The resurgent Celts are struggling to fill the bench for tomorrow's tough trip to Oxford United in the Blue Square Premier, following a Tuesday night horror show which Deacey described as "a disaster from start to finish".

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Celtic – who had won their previous two encounters to take a big advantage in the relegation dogfight – went down to a shock 2-1 home defeat to a Droylsden side who are all-but down and out.

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But it only came after Farsley, already without influential midfielders Craig Bentham and Dominic Krief and centre-back Amjad Iqbal, lost Andy Watson to a back injury in the warm-up and then Mark Jackson to a suspected broken ankle after just 41 minutes.

Bentham won't play for the Celts again this season after returning to parent club Bradford City following his loan spell, while Krief (thigh strain), Iqbal (hamstring) and Jackson are also ruled out of tomorrow's trip.

Deacey said: "We are completely down to the bare bones. I can't sign anyone because we're not allowed to, either on loan or permanently. We are down to 15 fit players and we just have to regroup and get on with it.

"What makes it worse is we are without four players who have been vital to us, two midfielders and two defenders. They have been in the team all the way since we have picked up a bit.

"We have got a real scrap on our hands now, but we will come through. We have had our backs to the wall before and come back and I am hoping this can be another one of those occasions."

The setback comes just as Farsley looked to be heading for the finishing line in the survival fight.

Back-to-back victories over Weymouth and Torquay had put them at the head of a mini league of five teams, the bottom two of which will join Droylsden and already-relegated Stafford in falling through the trapdoor.

And the only good news for Farsley on Tuesday was other results went their way, with defeats for Halifax and Altrincham leaving them five and two points respectively behind Celtic and firm favourites to go down.

Deacey said: "It was a disaster from start to finish on Tuesday, things just went from bad to worse.

"I'm still fuming now. I had to change the side one minute before kick-off because Andy Watson hurt his back in the dressing room just as we were about to
go out, and then we lost Mark Jackson.

"Everything went completely wrong and then after all that we didn't play particularly well. We still had enough chances to get something out of the game but we didn't take them.

"But we have got five games left now and we will be okay. We're still in the best position out of the five teams who are down there so we just have to get on with it."

Deacey is hoping Watson will be back tomorrow, though he will have to juggle his back line again after Jackson stepped in to partner Georges Santos at centre-half on Tuesday.

His options are limited with James Knowles, who filled in earlier in the season, needed in central midfield.

Things could ease, however, for Tuesday's trip to Ebbsfleet with both Krief and Iqbal targeting a comeback in time for that game.