Farsley Celtic  

They may have been around for 99 years but it is only recently that the NonLeague world has really begun to take notice of Farsley Celtic.   

The West Yorkshire village side, located between Leeds and Bradford, have enjoyed a meteoric rise through the upper echelons of the Pyramid in recent years and the former Blue Square Premier club once stood just one level below the Football League.   

A remarkable accomplishment for a small club operating on a budget well below that of the majority of their peers. 

Much of the Farsley Celtic history has been unspectacular but, under the leadership of former Bradford City player Lee Sinnott, the club have exploded onto the national scene by rising from the First Division of the Unibond Northern Premier League to the pinnacle of NonLeague football in the Blue Square Premier with two dramatic play-off victories along the way. 

Formed in 1908 many of the clubs early years were spent playing in local leagues around Leeds and it wasn’t until 1949 that Farsley Celtic made the move into senior NonLeague football by entering the Yorkshire League Second Division.   

A year earlier the club had signalled their ambitions by purchasing their ground from the local council and they have remained at Throstle Nest ever since though their tenure has not been without its problems. 

It only took three seasons before Farsley Celtic won promotion to the Yorkshire League First Division were they rapidly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with.   

Two runners-up spots was followed in 1959/60 by topping the table only for Celtic to be denied promotion because of the condition of Throstle Nest.  The disappointment of not going up was compounded again in 1969 when, again as champions, they were once more denied promotion because of the ground. 

The 1970s were notable only for an extended run in the 1974 FA Cup when Farsley Celtic reached the First Round proper for the first time in their history; the run coming to an end before a crowd of 11,000 at Elland Road in a 2-0 defeat to Tranmere Rovers. 

The 1980s saw Farsley become founder members of the Northern Counties East League, winning promotion to the Premier Division in 1985, before being invited into the newly formed First Division of the Northern Premier League in 1987/88. 

17 unbroken seasons were spent in that division until a third place finish in 2003/04 was enough to clinch promotion.   

Farsley Celtic made an immediate impact in the higher Premier Division by finishing third and the following season a fourth place finish earned a play-off spot.  An extra-time victory over North Ferriby saw Farsley promoted to Conference North for the 2006/07 season.   

An FA Cup run to the First Round proper was eclipsed in 2006/07 when Farsley Celtic achieved promotion to the Blue Square Premier after a seven-goal thriller with Hinckley United in the Conference North play-of final.