Three second-half Emley AFC goals on Monday night, after a disallowed first-half Farsley Celtic u23s strike, denied the Celts a fourth consecutive victory in the West Riding FA Development Premier Division.
Louis Fialdini had a goal disallowed and hit the woodwork, both in the first-half with the scores level.
Reggie Waud was sin-binned for laughing at the referee before Emley’s three goals in ten minutes after the break sent Farsley away from the Fantastic Media Welfare Stadium empty-handed.
Cotton played his first competitive u23s start of the season, replacing the injured Rhys Westcarr in goal while Fares Djermoune was the second change to the starting XI, in for the absent Mitchell Fox.
Djermoune went close after only two minutes, benefitting from an Emley clearance to shoot hard towards the bottom left corner but it’s saved. Fialdini was almost in on goal initially after Waud had held the ball up, turned and chipped it over the Emley defence but the pass was intercepted and cleared, only to Djermoune.
Fialdini had the ball in the net after the Emley defender and keeper messed-up a clearance, heading the ball straight into the Farsley forward to the left who, rounding both Emley players, passed into an open net but the linesman’s flag was up for the initial phase.
Emley had been forced into two long balls down their left so far from Farsley’s press. The Celt’s possession was not only benefitting the pace from the forwards but the advanced wing-backs also.
Firstly, Majed Alasttal’s effort from the left, on the slide deflected over for a corner. Reggie Waud didn’t make the first delivery but powered the second towards the bottom right corner with his head, tipped away for another set-piece
Fialdini then hit the post from opposite wing-back Kadeem Morton’s precise cross to the near post, Fialdini’s diving header rebounding off the woodwork on 14 minutes.
Djermoune’s attempted delivery from a similar position hit the first man.
Emley tried to play out through the aerial route, countering down their right but former Pewit Matty Ingham tracked the attacker and shielded the ball out.
Cotton’s first test on his first start of the season was a minor inconvenience from a back-post header straight at the ‘keeper after an Emley free-kick from the left, close to the half-way line.
Morton’s lofted pass into Djermoune ahead of him down the right was finally controlled but being harassed by the Emley defender, Djermoune played in Waud to his left, into the box and the forward was denied by the legs of the ‘keeper.
Another counter by Emley wasn’t dealt with by Farsley’s defence, allowing a curled effort, from outside the box, central, finishing just wide of the left-hand post.
Waud was again denied, wing-back Morton again the provider on 29 minutes. The Emley eventual clearance found Farsley’s Ingham, 30-yards out, who curled a shot which forced the ‘keeper to push round his left post.
A minute later, Morton was inside his own box to head clear from an Emley cross from the right from a position in-behind Farsley’s defence.
Djermoune hooked a low effort wide of the left post on 34 minutes after having plenty of space to turn on the left and then run inside onto the edge of the box.
Emley countered a minute later and forced a parry from Cotton with a shot from inside the box. It’s another direct ball from Emley which was quickly controlled then shot before the Farsley defence could get into shape. The flag was raised anyway.
Another test for Cotton followed a few minutes later, denying a shot from the edge of the box after the ball is crossed from left to right along the edge of the area.
And another Cotton low save to his left from a close-range shot saw him have to be quick to react, tipping round the post to maintain Farsley’s clean-sheet into the break.
Emley shot first in the second-half, the ball skimming the grass across goal on its path wide of the right-hand post.
Waud was sinbinned on 55 minutes after the referee claimed “he laughed in my face”.
Mannings curled a free-kick over the wall and just wide of the near left post a minute later.
Morton controlled a forward pass down the right, mid-air on his toe on the hour mark. His pass central is dummied through Fialdini’s legs, putting the ball onto his left before shooting wide of the near post from 20-yards.
Emley’s three goals followed all within ten minutes.
The first: a cross from the left was pushed away by Cotton but straight to an Emley player behind the ‘keeper, in the box, to volley first-time inside the near post on 67 minutes.
A second delivery from a similar position a minute later was hit first time into Cotton who parried out into a second Emley attacker who hooked his effort wide.
Emley’s second: A ball down the left is controlled inside the box before the forward cut inside, round a Farsley defender and curled into the bottom right corner.
Emley’s third: Farsley didn’t deal with the initial ball forward, conceding possession to Emley who, cutting inside from the left, now outnumber the central Celts defence. A pass across the edge of the box into a free attacker to the right is hit back across goal, the ball hitting against the left post and stumbling across the line.
Wilfred Frimpong’s shot went just wide of the left post after his body feints on the edge of the box to create space in added-time.
The u23s host Hemsworth Miners at The Citadel for their next fixture on Monday 29th November.