Eloi Nyom’s and Kyrell Kavanagh’s goals either side of half-time respectively, confirmed a 2-1 victory against Team 780, despite the former’s penalty miss.
Nyom’s penalty in the 60th minute, well-saved in the top left corner, was one of many chances from the Celts’ dominance of possession.
Josh Carney created the first, intercepting the ball, five minutes in, 25 yards out and played a simple pass to his right to central midfield partner, Malik Bangura. The recipient knocked the ball onto his right to shoot but sliced it, curling the ball wide of the far, right post.
Nyom could have scored earlier, on ten minutes when Yonas Molake’s corner from the right found Nyom who glanced the ball towards the far post but saved low by the ‘keeper.
Team 780 showed their pace by immediately countering with a long-ball through the middle but it was called offside.
Kavanagh nearly got lucky a minute later on the penalty spot after a deflection off a defender dropped the ball ahead of him. He couldn’t quite reach it around pressuring defenders, briefly touching the ball forward to the ‘keeper.
Nyom again threatened aerially on 16 minutes. Melake overlapped down the right before crossing perfecrly for Nyom. This time the midfielder headed back across goal, down but with not enough power to trouble the ‘keeper.
Bangura’s neat flick with his right foot, turning away from the pass from the left wing, into the centre and away from defender, created space for the shot but it was deflected wide.
Nyom and Bangura linked up in the 22nd minute for the former to open to the scoring.
Bangura chipped a through ball into the left channel and ahead of Nyom, 25 yards out. The winger held off his defender, turning round the marker before shooting left-footed across goal. The ball hit the inside of the far post and gave Farsley the lead.
Team 780 almost replied 6 minutes later as a corner from the left passed all the way to the back post, the final man infact who’s scissor-kick volley from a tight angle only hit the side netting.
Oliver Grzelak immediately responded by crossing from deep, on the right channel, to Kavanagh in box. He couldn’t shape his body to connect clean, the ball eventually coming off the side of his right thigh, directed towards goal but just wide of the near post.
A quick free-kick right to Carney, 31 minutes in, resulted in a quick shot by the midfielder but ended well over.
Silvester collected a throw from right, a minute later, turning and running down the wing before drilling a mid-height cross into Nyom again in the box, cutting inside from the left. He flicked the ball goalwards, first time, resulting in the ball curling away and upwards but the ‘keeper reacts well to save high.
Team 780 then countered, beating Pink down Farsley’s left. The forward decided to cross to the back post, amid shouts of offside, where a team-mate found a gap between Hudson and the post to equalise. The referee consulted his linesman but the goal stood.
And Farsley almost fell behind in added-time in the first-half when a long-ball forward wasn’t cleared and passed through a crowd of defenders, Hudson coming out and beating a forward to the ball and punching clear.
Team 780 began the second-half the more threatening as they countered down the left, inside the box before shooting but it was well blocked by Melake.
Grzelak, running at pace down the left, began Farsley’s first threatening chance of the half on 50 minutes. Running out of space, he cut back and passed right to Nyom cutting in. One touch set the ball ahead of his right foot before shooting over.
Team 780 went close on 52 minutes, the ball dropping to a forward on the right of the 6-yard box but Hudson turned it round his near post. The ‘keeper was tested again by the inswinging corner and he punched clear.
Melake running with the ball down the right, cut back, away from his marker and into the box. He chose Silvester as his passing target but the midfielder mistimed his run, desperately poking the ball behind him instead. The ball ran perfectly ahead of Grzelak who shot hard but straight at the ‘keeper.
Farsley turned their dominance of possession into a penalty on 60 minutes.
George Boulton intercepted cleverly ahead of his forward and knocking the ball back towards the corwd ahead of him. Not dealt with, the ball bounced into the path of Silvester, inside the right channel of the box, beating the onrushing ‘keeper to the ball before being brought down.
Nyom couldn’t do much more with his penalty, aimed to his top left corner but and still the ‘keeper won the battle, tipping wide.
Kavanagh got back amongst the goals just three minutes later to restore Farsley’s lead.
He was sent running by a through pass inside the left of the box. Shifting his weight, he placed the ball, right footed, to drop inside the far side netting. The ‘keeper only watched on.
Kavanagh almost doubled his tally with eight minutes remaining. Inside the left of the 6-yard box but off-balance, he managed to still poke the ball goalwards before it was deflected wide.
Boulton met the resulting corner, side-footing goalward while the ball hadn’t dropped far enough, sending his shot over.
Carney played the final 4 minutes as a make-shift forward, replacing the injured Kavanagh and the former threatened with the last chance of the game, in-behind after Team 780 pushed players forward looking to equalise. The natural midfielder appeared stuck between running at goal or passing and was caught by a covering defender who cleared.
The U16s’ next fixture is at home versus Yorkshire Elite Football Academy, at Bradford Academy, 1st May, 10:30 am kick-off.