By John Baron
Farsley Celtic will be looking to build on their 100% start to the season tomorrow when they make the picturesque journey to the Peak District – and a trip to promotion favourites Buxton.
While Buxton is unquestionably one of the most enjoyable away days in the National League North calendar, it’s also likely to be one of the toughest this season.
They made unexpected decision to go full-time for the 2024-25 campaign, and – with a new manager and an influx of new players – they will prove challenging opposition for Clayton Donaldson’s part-time Farsley side.
John McGrath replaced Craig Elliott, who had been in charge at Buxton since December 2022. McGrath joined the Bucks after eight successive seasons at Mickleover.
The Bucks’ will be boosted by Josh Ayres’s late 95th-minute strike to sneak his side a 2-1 winners over newly promoted visitors Leamington last Saturday.
But Farsley also come into the game on a high after Darren Stephenson’s 89th-minute winner saw them edge past Rushall Olympic at Dales Lane in a five-goal thriller. The Celts, who have added greatly to the depth of their squad this season, put in a terrific first half performance and fans will be looking for more of the same tomorrow.
The two sides last met on the final day of last season when Farsley’s 2-0 life-line victory came courtesy of goals from Tom Allan and Isaac Assenso. This gave Farsley a rare double as The Celts had tasted victory when Darren Stephenson and Ryan Watson had sealed the deal at Silverlands in November.
The Celts will be without skipper Chris Atkinson as he continues his recovery from an injury sustained last season.
It’s the second of at least eight away league games on the bounce for Donaldson’s players.
With growing uneasiness among Farsley’s fan base over the lack of progress on the club’s new artificial pitch, the travelling Celt Army will be looking for an upset at Buxton to lift the spirits.
You can listen to live commentary on the game here.
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