Farsley Celtic secured an additional point on Saturday following a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Lancashire’s Chorley, despite concluding the game with a reduced team of ten players.
The Celts initiated the match on a promising note, as a throw-in by George Smith led to a header by Tom Allan, which was subsequently bundled over the goal line by Farsley midfielder Ryan Watson. This marked Watson’s first goal since his return to The Citadel during the summer.
Chorley promptly retaliated when Justin Johnson found himself in a one-on-one situation with Zan-Luk Leban and managed to slot the ball past the Slovenian goalkeeper, thereby equalising the score.
Throughout the afternoon, Leban remained active and was called into action in the twentieth minute when he made a remarkable save to deny Jack Sampson’s close-range header, preserving the 1-1 deadlock.
Marley Blair came closest to scoring for Farsley during the remainder of the first half, attempting an audacious volley from outside the box that narrowly sailed over the crossbar.
The second half progressed more tranquilly compared to the initial 15 minutes of the match. Neither side came dangerously close to taking the lead, except for Johnson, who once again broke through on goal shortly after the break, only to send his shot high and wide.
However, the Celts faced adversity as the regular time dwindled, with Allan receiving a red card for what was deemed ‘violent conduct’ due to his collision with Chorley defender Scott Wilson from behind.
Despite the setback of being a player down, Farsley demonstrated resilience and determination to secure a hard-earned point at The Citadel. This result brought their total to four points from the opening two fixtures of the season.
A swift turnaround awaits Clayton Donaldson’s team, as they are set to return to The Citadel on Tuesday night. There, they will confront newly promoted South Shields, with the match scheduled to kick off at 7:45pm.
