Farsley Celtic 5

Bamber Bridge 1

A superb attacking display enabled Michael Midwood to plunder himself a hat-trick as the Celts reaffirmed their promotion credentials with a nap hand in a Roses win against Bamber Bridge.

It was not just a fine performance at the cutting edge, Farsley were efficient and clinical in every department.

The Lancashire outfit were not the best opponents and a side with more self belief may well have given the home side more problems.

On odd occasions the Celtic defence offered some encouragement to Bridge, and one of the top sides in the UniBond Premier would surely have punished those rare errors.

However, that should take nothing away from this maximum that keeps the pressure on the leaders.

"It was a job done," said Celts boss Lee Sinnott. "My team talk after the previous game went on for a while but on Saturday it was a matter of minutes.

"We needed a good performance and a good win to boost the confidence. We got both and that is all I could ask. What we need now is consistency and the same desire in the remaining games.

"I thought we scored at crucial times. We got the early goal, scored right at the end of the first half and got another within seconds of them getting their goal. That was probably the most important. It didn't allow them to feel they had got back into the game."

It was a good start by the home side and they had threatened even before breaking the deadlock in the seventh minute.

Midwood shot from a tight angle after cutting into the area and though the visitors' keeper got a good block on it, the striker lashed the rebound into the far corner.

Two minutes before the interval, Celts keeper Liam Sutcliffe palmed away a dangerous corner. The clearance was crossed back in but Lee Cooper headed wide from eight yards.

In first-half stoppage time, Rodney Rowe sent in a shot that looked a goal all the way but Bridge keeper Andy Banks diverted it for a corner with a stunning reaction save.

It was a first-class stop but it merely delayed the Celts' second goal. The resulting corner was whipped in by Roy Stamer and Jon Dyson converted it with a bullet header from ten yards.

Bamber came out in determined mood at the start of the second period and were unlucky not to halve the arrears in the 51st minute. Celtic did not clear their lines or pick up spare men and Chris Ward headed against the inside of the post from two yards.

Ward was not to be denied and he grabbed a goal in the 57th minute with a direct run into the area and a thumping shot.

Just 51 seconds later, Stamer rounded the full back and cut back a low cross that Midwood fired in from ten yards. That broke what spirit the Lancastrians had left and the Celts cruised to a comfortable win.

Midway through the second half, former Bantams skipper Lee Duxbury netted his first goal for the Throstle Nest outfit, again from a Stamer assist.

The flying winger put in a deep cross and Duxbury emphatically netted with a header from the edge of the six-yard box.

Midwood's hat-trick came courtesy of Rowe's tireless running. With only 14 minutes left, Rowe nipped in to steal the ball following a weak back pass. He was forced wide but looked up to roll the ball to Midwood and he picked his spot with the keeper out of position and just one defender on the line.