FARSLEY Celtic boss Adam Lakeland has been boosted by reports that key midfielder Jordan Deacey may not be out of action for as long as initially feared.

Deacey picked up a worrying injury in the Celts' opening warm-up game against York City and Lakeland feared the worst – but he now has good news on that front.

"Jordan's scan picked up no significant ligament damage, although it did show bad bruising to the bone, so he should be back sooner than expected," said the Celts manager.

Deacey suffered the injury just minutes after coming on at half-time when his studs got caught in the turf. The club suspected it could be an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which would have sidelined the player for at least half the season.

Lakeland took over a side that had sealed promotion and lifted the West Riding County Cup in a double-winning campaign. He wanted to keep the squad together and add a few more bodies so the Celts could compete in the Evo-Stik League Premier Division.

As with any successful squad, there was a lot of interest in the Farsley players and some flew the Nest. But many stayed – including Deacey, the son of one of last season's joint-managers.

Deacey's father John, along with Neil Parsley, masterminded the play-off victory and cup success last term.

Lakeland said: "Jordan's doing well and he's back on the bike in the gym, which is great to see.

"He's still got a long way to go on the road to recovery but it could be four to 12 weeks, rather than nine months to a year. That's a big plus for us and for Jordan."

Farsley earned a creditable draw against Vanarama National North opponents in their most recent friendly last weekend and new boss Lakeland is pleased with their progress in pre-season.

Lakeland said: "We have come a long way since the 4-1 defeat at home to York in our first friendly and I was very happy with the clean sheet against a side of Bradford Park Avenue's quality last weekend.

"They caused us more problems than we caused them but I thought we defended really well.

"It's been a mixed pre-season so far. I thought we were poor at Eccleshill United, even though we won, but we played well at home against Harrogate Town.

"When we played York, our defence was poor, but we've been improving and it takes time. Pre-season is all about working together and gaining fitness. Both are important as we build up towards the season.

"Some of the players have only just come in and they have to build understandings with each other. I've seen a lot of progress on that front and there are good relationships growing."