By John Baron
Farsley Celtic avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth for the second season running, despite a 2-1 defeat at play-off chasing Spennymoor Town yesterday.
A 3-0 defeat for Kettering Town at Kidderminster Harriers meant The Celts avoided relegation to the Northern Premier League by just one point, sparking wild celebrations from the travelling Celt Army at the final whistle.
The final day saw any one of Farsley, Bradford Park Avenue, Kettering and Blyth facing the drop, with Bradford and Kettering ultimately going down amid a day of high drama at the top and bottom of the league. The match also saw Spennymoor miss out on the play-offs, despite a fourth straight win.
Spennymoor were by far the better side for the first hour, and were only denied more goals by an outstanding display by Farsley keeper Max Dearnley.
Strikes from Glen Taylor and Mark Anderson had put the dominant home side in the driving seat, only for Sheffield United loanee Theo Williams to cut the deficit with a clinical finish when played through by Frank Mulhern with 20 minutes remaining.
Farsley – cheered on by 90 or so vociferous fans – then saw a powerful Andy Butler header denied by a brilliant save by Harry Flatters in the Spennymoor goal as the Celts poured forward for an equaliser.
News of Kidderminster’s second-half demolition of Kettering brought loud cheers from Farsley fans and chants of ‘we are staying up’ as the Celts avoided relegation by the narrowest of margins for the second successive season.
Farsley fans gave their players and manager a heroes’ reception after the match following a dramatic end to a rollercoaster season.
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