The U23s resumed their league season after three weeks with a 3-0 defeat to RIASA on Wednesday night at Leeds Beckett Headingly Campus.
Reggie Waud hit the bar with a free-kick at 0-0 in Farsley’s closest effort.
Asa Mitchell headed five changes to the starting XI. The midfielder returned for his first competitive fixture for the U23s this season and was joined by Kadeem Morton, Duncan Dike, Muhamet Gashi & Sam Drake also earning starts.
It was a midfield battle for the majority of the first-half, both sides flooding the centre of the park with bodies and both being crowded by their opponents.
The first opening gave Waud a chance from a free-kick 25-yards out, left of centre. The ball rose over the wall and dipped but was stopped by the bar.
RIASA instead took the lead two minutes later.
The RIASA right-winger, running at pace to get beyond the Farsley defence, drilled a cross across the ground to the near post, the ball being glanced inside the far post.
Farsley caused themselves to concede again after a misplaced direct pass forward resulted in the Celts being caught out of position.
The pass was too low for its target of Farsley’s front two, instead intercepted by the first RIASA midfielder. With the Farsley defence shaped for being in-possession, the ball was passed forward to an alone RIASA attacker inside the Farsley box who passed under the closing Westcarr.
Space looked to have opened up for RIASA on 52 minutes. A pass down the inside left of the box was squared to a supporting striker who diverted the ball goalwards but up in the air, rebounding off the crossbar before the flag was raised for offside.
Rhys Westcarr denied at his top left corner from a RIASA free-kick on the hour. With the ball planted right of centre, 25-yards out, the left-footed effort curled over the wall and away from Westcarr but at full stretch, he tipped the ball over the bar.
Louis Fialdinwent closest for the Celts in the second-half, cutting inside from the right to shoot left-footed from the edge of the box but the ball was parried away the ‘keeper.
RIASA extended their lead just three minutes from the end of normal time with a long clearance from defence over the Farsley backline. The high clearance bounced not far outside Westcarr’s area, giving him reason to come and clear but unable to gather in his arms, the RIASA forward won the challenge, setting up a supporting striker, in on goal, to tap in.
The U23s return to the Citadel against Tadcaster Albion on Monday night.