Buxton travelled to Farsley Celtic for the last match of the Vanarama National League North season on Saturday April 20th and the hosts were desperate for three points to ensure they avoided relegation. There was a determination about their performance, missing from the Bucks' play, and they ran out comfortable 2-0 winners, guaranteeing safety.
Injuries have dogged the Bucks all season and two of the stars from the midweek Senior Cup triumph, Tommy Elliott and Sam Minihan, were sidelined for this game.
Probably, Tommy and Sam would have made a difference, but compared with Celtic's hustle, bustle and keenness to strike at goal, this was a tame Buxton set of players who rarely looked likely to thwart their opponents' endeavours. Celtic opened the scoring through a Tom Allan volley after 10 minutes, his first goal of the season. They added to their tally four minutes into the second half as Isaac Assenso back-heeled the ball home from a corner kick.
It was largely one-way traffic, although the Bucks tried to fight back in the last quarter, only to be met with resolute defending. Full Match Report HERE
So, it's a matter of detailed planning for next season, which will be Buxton's third in this step 2 division of football's pyramid. It was team manager Craig Elliott's last game in charge – he has decided to move on – and he was disappointed with what his side served up.
Craig said: "It was a game too far. I think our season ended last Wednesday with the cup final, really. We came into this one with a lot of injuries, but fair play to Farsley, they wanted it more than we did. Often, football comes down to desire.
"Thank you to everyone at the club. I've enjoyed my time here and I wish Buxton every success."