Guiseley are back on the road this weekend after success in midweek as they travel to Derbyshire to take on a rejuvenated Matlock Town, writes Scott Kelly.

The trip to Matlock is subject to the result of a pitch inspection which will be held at 9:30am on Saturday morning in Derbyshire.

Past Meetings

April’s 2-1 victory was Matlock’s only win against the Lions since 2010. Current Matlock player Reece Kendall scored for Guiseley that day.

The Lions had won all four previous visits, including a 4-0 victory at Nethermoor in November 2023.

The Gladiators have never won successive matches against Guiseley.

Last Time Out

Ashton United 2-4 Guiseley

Will Longbottom grabbed himself a third successive brace as the Lions coasted to another victory in Greater Manchester.

Guiseley fell behind early after Benny Couto’s goal but equalised with their first major attack on goal when Longbottom volleyed home Joe Ackroyd’s flick on after 17 minutes.

The game was all but won 10 minutes into the second half when Longbottom tapped home inside the six-yard box and Sam Bentley powered home the rebound from Longbottom’s shot which had struck the crossbar.

Substitute Jordan Thewlis added gloss to the scoreline as he beat the offside trap and slid the ball under Jordan Eastham with the game heading into injury time.

Ashton captain Luke Burke made the scoreline a bit more respectable for the hosts when his powerful drive went in off the post in stoppage time.

Post-Match With The Gaffer

“We were patient. We said at half time just be patient, keep moving the ball and we worked it into good areas”.

With the game level at half time, Boss Mark Bower told the players not to panic at half time and he felt Ashton’s gameplan was negative and that helped the Lions to get the victory.

“He was brilliant tonight. He grew into the game and the goal is a massive bonus for him and tops off a good night”.

Bower spoke very highly of Sam Bentley and felt he did really well in what is an unnatural position for him.

“They have made significant investments in players in the past couple of months. We will make a good account of ourselves, and we know if we do that, we have a good chance to win”.

Previewing Matlock, Bower is fully aware of the threat they pose and admits he would have preferred to be playing them at the beginning of the season after they started the season very badly.

The Lions’ Team News

Jordan Thewlis and Lewis Whitham are edging closer to full match fitness and will be pushing for a start.

Sam Bentley will be hoping he keeps his place after a goal and a decent defensive performance against Ashton with regular starter Ollie Brown back from suspension.

Joe Ackroyd was arguably the best player on the pitch on Tuesday night and will be hoping to keep his place ahead of the returning Gabriel Johnson.

Liam Ridehalgh and Lucas Odunston are still out with minor niggles, although Bower confirmed that Ridehalgh is the closer of the two in terms of returning to the matchday squad. Leo Farrell is still with Barnsley but is also close to a return.

Jake Wright remains the clubs only major injury absentee.

Matlock Town

Manager: Ryan Cresswell
Stadium: Proctor Cars Stadium
Nickname: The Gladiators
23/24 League Position: 15th

Boss Ryan Cresswell took over from Nicky Law on 16th September after being at Sheffield FC and he put his stamp on the team straight away.

Within weeks of his appointment, over 10 players left the club. Players that came in included full back Josh Granite from Buxton, Sam Smart from Farnborough, winger Jake Thompson and former Leeds and Bradford midfielder Adam Clayton.

35-year-old Clayton has many fans in West Yorkshire and joined the club last month in a player-coach role after a spell at Liversedge. Signing over the past few days include Dermi Lusala on loan from Buxton and former Lions goalkeeper Cam Mason on a three-month loan deal from Chester.

Former Lion Reece Kendall also plays for the club and will be hoping to turn out against his former side.

Only Ashton, Macclesfield and Stockton have beaten Cresswell’s Gladiators since he took over, with Macc the only side to take three points from the Proctor Cars Stadium. They are slowly clawing away from danger and sit 14th, and having won their last two matches, expect them to be full of confidence when the Lions visit on Saturday.

Tickets and Matchday Information

Tickets can be purchased on the day at the turnstiles with cash or card payment or online now.

Tickets are priced at:

• £12 Adults
• £8 Concessions
• £5 U18s
• U10s FREE with a full paying adult

You can pick up a matchday programme priced at £2 each.

The Lions will wear their yellow and black away kit for this fixture.

Travel

Coach travel is available with Guiseley AFC Supporters’ Club, just call Paul on 07518 445861 to secure a seat.

The coach leaves Nethermoor at 10:30am priced at £25 for members and £30 for non-members.