The Celts travel to fourth-bottom Weymouth on Tuesday night and Deacey knows it is those six-pointers in the Blue Square Premier basement, and not the prestige matches, which will ultimately shape Farsley's destiny.

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But in the meantime Farsley will be looking for a confidence-boosting display against second-placed Cambridge which will maintain a promising start to 2008.

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Deacey said: "They are the form team of the division. They have won nine out of their last 10 matches – that's their track record – and they don't get any tougher than that.

"This will be the hardest home game we've got between now and the end of the season and we will be going into it without Georges Santos, Mark Jackson and Rory Prendergast, so it will be a big ask.

"We have to just try to get something from the game and keep confidence high for Tuesday night because that game is massive.

"It is going to come down to the games against the teams around us. We have got to play a fair few of them, that's the good thing. It is in our hands and we would have settled for that at the start of the season.
"And I think we will definitely stay up – we have got the ability in the squad to do so."

Farsley moved out of the relegation zone following victory at Stafford Rangers last weekend. They are a point clear of Weymouth and the bottom four and one behind Altrincham but with two games in hand.

The situation could have been even better but Farsley threw away the chance of victory over Rushden & Diamonds on Tuesday night when they finished the game with nine men.

The Celts were well on top when winger Prendergast was red-carded for using foul and abusive language towards the referee when he had a penalty appeal waived away after just 29 minutes.

Central defender Santos was then dismissed in injury-time for a second bookable offence. Deacey was furious with Prendergast afterwards but is now concentrating on what is in front of his side.

"Tuesday has finished now, it's well documented how disappointed I was," he said. "We had so much control it was unreal. They didn't have a kick, we were absolutely hammering them, but what's done is done and we have to move on now.

"I am happy with the way we are playing. We have been excellent all year and if you take away the result we were excellent again on Tuesday night. We just have to keep it going now.

"It's disappointing to see the partnership between Santos and Amjad Iqbal broken up because they have been doing well, though it's only for one game. And we will be without Prendergast for two matches.

"But we have a good squad here now so we can replace the two or three that are missing."

Roy Stamer is expected to step up from the bench as a straight replacement for Prendergast, but the back four will need more shuffling with Jackson struggling with a groin injury.

James Knowles could also step up from the bench to fill in at the back, but Deacey is also in negotiations to sign former Manchester City, Bradford and Barnsley player Lee Crooks from Coca-Cola League Two outfit Rochdale.

The 30-year-old Wakefield-born player can operate in midfield or defence.