This result sees the team go four points ahead of Worksop Town in the battle for second place, whilst the visitors have now moved within two points of safety after this valuable point on the road.

The game started with the Lions trying to play the ball along the ground to some promising effect, with an early drive down the wing from John Lufudu doing enough to excite the home fans before the resulting cross was caught by goalkeeper Dino Visser for Leek.

However, a long ball in the 8th minute did enough to catch the Lions’ defenced out, allowing Hayden Campbell to have a go with the game’s first major chance, but luckily for Guiseley, the shot would simply roll across the ground and out of play.

Just as it seemed the Lions were beginning to establish a level of control over the game, the 16th minute would provide another big opportunity for the visitors when a cross would find the waiting feet of Campbell, who did a good job to control the ball in the air before sending a volley at goal from around 12 yards out, but a strong save from a standing Joe Cracknell was enough to force the ball out for a corner that couldn’t yield a goal to reward a good showing up to this point from Leek.

The 25 minute mark passed without Guiseley having had a significant chance in the game, though players such as Joe Ackroyd and Johnson were looking lively as the entire team stuck to a style of play that showed some promise as the Lions looked to establish control over the game.

The visitors continued to enjoy the best of the chances, with Campbell having another good chance go begging in the 29th minute after his curling shot looked to be going in, only to be deflected our for a corner that was again dealt with by the Lions, keeping the game level in the process.

Guiseley would manage their first big moment of promise not long after in the 34th minute, with a long ball across the pitch finding Lufudu, who then gained the opportunity to cross the ball to the head of Ackroyd on the penalty spot, but his effort was weak and was easily dealt with by Visser.

The 40th minute saw another chance for the visitors, with the ball being played into some fairly open space and to the feet of Oliver Shenton, who drive down the pitch before having a powerful effort at goal that was saved by Cracknell before the Guiseley defence managed to clear the ball away altogether.

Stoppage time arrived at the end of the first half, with a foul just outside the penalty area giving Leek another excellent opportunity to score in the form of a free kick that saw the ball stepped over by Shenton, before Campbell hit a curling shot intended for the top right-hand corner, but it would fly over the bar and out, with the referee signalling the end of the half not long after, much to the Lions’ relief as they looked to regroup and come out for the second half much stronger.

The second half’s early moments saw Guiseley enjoying the majority of the possession, whilst they also played the ball consistently along the ground, but the visitors would have an answer for these team moves, defending well and preventing any chances that the Lions could create.

The game quickly reached the 60th minute, with the second half providing very little to get excited about until this very minute, with the ball finding Gabriel Johnson before it was taken into the box by the forward in a big opportunity to test Visser, but much like Guiseley’s earlier big chances, this one would be a surprisingly weak shot that offered nothing to trouble Visser.

The Lions’ substitutes began to make their way into the fray from here, with Lewis Whitham being involved in a 67th minute move that saw the ball arrived in a promising position for Prince Ekpolo, but the midfielder’s audacious effort from a way out curled in the air and bizzarely went out for a throw in.

Guiseley’s poor showing up to this point would come back to bite them in the 69th minute, with Leek taking the lead courtesy of Alexander Hurst, with the substitute being in the right place at the right time following a quick move down the wing from the visitors, allowing him to tap the ball into an open net and give his team a lead they will feel they deserved after their abundance of opportunities earlier in the game.

Following the goal, the Lions enjoyed a long period of possession that looked like it could break the visitors down with time, but this would not come to pass, allowing Leek to maintain their lead in the short term and further frustrate Guiseley as the minutes began to tick down very quickly.

The 83rd minute would arrive with the Lions in a prime position to get an equaliser, that position being a free kick from Will Longbottom that upon leaving the forward’s boot looked destined for the top left-hand corner before an excellent save from Visser sent it out for a corner.

However, Guiseley would not have to wait long for their equaliser following this, with a pass from Ollie Brown finding Johnson in the box before the forward would beat his marker on the turn and sent a shot towards the bottom left-hand corner that beat Visser and landed safely in the back of the net to restore level pegging and set up an exciting finish to the game.

As the game reached stoppage time, the visitors almost won it, with Campbell latching onto the ball in the box and attempting to take it round Cracknell, but the Lions keeper produced a good clearance to send the ball out for a corner that was eventually dealt with by the team.

Despite a late surge of momentum from the Lions, this would prove to be ineffective as the referee brought the game to a close with the sides evenly matched in terms of the scoreline, though Guiseley will no doubt feel as if this game was big missed opportunity as they begin their preparations for their nect game, a trip to Hyde United on Saturday.

Guiseley AFC 1-1 Leek Town | Tuesday 10th December 2024 | Nethermoor

Attendance: 456

Team: 1. Joe Cracknell, 2. Jameel Ible (C) (53′ Moke), 3. Liam Ridehalgh, 4. Prince Ekpolo (75′ Emmett), 5. Lebrun Mbeka, 6. Jake Lawlor, 7. John Lufudu (65′ Whitham), 8. Ollie Brown (76′ Ridehalgh), 9. Gabriel Johnson (90′ Bentley), 10. Joe Ackroyd (53′ Thewlis) and 11. Will Longbottom.

Subs: 12. Sam Bentley, 14. Jordan Thewlis, 15. Adriano Moke, 16. Lewis Whitham and 17. Jack Emmett.