Luck deserts Celts right to end

5:07pm Sunday 27th April 2008

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Farsley Celtic 1, Grays Athletic 3

There was no lightening of the sombre mood at Throstle Nest on the final day of the season as Farsley slipped to their sixth defeat on the trot in their final appearance in the Blue Square Premier.

The Celts may have gained a positive result if they had taken their chances, a thread that has run throughout their campaign. Once again their opposition proved to be more clinical and had just too much ammunition.

The margins are always tight and Amjad Iqbal will feel aggrieved, while Damian Reeves and David McNiven will wonder how they did not add to their respective goal tallies.

Iqbal was out-muscled by Danny Kedwell in the 16th minute and the resulting ball into the danger area saw Jamie Taylor with a simple tap-in.

Farsley got a foothold just after the half-hour mark when a teasing cross from Rory Prendergast was handled by Jamie Stewart and the referee had no doubts. The penalty was confidently drilled home by Stephen Downes.

There looked to be more than a suggestion of a push when Grays edged back in front in the 71st minute. Iqbal was again manhandled as he was sent sprawling to the turf before Jeff Goulding buried a shot.

Minutes later Farsley's lack of fortune was compounded. The Grays keeper fumbled and Reeves snapped up the ball, only to see his shot cleared off the line.

The ball came straight back to him and he fed McNiven. His shot, in turn, was also hacked off the line and the rebound found Reeves still lurking but once again he drilled the ball past the keeper only for a defender to clear it from the goalmouth.

Three minutes later Taylor and Kedwell combined again and this time the latter player beat Celts keeper Curtis Aspden to wrap up the scoring, while at the other end McNiven failed to find the unguarded net with a late lob from the edge of the area.

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