SILSDEN travelled to Garforth Town after winning the reverse fixture 7-1, but a depleted squad failed to repeat the trick on Saturday, falling to a 3-0 Toolstation Northern Counties East League Premier Division defeat.

The visitors were without the experienced Arley Barnes, Dan Illingworth, Mark Everingham and Ben Higginson.

Those absences meant 18-year-olds Jake Fairlie (goal) and Daniel Hill (centre back) were among the starters in a young side.

At the start of play, Garforth were three points ahead of the Cobbydalers in the table. The game started brightly for Silsden, with Laurence Sorhaindo just being closed down after a weaving run by Matthias Britton.

The young Silsden keeper was soon in action, superbly saving Dan Coupland’s header after Joe Colley had crossed from the right.

Garforth’s Sam Barker then had two shots, the first being blocked and the second clearing the bar.

Charlie Marshall also shot narrowly wide as Town enjoyed some good possession.

Silsden finally began to get hold of the ball and Joe Mitchell slid a ball to Chris Wademan, who was in a 50 yard chase with Charlie Wrigley, with the defender eventually taking the sting out of the Silsden man’s effort.

Josh Kaine and Josh Brown kept the home side at bay before Barker opened the scoring with a screamer from 25 yards out.

Sorhaindo set up Wademan five minutes later but the shot cleared the bar, having struck a defender. From the resulting corner, Brown headed over the bar.

With five minutes left before the break, Brown thwarted an attack but was injured in the challenge.

Worse was to come, when a mix-up between Kaine and Liam Hudson let in Marshall to notch the second.

Silsden broke forward from the restart but the ball was cleared upfield. Garforth counter attacked and Marshall’s pace took him though the Silsden defence. His cross set up Sam Leach to make it three.

Craig Bentham replaced the injured Brown at the interval and early in the second half, Silsden’s Sorhaindo and Town’s Lee Turner drove efforts over the crossbar, before Garforth began to dominate.

Fairlie, in the Silsden goal, made a superb save to deny Turner’s powerful header and then the follow up.

The hosts were in control but the Silsden back four managed to block several efforts, while Fairlie was secure in goal.

Danny Riley and Khurram Shazad replaced Wademan and Joshua McKiernon. The latter brought some pace and movement to the Cobbydalers but they were well chaperoned by the home defence.

Kaine was then injured and, for a short period, the Cobbydalers were down to ten men.

Mitchell was still trying to drive the team forwards and he went close with a left footed effort.

The crowd then gasped as Garforth skipper James Beaton hit an audacious effort from his own half, which hit the post. Finally, in the dying minutes, Barker was denied by the woodwork.

The Cobbydalers host Knaresborough Town on Saturday, who are five points below Silsden with a game in hand. Forrest will be hoping for some good news on the injury front ahead of that one.