U's fan Chris Vessey talks to Farsley Celtic supporter Jack Pearson, 15, from Leeds and a student at Leeds Grammar School.

CV - You can forgive many fans for not knowing much about Farsley Celtic, so can you give us a brief summary of your club?

Well, this is our centenary year. Until the early 1970's Farsley only competed in the local Leeds leagues and then the Yorkshire league. From the mid-nineties Farsley competed in the Northern League Division One until we got promoted to the Northern Premier League in 2003. That was the first of the three promotions in four years that got us where we are now.

Farsley Celtic is owned by its shareholders, who pretty much saved the club when finances were bad a few years back. It is still run by the same shareholders and directors and the future is certainly looking bright.

CV - We're only two games into the season, but how are you finding life in the Blue Square Premier?

It is very hard to tell from the first two games. We played much better against Rushden & Diamonds than we did against Stafford Rangers, however we beat Stafford and lost to Rushden in two very close and hard-fought games. We have certainly strengthened our team a lot, and we just hope we can continue to pick up points starting on Tuesday.

CV - It is fair to say Lee Sinnott has done an amazing job at FCFC, but what has he done to transform a team that were struggling in the Unibond Division One just five years ago?

Well he's certainly done a lot! He has managed to improve Farsley Celtic's professionalism on and off the pitch at the same time.

Bringing in experienced faces he knew from his playing days, such as Carl Serrant, and using his coaching time at Leeds United to bring in a better quality of coaching for the players and to scout such players as Damian Reeves.

When Lee started we were barely getting 100 fans to a game and against Stafford we got over 800. He has done a tremendous job for the club, and I'm not sure if any other manager could have done, what Lee Sinnott has done.

CV - Sinnott has dismissed 'just survival' this season and is looking further up, but in all honesty, would 20th place be considered a success?

|Of course finishing 20th would be a huge success for us. After all Farsley Celtic has been nothing more than a Village team for over 95 years of its history. However Farsley Celtic is a very ambitious club and we will certainly be looking to finish as high as possible. 12 months ago, we would have taken just staying in the Conference North, but look what happened. Who is to say it won't happen again?

CV - What does the future hold for Farsley Celtic? Are there any plans for a full time status or ground expansion?

Well the future is extremely bright for Farsley Celtic or, who knows, maybe 'FC Leeds'. Farsley Celtic is extremely well run by a team of extremely passionate and committed individuals, so there is no reason why Farsley Celtic can't go onto bigger and better things. At the moment I do not know of any plans to go full-time, however there are plans to expand the ground, which can be seen in the Farsley Celtic clubhouse.

CV - Earlier this season, your chairman claimed a name change to 'FC Leeds' was possible, to try and raise the profile of the club. How have the fans taken to this proposition?

Most of our fans and I included are against the name change. I personally feel a change to FC Leeds could work, however if it didn't, Farsley Celtic could well lose its identity and it could pretty much ruin the club, but at the moment the club is making dramatic progress, and I am fully confident in any decision our board make, as so far they have not put a foot wrong.

CV - Who are the hidden gems in the FCFC team the Cambridge side should keep a close eye on?

The key to Farsley Celtic's success is that Lee Sinnott has installed a great team spirit and the team work extremely hard as a unit. However, there are such players as Simeon Bambrook in midfield who has an extremely good eye for goal, Damian Reeves, who certainly knows how to put the ball in the net, and Ryan Crossley, a strong defender who is a big threat from corners.

CV - Who are your tips for promotion and relegation?

Difficult to say as I don't know too much about all the teams in the division. However I will have a guess at Exeter and Cambridge for promotion and Northwich, Stafford, Droylsden, and Salisbury for relegation.

CV - And finally.. what do you think the score will be on Tuesday?

I think it will be a tight game, and im going to predict a 1-1 draw.

Many thanks to Jack for giving his time to answer these questions.

Chris Vessey

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