A spirited Guiseley were left rueing their chances as they were frustrated by Cleethorpes Town in a rainy afternoon at Nethermoor, writes Edward Robertson.
Manager Ian Richards was disappointed with the late equaliser, but was encouraged by a determined performance from his side.
“The second half was tough, but we’re still learning about each other, and how we work together. We could have had a little more control in that second half, connect a few more passes . There’s loads of positives to take from this, so lets not let that late goal take the shine off what was an excellent performance.”
The Lions opened the scoring early, with only seven minutes on the clock. A corner following Jordan Thewlis’ dangerous cross was whipped into the far post. It met the lurking frame of Jake Lawlor, who scooped the ball powerfully towards goal, soaring over former Lion Ollie Battersby, and into the net to give Guiseley a valuable lead.
There was a loud claim for a penalty moments later, as Lucas Odunston’s cross flew into an array of flailing arms. However, the referee waved the Lions’ protests away, and play resumed.
Fifteen minutes later, the hosts threatened Cleethorpes once more. Amir Berchil’s skilful run saw him pick out Jack Emmett. The tricky midfielder forced Battersby into a good save.
With the game approaching half time, Guiseley had yet another opportunity. Will Longbottom’s free kick picked out the head of Ollie Brown, but the defender could only shave the crossbar.
The Owls had a chance to level the game on the counter attack. Dan Gallimore’s darting run saw him find Josh Walker at the back post, but the striker’s dangling foot failed to connect with the ball which came hurtling past him.
As the game wore on in the second half and weather conditions worsened, the visitors began to grow into the game. Two more former Guiseley men linked up for an attack with the affair an hour old, as substitute Bailey Conway threaded a ball to Nicky Walker, whose effort flew over the crossbar.
Three minutes later, a dangerous attack spearheaded by Josh Walker set Conway loose and in a good position for a shot on goal. However, he was denied by a reactionary save from Joe Cracknell.
Guiseley could have wrapped up what was increasingly an end to end game. A defensive error was seized upon by Emmett, whose calm finish, much to the dismay of the home fans, hit the post, and was cleared by another former Lion, Kwame Boateng.
With three minutes left of normal time, the hosts were dealt a cruel blow as Cleethorpes equalised. A ball across the face of goal rebounded into the path of Nicky Walker, whose shot arrowed into the bottom corner, leaving the winger to wheel away in celebration in his former home ground.
There could have been another for the visitors in stoppage time, as a shot from Josh Walker was impressively deflected by Brown.
It was a psychological blow for the Lions after they had held the lead for so long. However, the performance demonstrated the renewed chemistry between the players under the leadership of a new management team. However, the fixture list gives Guiseley little turnaround, as Richards’ charges are back in action at Workington on Tuesday.
“It’ll be a competitive game on Tuesday, we have to not let the journey be a disadvantage for us, and if we play like we have done the past two games, I’m confident we can get three points.”
Guiseley 1-1 Cleethorpes Town | Saturday 15th November 2025 | Nethermoor Park
Attendance: 703
Team: 1. Joe Cracknell, 2. Lucas Odunston, 3. Ollie Brown, 4. Lebrun Mbeka (C), 5. George Goodman, 6. Jake Lawlor (34′ Ferguson), 7. Harrison Hopper, 8. Jack Emmett, 9. Jordan Thewlis, 10. Will Longbottom (61′ Farrell) and 11. Amir Berchil (75′ Silva).
Subs: 12. Connor Ferguson, 13. Spencer Booth (GK), 14. Joao Silva and 15. Leo Farrell.
