Fixture: Farsley Celtic vs Barnet
Competition: Buildbase FA Trophy
Kick-Off: 15:00
Date: Saturday 11th January 2020
Venue: The Citadel
Form Guide:
Farsley Celtic Last 5 = W2 D0 L3
Kettering Town 1-0 Farsley Celtic
Farsley Celtic 0-1 Guiseley
Farsley Celtic 5-0 Bradford
Guiseley 2-0 Farsley Celtic
Farsley Celtic 2-1 Leamington Spa
Barnet FC Last 5 = W2 D3 L0
Barnet FC 1-1 Halifax
Boreham Wood 0-0 Barnet FC
Aldershot 0-0 Barnet FC
Maidenhead United 1-4 Barnet FC
Barnet FC 2-1 Weymouth
The Bees
The Bees have been in fine form as of late having not registered a defeat in 90 minutes since a 2-1 defeat to Barrow at the end of November.
The last fixture, a 1-1 draw with FC Halifax Town, was a close affair with the Bees going into half-time 1-0 down. However, the recently departed Jack Taylor ensured the side at least secured a point.
Darren Currie’s side have tightened up defensively in recent weeks only conceding three goals in their last five outings in all competitions. However, the Bees boss will want to see slightly more going forward when they take on the Celt Army this weekend.
This weekend’s trophy clash may well give many of the Bees academy products a chance to shine in the senior squad. Remarkably 33% of all senior appearances so far this campaign have been from Barnet FC academy graduates, a stat that shows just how well the Club develops young talent. With the likes of Ronnie Edwards and Okem Chime making their first-team debuts already this season, the future is most certainly bright for the Bees.
The Opposition
Nickname: The Celt Army
Manager: Adam Lakeland
Stadium: The Citadel
League Position: 7th (National League North)
The Celt Army have had a positive start to the season themselves as they currently sit 7th in the league and will be hoping to occupy a play-off place come the end of the season.
Farsley have lost their last two games in the league but the last win came at the end of December with a resounding 5-0 victory over bottom of the table Bradford AFC.
Of their 11 wins this season, the Celt Army have won six of those at home and have shown that they can be a dangerous side that will be sure to put the Bees to the test.
Last season was one to remember for this weekend’s hosts as they secured promotion as Champions from the Evo-Stik Northern Premier Division. They went up with a total of 90 points, three points clear of their nearest challengers in what was a rollercoaster campaign for the Yorkshire based side. They have adjusted to life well in the Vanarama National League North and will be looking for back-to-back promotions if they can carry on their overall form. Darren Currie’s side will have to be right up for it come 15:00 Saturday afternoon against a well-drilled and organised Celts side.
The Celt Army will be pleased with their run thus far in the Buildbase FA Trophy given last season they were eliminated at the First Round stage. They lost out 4-3 in a dramatic contest away to AFC Telford United, but this year they have already gone one better. So far they have overcome Workington, before beating Altrincham in a replay in the First Round a few weeks ago.
The Gaffer: Adam Lakeland
Adam Lakeland has had a short but successful career in football that started with managing Curzon Ashton who he gained promotion with to the National League North. He then spent time working with the Blackburn Rovers academy before becoming Northwich Victoria manager who he guided to the EVO-STIK Division One Play-offs, despite the side having a nine-point deduction.
In 2017, he signed as the manager for the Celt Army where in his first season, he saw his side lift the West Riding County FA Cup and in the following season they became Northern Premier Division Champions.
One to Watch: Will Hayhurst
Hayhurst is the hosts’ top goalscorer in the Vanarama National League North so far this season, with eight goals to his name. Those goals have come in 24 appearances and the winger will be hoping to be the difference-maker on Saturday afternoon. Hayhurst is no stranger to league football, having previously had spells at the likes of Preston North End, York City, and Notts County. He had a brief spell with Warrington before joining Farsley Celtic in the summer of 2018.
What Currie said:
In the event of a replay:
Should Saturday’s clash end all square then a replay will be required to see who progresses through to Round Three. The replay will take place on Tuesday 14th January (19:45 KO) at The Hive London and we will announce details as soon as possible should the game on Saturday end in a draw.
Where to follow the action:
If you’re not making the long trip to Farsley tomorrow afternoon, there will be full match commentary on iBarnet from approximately 14:55.
Alternatively, you can follow text updates of every kick over on our official Twitter account. Keep an eye across social media for behind the scenes access and all the post-match reaction from Darren Currie.
