THE season was firmly on track for Farsley until the middle of January – but instead of bouncing back from a narrow defeat at the home of the eventual champions, they failed to recover.

A dreadful final two months saw Neil Parsley's promotion-chasing side end the campaign a hugely disappointing 12th.

A defeat in the Evo-Stik League Cup final – on penalties after a goalless draw with Warrington Town at Edgeley Park – compounded their misery.

When Farsley headed to the Manchester United 'Class of 92'-backed Salford City on Saturday, January 17, they were sixth in Division One North.

Parsley's men were just one point outside the play-off places, on the back of three confidence-boosting wins, and had just reached the quarter-finals of the cup.

Salford were three points clear at the summit yet Farsley twice took the lead, with James Riley hitting both goals. But the home side battled hard to edge a five-goal thriller and Farsley were done for.

They picked up just two points from their next three league games before a brief rally but claimed only one victory from their last dozen league games.

It was not merely a loss of form, with injuries and unavailability also blighting Parsley's team selections.

Goalkeeper Tom Taylor was involved in a sending off that the club used dvd evidence to appeal, Riley was injured and his central defensive partner Matt Dempsey suffered two long lay-offs, while striker Adam Priestley missed six games due to international call-ups with Gibraltar.

The cup run lifted spirits but even the joy of reaching the showpiece final at a former Football League ground was wrecked by the nightmare of the dreaded penalty shoot-out.

Taylor made two superb saves in the game, while Lewis Nightingale and Aiden Savory had chances for Farsley, but it was a tight contest with defences on top.

The penalty decider was also tight. Andy Welsh hit a post and Savory's decisive spot-kick was saved as Warrington celebrated a 3-2 win. The losers' medals were no reward for the efforts of Parsley's men.

Final position: Evo-Stik Division One North – 12th

P W D L F A GD Pt

42 18 7 17 73 64 9 61