Guiseley make the trip to the North Yorkshire coast in fine form as they are due to face Whitby Town on Tuesday evening, writes Scott Kelly.
Past Meetings
Both of these sides won away last season, with Whitby winning 3-1 at Nethermoor last August. The Lions then won 2-1 in North Yorkshire the following March, with Gabriel Johnson and Liam Tongue on the scoresheet.
The Lions have won all of their last five games at this stadium, dating back as far as 2008.
Last Time Out
Guiseley 4-0 Hyde United
The Lions made it four wins on the spin with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Hyde United.
Will Longbottom is making a habit of scoring from dead ball situations and did so again when he fired past Callum Hiddleston with a little under 10 minutes played for his fourth of the season.
Leo Farrell is in-form right now and he made it two with a neat finish past Hiddleston on the half-hour mark.
Farrell added a second half in the games final quarter as he glanced in header from a corner. He now has five this season and only Tom Cursons and Jack Redshaw have more league goals.
Reece Kendall rounded off the scoring as he poked home inside the six-yard box in stoppage time from Longbottom’s corner.
This was a victory made all the more impressive by the fact that Hyde were unbeaten all season before this clash and were limited to very few chances throughout.
Post Match Reaction From The Gaffer
“Happy to get the win. They had a couple of openings. The injury to Jameel threw us a bit. They had their openings, but we were well worthy of the win”.
Mark Bower expressed how he felt not playing Tuesday when Hyde did, benefitted his side and he felt his side were clearly the fresher of the two teams.
“The first two goals came from us winning the ball high up the pitch. Drawing fouls and winning corners led to us scoring the goals that we got”.
Bower praised his side’s ability to win the ball high up and the pressure they put on Hyde was a key reason behind them winning so convincingly.
“I told Lucas before the game ‘if you stop Redshaw you will go a long way towards helping us win this game!’ – defensively 1v1 you will not find many better than him about”.
Bower was full of praise to for Lucas Odunston, who did a top job keeping talisman Jack Redshaw quiet throughout the game. Only Tom Cursons has more goals in the NPL this season than Redshaw.
“Jake came in and did a great job. His short and long-range passing was really good, and he got us on the front foot. The other lads who came off the bench also did a great job.”
He was full of praise for Jake Lawlor, who was called upon after just five minutes after Jameel Ible’s injury. He also had a kind word for the others introduced off the bench and felt with the current schedule and possible further progression in the FA Cup, these players are likely to be called upon more and more often.
The Lions’ Team News
Saturday’s victory did end on a sour note for Jameel Ible.
The influential defender was substituted in the opening five minutes, with the club later revealing that he was in hospital having his teeth and gums realigned and is currently wearing a brace. With this news, his availability is up in the air and Jake Lawlor is ready to step in again.
There are no further injury concerns for the Lions, with Lewis Whitham and Jake Wright still missing.
Whitby Town
Manager: Nathan Haslam
Stadium: Towbar Express Stadium
Nickname: The Blues/The Seasiders
23/24 League Position: 12th
It could be considered that the Lions are coming up against this opposition at the best possible time. Whitby have only won two of their domestic games this season and sit 17th with seven points from their opening seven matches. A 5-1 thrashing by Ilkeston was followed by a surprise defeat in the FA Cup Qualifiers to minnows Mossley.
We all know that this division can be unpredictable which is why the Blues should in no way be underestimated despite their recent form. Joseph Gibson and Stephen Walker both play for the club and came through Middlesborough’s academy, and both offering serious attacking threat, with the latter playing for the likes of MK Dons in the EFL. A huge loss to the Blues was the departure of former Lion Jacob Gratton.
Over the weekend, Gratton joined NPL side Worksop Town and offers further firepower for the Tigers. He grabbed 15 goals for Whitby last season and the Blues could find those goals difficult to replace.
Tickets and Travel For Whitby Town
Tickets can be purchased on the night at the turnstiles with cash or card payment, you can also purchase online here.
Tickets are priced at:
- £12 Adults
- £8 Concessions (65+ and students)
- £4 U18s
- U16s FREE with a full paying adult
You can pick up a matchday programme priced at £2.50 each.
The Lions will wear their yellow and black away kit for this fixture.
Coach travel is available with Guiseley AFC Supporters’ Club, just call Paul on 07518 445861 to secure a seat.
The coach leaves Nethermoor at 4:30pm priced at £25 for members and £30 for non-members.