FARSLEY CELTIC v BISHOP AUCKLAND

FA Cup 3^rd Qualifying Round - 1 October 2016

Forsaking the shorter but repeated trip back to Spennymoor, A Good Cup Run heads to West Yorkshire to see Farsley Celtic play Bishop Auckland. Bishop Auckland are one of the two Northern League teams remaining in the cup, and having despatched two Northern Premier Division 1 North sides in the previous two rounds they will not be fazed by facing another. But crucially they are not at home today, and Farley Celtic are much nearer the top of their league than Ossett Albion and Trafford.

Throstle Nest is situated in a residential area of Farsley. It has the ubiquitous grandstand straddling the half way line, and covered standing behind one goal. Elsewhere the ground is enclosed by a blue corrugated steel fence that along with the tall floodlight pylons give it the feel of a correctional facility. Although no prisoners are taken here with four wins from four at home so far this season.

The dominant blue paint reflects Farsley’s colours, so Bishop Auckland have to change from their two blues to a fluorescent yellow-green, which is bright enough to affect the ‘reactolite’ lenses in my glasses. There is no other reason for them to darken so, as the sun is obscured by cloud on this otherwise pleasant October day.

From the kick off Celtic press forward but Bishop absorb the attacks and soon have a good spell of their own. On fifteen minutes Auckland’s big man up front, Ian Ward, lays off the ball to Adam Nicholls whose rising thumps hard against the roof of the low stand. Ward’s forward partner, the quick Andrew Johnson, has the visitors’ next attempt, cutting in from the right and curling a shot on target, but it’s in the centre of the goal giving Celtic keeper Graeme McKibbin an easy save.

All Farsley’s huffing and puffing produces little threat until a long pass and a bad bounce presents Richard Marshall with the ball and space in the box, but a bad touch from him sees the ball run dead. McKibbin has more work to do in the Farsley goal first from a careless back pass and then from an Alex Francis daisy-cutter that goes hard and low but straight at him.

The next chance falls to Farsley when a long ball puts James Walshaw through, but his attempt to lift the ball over the advancing keeper fails. In fact the ball does not even go dead and this enables Bishop to move the ball quickly upfield to Johnson who lays it back to Priestley Griffith. His first touch lifts the ball off the ground and his second smashes a volley past the helpless McKibbin into the back of the net.

With ten minutes to half time Celtic endeavour to reply, bossing the possession and territory. They win a couple of free kick within range; one is blocked by the wall and the other is hammered straight at the keeper Edward Wilczynski, which he does well to hold on to with forwards advancing to challenge for any rebound. Wilczynski copes less well with a harmless looking cross but Celtic fail to profit from the fumble.

As half time is due Bishop finally relieve the pressure, and from the corner flag a cross is hoisted into the centre. Ward, six foot plus and well-built, is up against Farsley’s full back Ryan Serrant, a wiry five foot eight; the outcome is a flattened full back and a Ward header firmly planted into the corner of the net. But the referee sees the contest as unfair and blows for a foul.

The second half settles into a pattern of Farsley pressing for the equaliser and Bishop defending stoutly and relying on the speed of Johnson up front to counter. For Farsley, Walshaw tries to smuggle a corner in at the near post, then right back Aaron Hardy shoots hard and low, with both attempts foiled by Wilczynski. He can’t get near Lewis Nightingale’s fizzing 25 yard drive, but thankfully watches it graze the outside of a post.

Bishop counter on the break with Johnson outpacing the defence only to find McKibbin standing up well to block. But it is temporary respite and Hardy puts in another telling cross from the Farsley right that Walshaw can’t quite get high enough to do more than glance wide. More crosses follow from either flank but generally the Bishop defence head clear only to find the ball coming back soon. Still, with ten minutes left the visitors remain ahead.

The Farsley management send on substitutions, eventually it looks like four up front; Bishop respond by dropping midfielders deep. A headed chance comes to Walshaw close to goal, and it looks like a bad miss until the referee points for a corner, so someone, keeper or defender, got something in the way. From the corner a shot is fired over the bar.

With cleared balls just coming straight back, Bishop left back Michael Hoganson tries a new approach and carries the ball diagonally the length of the field, forcing McKibbin into another one-on-one encounter that he again repels.

The last five minutes, and the three added (the home crowd demand more), are spent in the Bishop half with free kicks and corners raining in. It’s crowded in the penalty area with McKibbin even popping up for corners. From one of these the ball comes to him but he wisely passes it on to Nightingale who unleashes Farsley's best shot of the game. It’s goal bound but Wilczynski flies to his left to get both hands to the ball and push it round the post. Nightingale has time for another shot but this time fires a volley wide.

And then it is over. Bishop Auckland have survived a torrid second half onslaught. Their win resulted from having a good share of the first half and scoring a high quality goal when the chance presented itself; defending valiantly as a team throughout the second half; and saving brilliantly the one decent strike on goal that Farsley Celtic could muster out of all their possession.

Thus does Bishop Auckland’s impressive FA Cup run continue into the final qualifying round.