Guiseley spurned the chance to put some daylight between themselves and the bottom five from one of their games in hand as they went down to a single goal defeat in at Southport this evening .
Truth be told there wasn’t much between the two sides but when it takes 75 minutes to muster your first meaningful shot on goal that tells you that a starting line up that was unchanged from Saturdays draw with Leamington is in need of some fresh impetus and ideas.
In an evenly contested first half Guiseley forced several corners without really threatening the home goal and it was Southport that went closest when Bradley Bauress’ free kick was plucked out of the top corner by Marcus Dewhurst.
The on-loan England Under 17 shotstopper also spent a lengthy time receiving treatment after Buaress had challenged for the ball and gone in with his feet high and was very lucky to recieved only a stern warning from referee Scott Simpson.
The defining moment of the game came in the 54th minute when substitute Jack Sampson gave Dewhurst no chance as he hit a swerving shot into the top corner with the outside of his left foot for what would prove to be the only goal of the game.
Even then the Lions failed to muster a response and were thankful to Scott Smithy for a goal line clearance just after the hour.
The succession of misplaced passes and hopeful balls pumped forwards eventually changed when Rowan Liburd picked the pocket of Andrew Parry only to see Dan Hanford smother his effort.
In an effort to freshen things up the visitors replaced Smith and Cliff Moyo with Curtis Morrison and Paul Clayton which had an almost immediate effect as the former crossed for Kayode Odejayi to put his header just the wrong side of the upright.
Morrison again showed his potential shortly after but his cross was blocked and despite five minutes additional time, and the introduction of Lewis Walters for Odejayi, late pressure from the Lions failed to produce an equaliser as they went down to their first defeat of 2019.
Team:
1 Dewhurst
2 Moyo (Morrison 76)
3 Heaton
4 Purver
5 Thornton
6 Halls
7 Felix
8 James
9 Liburd
10 Odejayi (Walters 90)
11 Smith (Clayton 76)
Subs:
12 Newall
13 Green
14 Walsh
15 Walters
16 Clayton
