Guiseley Development followed up last week’s victory with a commanding 6–1 win over Halifax Friendly Lionesses in a spirited home fixture, writes Kevin Harrison.
The early exchanges were evenly matched, but the deadlock was broken in the 7th minute when Millie Harrison burst through the Halifax defence and rifled a stunning finish into the top-left corner—leaving the keeper rooted. That goal sparked Guiseley into life.
Just three minutes later, Abby Clay threaded a perfect ball through to Amber Craddock, who executed a delightful lob over the keeper. Guiseley thought they had doubled their lead, only for the flag to go up for offside.
The pressure continued to mount, and after a goalmouth scramble, Olivia Adkins sharked into the area and slotted home from close range. However, Guiseley’s momentum was briefly halted when Clay pulled up with an injury and was replaced by Chanel Stow.
Despite the setback, Guiseley’s midfield remained dominant. On 18 minutes, Harrison turned provider, slicing open the Halifax backline with a defence-splitting pass. Adkins still had work to do but made no mistake, hammering home her second of the afternoon.
Injuries began to take their toll on the home side. Captain Chicolle Dean was forced off with a thigh strain on 25 minutes, and Eliora Iwanicki followed shortly after with a recurrence of a previous injury—leaving Guiseley down to nine players.
But the Lionesses showed no signs of backing down. Harrison chased down a loose ball and laid it off to Stow, who unleashed a 30-yard rocket that dipped just under the bar; 4–0 and cruising.
Halifax pulled one back just before the break, capitalising on their numerical advantage, but Guiseley’s patched-up side returned for the second half with renewed determination.
Adkins looked great in white when she completed her hat trick with a composed finish, earning plaudits for her clinical display. It was Halifax’s turn to have an injury crisis as they lost their keeper and a midfielder to injury.
In the 84th minute, Adkins saw her deflected shot parried wide, but Harrison—relentless all afternoon—squeezed the ball in from an impossible angle to make it 6–1 and seal the result.
Halifax rallied late, and in the 85th minute, their striker broke through one-on-one, only to be denied by a sensational fingertip save from Evie Smart—drawing comparisons to England’s Mary Earps.
Despite a few late scares, Guiseley saw out the match to claim a bruising but thoroughly deserved victory.
Scorers: Olivia Atkins (3), Millie Harrison (2), Chanel Stow (1)
Princess Sponsor Player of the Match: Millie Harrison
