Patience is a virtue for victorious Farsley (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Patience is a virtue for victorious Farsley

5:50pm Sunday 30th December 2012 in Farsley By Ian Whiting

Farsley 2, Ossett Albion 0

Farsley’s excellent holiday period continued with a second home win in the space of four days that lifted them back into the Evo-Stik Division One North promotion play-off places yesterday.

Ossett Albion, like Boxing Day’s opponents Garforth Town, are in the lower reaches of the table but they made their hosts work for their win.

However, Farsley were fully prepared to do that and had to wait until just after the hour mark to open the scoring.

A second goal followed just two minutes later and Albion did not have it within them to make a contest out of the remaining 26 minutes as Farsley signed off the old year with a deserved victory.

It was a pot-boiler of a game as it started very slowly indeed but in good conditions with the skies brightening after the morning’s rain.

The home side were doing the pressing but there was little or no goalmouth action.

In a rare sortie by the visitors, Farsley centre back Rob Etherington picked up a harsh booking for an innocuous foul on Albion’s loan striker Dale Kelly.

Just a minute later, Farsley had a strong penalty appeal waved away after Adam Priestley appeared to have been brought down as he attempted to go around the grounded Stefan Holt.

Midway through the half, Kelly had a shot blocked following a half-cleared corner but Farsley countered with a crossshot from Matt Dempsey that the backpeddling visitors’ keeper just palmed for a corner, and later he did well to block a Dave Stead shot.

Farsley were left protesting when skipper Chris Walton was fouled as one of their attacks started. The referee signalled play on but he failed to go back to deal with the offender.

Home keeper Ben Higginson’s main contribution to the first half was three minutes before the break when he raced 25 yards off his line to clear the danger, with Albion midfielder Darol Lucas racing onto a through ball from inside his own half.

For all their negativity and determination to defend, Albion almost broke the deadlock just minutes into the second half.

Good work in the area by Marc Thompson led to a cross to the far post but Lucas chipped the ball wide across the face of Higginson’s goal.

Farsley stepped up the pace after that scare and effectively won the game with two goals in as many minutes.

The first stemmed from a good run and through ball by Walton, who then found Stead and his low centre was fired in from close range by Brice Tiani.

Stead bagged the second with a powerful shot from the just outside the six-yard box after Ryan Harrison has skipped round a defender and driven the ball into the danger area.

Farsley manager Neil Parsley said: “We had to be patient but it was a good win and a solid performance. Once again the four across the back and the keeper have been very good.

"That is six points from two games having scored seven and conceded none so I’m happy with that.

“Our midfield is very strong and creative and I thought Ryan Harrison and Steve Mallory had good games. Adam Priestley is a quality player and Dave Stead did well. I could see his confidence grow after his goal.”