THE pressure is mounting as the Division One North title race in the Evo-Stik League approaches a conclusion – and Farsley Celtic are certainly feeling it.

Just two weeks back the Celts were top of the league with two games in hand, they remain at the summit but on goal difference only having played the same number of games as joint-leaders Lancaster City.

The Dolly Blues have had to sit and watch as Farsley played two consecutive midweek games but the nail-biting evenings were worth the angst as Farsley suffered home defeats in both the Tuesday night games.

Celts joint-manager Neil Parsley did not expect it to be plain sailing and said: "It was never going to be straightforward and, as with any run-in, it's all about picking up points from here on.

"It's one thing having games in hand but any manager will tell you that they would sooner have the points on the board.

"We have missed James Walshaw – but we were always going to. You can't take a striker like Wally out of a side and expect the goals to keep coming."

Walshaw picked up a four-match ban after a sending off last month. It was his second red card of the season, so he got the mandatory three-match suspension plus one extra game, although he signed off in style with a hat-trick in a 7-0 away win.

In their first game without leading scorer Walshaw, the Celts needed a last-gasp winner to snatch a 2-1 home win over struggling Ossett Albion. He has missed the last three home games, two of which were the midweek losses.

Parsley said: "Wally's suspension came at the wrong time for us. When you've got a lot of important fixtures, you need the whole squad available. But these things happen over the course of a season and you have to accept that and work around them.

"We had two games in hand but after this coming midweek we'll have played one more game than Lancaster because we go to Mossley after Bamber Bridge on Saturday, so there will be more twists and turns before the end of the season.

"We're certainly the entertainers though. There was the 5-4 win at Hyde, then the 7-0 win at Ramsbottom. We've had last-minute wins, defeats to clubs lower down the table and the 5-3 at home to Bamber last Saturday.

"It's one thing scoring goals but we need to stiffen up our defence because you can't keep scoring five goals to win games. If we're going to win the league, we're going to have to defend better than we are at the minute."