Hats off to Guiseley

Goals from Jake Lawlor and Wayne Brooksby put paid to Stockport County on their first ever visit to Nethermoor and it should have been more had substitute Adam Boyes not missed an absolute sitter late on.

Gavin Rothery and Oli Johnson swapped places in the only change from the team that defeated Vauxhall by the slenderest of margins on Saturday.

County were first to threaten but Steven Drench wasn’t really troubled by Kristian Dennis’ effort.

The Lions replied with Alex Johnson wriggling free of two defenders before putting his shot just the wrong side of the post.

But after a series of crosses had gone unanswered the home side took the lead on 26 minutes with a sublime finish from Lawlor, who despite the attentions of his marker, took the ball down and shot beyond Ian Ormson all in one fluid movement that had the appreciative crowd purring.

Despite intense pressure the Lions were unable to add to their tally prior to the break and went in just one goal to the good.

Danny Ellis just failed to connect at the back post with Brooksby’s free kick on the restart as the Lions resumed where they had left off in the first half.

Dennis had a header blocked by Danny Hall but when Kevin Holsgrove cut in from the left and unleashed a piledriver Ormson did well to palm away his effort at full stretch.

Boyes replaced Alex Johnson just before Brooksby got the reward his non-stop display deserved when his daisy cutter from the edge of the area flew past Ormson into the far corner to double the Lions advantage..

Substitute Danny Forrest beat two defenders and rolled the ball across the six yard box for Boyes to convert from a yard out and in the middle of an unguarded net, but somehow he managed to put his shot wide.

Not that he was on his own in this respect, as minutes later Dennis missed the target from six yards out with the goal at his mercy. Drench then denied the same striker with a full length save to keep a second successive clean sheet for the home side.

It has to be said that the Hatters for their part contributed to a flowing game of football but in the end they were let down by their final ball and the lack of a cutting edge up front.

Mark Bower’s post-match interview

Team:

1-Drench

2-Holdsworth

3- Parker

4-Hall

5-Ellis

6-Lawlor 26

7-Brooksby 71

8-Boshell

9-Holsgrove (Forrest 74)

10-A Johnson (Boyes 68)

11-Rothery

Subs (unused)

12-Potts

15-O Johnson

18-Dickinson

Next Up:

3:00 pm
Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division

Prescot Cables vs Guiseley