Farsley Celtic (0) 0 v 0 (0) Milton Keynes Dons

Date: Sunday, November 12, 2006

Farsley Celtic: Cuss, Stabb, Pemberton, Crossley, Serrant, Knowles, Watson (Krief 72), Bambrook, Stamer, Grant (Thackray 90), Midgley (Reeves 64). Subs Not Used: Morgan, Walls.

Milton Keynes Dons: Harper, Jamie Smith (Platt 56), Lewington, Diallo, O'Hanlon, McGovern, Andrews, Edds, Dyer (Taylor 61), McLeod (Crooks 90), Wilbraham. Subs Not Used: Baines, Mitchell.

Referee: G Sutton (Lincolnshire).

Attendance: 2,365.

WHAT THE PAPERS SAID:

Fired up Farsley leave their MK on the Dons

Wendy Walker, of the Yorkshire Evening Post, wrote:

"Farsley Celtic pulled off the best result in their history when they held League Two high-fliers MK Dons to a goalless draw at Throstle Nest yesterday – but it could have been even better.

Don't be fooled by the scoreline. This wasn't a case of Farsley on the defensive. They started on the attack and finished on the attack as Martin Allen's men got the fright of their lives in the FA Cup first round proper.

Farsley had what appeared to be a good penalty shout for handball turned down in a first half they totally dominated while, in a rousing finale, the superb Simeon Bambrook three times went close to booking the Celts a home second round tie against Blackpool.

They couldn't quite force the winner, but they have a second bite of the cherry at the National Hockey Stadium on Tuesday week and boss Lee Sinnott was delighted with their efforts.

Sinnott said: "We pushed them all the way. The players have given me exactly what I wanted and that was commitment, desire, they took the game to them and maybe on a different day we could have sneaked a goal.

"In my team talk I warned about the crucial times in all football matches. On Saturday the majority of non-league teams went a goal down in the first 20 minutes and that was the first key.

"You don't want to concede before half-time or after half-time and I thought we played those two areas very well.

"And obviously in the last 10 minutes you don't want to concede and, to be fair, if you thought one team was going to score a goal in the last 10 minutes you would have said us. Their keeper pulled off a couple of good saves and we started to exert more pressure.
"I was very pleased with the performance and what the boys showed over 90 minutes.

"Should we be in the second round? Well you would think so wouldn't you, but there is another game to go."

"All the pre-match hype had been about Milton Keynes front man Izzy McLeod, a £1m-plus target for several suitors. But such was the effort of Farsley's back five that the man who has terrorised League Two defences all season had just two chances – and found himself sat back on the bench before the final whistle as the desperate Dons made their final substitution in stoppage-time in a bid to run down the clock.

"Centre-halves Carl Serrant and Ryan Crossley and full-backs Chris Stabb and Martin Pemberton were dominant in front of keeper Celtic Paul Cuss, who never put a foot wrong all afternoon.

"The Serrant/Crossley combination also proved potent at the other end, with the latter frequently rising above everyone in the Dons penalty area to get on the end of his captain's set-pieces.

"Left-winger Roy Stamer was another threat, twice testing visiting keeper Lee Harper from range in the opening period, while it was one of his right-wing corners which brought about the penalty appeals when Crossley's downward header was bundled off the line, Pemberton volleying the follow-up inches wide from 30 yards.

"Celtic were by no means overawed by the occasion – winger Andy Watson tried one audacious lob after Harper had raced from his area to concede a throw-in which was taken quickly by Gareth Grant and the Dons keeper was a relieved man to get back to his line in time to avert the danger.

"McLeod first showed in the 13th minute, but Cuss was equal to him when he was quick off his line to deny the England Under-21 international with his legs. And the Farsley keeper dived low to his left to turn a 51st minute effort round the post after Jon-Paul McGovern had played McLeod in.

"Sean O'Hanlon managed to find the net in a rare Dons attack in the opening period, but he climbed all over Stabb in order to send a looping header over Cuss and the effort was rightly chalked out by the Lincolnshire referee.

"A bumper 2,365 crowd at Throstle Nest were sensing an upset and audibly enjoying the occasion.

"Remember you're the Wombles" they sang to a Dons team who won the competition in their former guise of Wimbledon in 1988, defying the odds to beat Liverpool under the Twin Towers.

"But this version of the Dons were finding it no laughing matter at a wet and windy Throstle Nest. And the last thing they would have wanted to be reminded of was a giant-killing act as Farsley threatened to send them tumbling out of the competition in a rousing finale.
Substitute Damien Reeves had a penalty shout turned down, while Bambrook then threatened to settle it.

"Serrant teed him up with a free-kick in the 70th minute after Watson had been felled in full-flight and he drove the ball just the wrong side of the post.

"A superb move started and very nearly finished by Pemberton then brought about a corner, the ball finally coming back out to James Knowles who chested it down for midfield partner Bambrook, whose swerving half-volley brought about a great save from Harper. And in the 89th minute, Harper scrambled away another Bambrook effort at the expense of a corner.

"Make no mistake, Dons boss Allen was a relieved man to escape with a replay."