Chorley 4 Farsley Celtic 0: Smart Carr in top gear
Chorley strolled to a comprehensive victory over relegation-haunted Farsley, Tom Carr stealing the show with a hat-trick inside the first 50 minutes.
When the industrious Dubem Eze added a fourth five minutes later, the rest of the proceedings became little more than a training exercise for the home side.
With the visitors winless in 10 outings this year to date, bookmakers’ odds for this match put Chorley at 1/12 to win with Farsley at 33 -1 to spring a surprise – and the layers were soon seen to be spot on.
Celtic keeper Will Brook pulled off a smart save to tip over a stinging effort from Mike Calveley after just two minutes but the visitors’ reprieve was short-lived as Carr bundled home the corner-kick.
The Magpies should soon have had more success but Kole Hall, having cleverly beaten two defenders and raced clear on goal, could only plant his shot the wrong side of the post when faced with the advancing Brook.
It was Carr who showed greater accuracy on 39 minutes. Fastening onto a flick in midfield, he drove rapidly on goal before finding the bottom corner of the net with a composed finish.
Farsley resumed after the break with clear intent on improvement but were soon left without hope of recovery.
On 50 minutes Carr tucked a right-wing low cross into the net at the far post to complete his treble, before Eze made it four for Chorley with a cracking low drive.
Celtic’s Manny Mampala showed two flashes of resistance with commendable efforts from distance, one a 45-yard free-kick, which forced Matt Urwin to alertly turn the shots over the bar but otherwise it was a question of whether Chorley could find a fifth goal.
Substitute Mo Touray came closest but in truth there was no sting left in the proceedings as this one-sided game meandered to its inevitable conclusion.
CHORLEY: Urwin, Moore, Ellis (Smith 54), McGhee, Blakeman (Henley 68), Nolan, Calveley, Horbury, Eze, Carr (Touray 71), Hall. Subs (not used): Clarke, Brindle.
Attendance: 804.