.

“To go two down against a team like Tamworth and then get a goal back and take the game to them tells its own story. It doesn’t take me to fill in the blanks after those statistics.

“I’m delighted to have ‘Granty’ back and, to be fair, to him he showed how up for it he was by his performance.

"His goal was a really well-taken strike, a composed finish, but ‘Tucky’ did very well with the assist.”

Even though there were positives to take from it, the defeat still leaves Farsley just three points above the drop zone.

However, they have played as many as five games less than some of the teams around them in the table.