League leaders Celtic will provide stern test for Bamber Bridge

The visitors come to the Sir Tom Finney Stadium with a two-point lead at the top of the NPL Premier Division.

And they are clearly strong on the road, having won 12 of their away league matches.

Brig manager Mick Taylor is looking forward to what will be a stern test and is backing his players to perform well.

Taylor said: “Farsley are obviously a very good side and have some really good players. They play some 
attractive football and it is 
going to be a tough test.

“Every game is tough and we have to be ready, we have to stand up and be counted.

“We’ve got to find some form somewhere and I’ll have no problem getting these lads up for it.”

Brig’s form has deserted them since January, Taylor’s men on a run of 11 league and cup games without a win.

They last won on January 12, against Hyde United.

That run has seen them slide into a relegation battle – they are currently fourth from bottom of the table.

Taylor said: “I must have run over a black cat, when it comes to our luck recently.

“It is not as if we have been playing badly, we’ve just not been consistent enough over the full 90 minutes of games.

“We’ve played well for parts of the games and then a couple of lapses have cost us.

“That has happened too often and we need a change of fortune.

“Hopefully we can get a couple of players back from injury to help us.”

Brig have been without Dominic McGivern because of concussion, while Kieran Charnock has been troubled of late by a bout of tendonitis in his Achilles.

Taylor believes he is close to getting Charnock back in the centre of defence.

“Hopefully Kieran is going to be back in the squad, so too Danny Wisdom who has been out with a calf strain,” said Taylor.

“Kieran has had an issue with his Achilles tendon – he has tendonitis in it.

“It’s been on ongoing thing and he did everything he could to get back playing.

“He played in the cup game at Belper in January and that was unfortunately a bit too early. We’ve been without him since then and it will 
be a big boost to have him back.”

Brig were without a game last Saturday after scheduled opponents North Ferriby were wound up in the High Court over a £7,600 debt.

The Villagers will not be able to fulfil their remaining fixtures and it looks likely that their results this season will be expunged.

If that happened, Brig would lose three points after beating North Ferriby 3-1 in October.

Said Taylor: “We’re not sure what will happen, we are waiting for the league to act.”