AN opening blitz by a fired-up Farsley team proved decisive as Chorley once again failed to make home advantage countin an important cup-tie.

The Magpies' feathers were ruffled right from the start and the visitors' bombardment in the opening half-hour might easily have produced two or three more goals thanthe tricky Danny Spence's fifth-minute strike which settled the match.

Gaining possession on the left flank just inside the Chorley half, Spence left two defenders toiling in his wake as he cut in to slide the ball wide of Simon Marsh and inside the near post. With the Magpies' defence repeatedly stretched by high-tempo approach play, Farsley's Liam Gray was twice inches away from adding to the lead and Spence saw another well-placed shot pass just outside the far post with Marsh beaten.

Although they had previously created very little, Chorley should have equalised two minutes before half-time when Celtic keeper Liam Sutcliffe spilled David Eatock's free-kick but recovered to block Danny Mills'attempt to force home the loose ball at point-blank range.

Manager Ken Wright introduced David Lowe for the second half and the pattern of the game changed, as Chorley forced the visitors onto the back foot for lengthy periods without unlocking an often packed defence. The unmarked Eatock, however should have done better than head over the bar from Paul Fleming's precise centre.

Farsley were restricted to the occasional breakaway with Marsh largely a spectator but they almost added a second when Chris Newton just failed to get his head to Spence's cross at the back post. In the last quarter of an hour, the Magpies exerted mounting pressure and Sutcliffe made two excellent saves from Lowe and Mills, who also saw a fierce shot on the turn flash inches past the post.

Chorley badly missed leading scorer Andy Mason who was unavailable for this match but departure from the F.A. Trophy at the first hurdle is yey another bitter blow to a team still plagued by under-achievement.

'We were flat in the first half,' admitted Wright, ' but I couldn't fault the effort of the players after half-time. We just needed a breakbut it simply wouldn't come.'

RESULT: CHORLEY...0 FARSLEY CELTIC...1