Lions Leave It Late At Lancaster

An added time own goal from goalkeeper James McClenaghan rescued a point for Guiseley against Lancaster City at the Giant Axe on Tuesday night, writes Cayden Sands.

The point ensures that the Lions continued their reasonably strong run of form in all competitions, whilst also pushing them one place up the league table into fourth.

The game couldn’t have started worse for Mark Bower’s side when after a long pass found the waiting feet of an open Christian Sloan, he was able to charge down the wing without any real pressure before opting for a low pass into the box that led to a shot from Nic Evangelinos, who converted his opportunity by guiding the ball past Joe Cracknell and into the bottom left hand corner to confirm the early setback for Guiseley.

Things almost went from bad to worse just six minutes later for the Lions when after a seemingly good recovery, the Dolly Blues managed a counter that allowed for full back Sam Bailey to have a chance in the penalty area, but thankfully, this effort could only manage to rattle the crossbar, giving the visitors a lifeline and time to regroup.

The 19th minute again saw the hosts come close, this time with Dom Lawson finding himself in a similar position to Evangelinos, but on this occasion the Lions’ blushes were spared again as the ball went wide of the mark.

Guiseley recovered well following this, with Prince Ekpolo managing the team’s first real shot of the game on the counter following Lawson’s shot, hitting an effort from outside the box that showed promise but ultimately lacked a good amount of power, leading to a somewhat easy catch for McClenaghan between the sticks.

From here, the Lions began to gain some superiority in the possession game and were looking to do something with it, with their intentions being made clear when a good period of build-up play on the half an hour mark allowed for John Lufudu and Gabriel Johnson to link up under pressure before the former was the one that managed to get the shot off, but thankfully for the hosts, this took a deflection that allowed for an easy stop for McClenaghan.

Lufudu would again prove his worth in the 37th minute as he managed to get the better of both of his markers on the left of the pitch before having a promising shot at goal, but this would ultimately go over, extending the visitors’ wait for the equalising goal.

This would be the first half’s last moment of real excitement, meaning that despite some reasonable attempts to break down a stubborn Dolly Blues side, Guiseley would ultimately have it all to do after the break.

The second half got underway and the Lions were able to continue where they left off, enjoying more of the ball and showing a level promise, though Johnson being narrowly caught offside was about the only real moment of excitement that could be mustered in the early stages.

Out of the blue, the hosts would almost extend their lead in the 57th minute when the ball found Aaron Bennett in open space, a factor that allowed him to have a good shot at goal from distance that was well saved by Joe Cracknell in a moment that would go on to change the game.

From this point the game entered an extended period that saw the visitors enjoying the majority of the ball, but at the same time continuing to break down the Dolly Blues as they went into consolidation mode when the game entered the later stages.

It would be the 78th minute before the next big moment, with Sam Bentley managing to play Jack Emmett into a good position for Guiseley, however, the substitutes’ link-up couldn’t quite lead to the equaliser, with Emmett unable to get the right amount of power on his effort, leading to it sailing over.

Another substitute making himself known for the Lions was Feyi Afuape, who found himself in a strong position in the box in the 87th minute before his shot was deflected out for a corner that ultimately led to nothing.

Just as it seemed that Lancaster had done enough to hold on for the victory, a 94th minute, Rory Delap style throw in from Lebrun Mbeka managed to make its way into the penalty area before being flicked in an attempted punch away by McClenaghan, with this flick resulting in the ball finding the back of the net, saving a point for the visitors in the process.

This result will definitely be seen as a positive outcome after the difficulties faced during the game, with the team now having time to re-group before this Saturday’s trip to Ilkeston Town.

Lancaster City 1-1 Guiseley AFC | Tuesday 15th October 2024 | The Giant Axe

Attendance: 345

Team: 1. Joe Cracknell, 2. Ollie Brown (81′ Afuape), 3. Liam Ridehalgh, 4. Prince Ekpolo, 5. Lebrun Mbeka (C) , 6. Jake Lawlor, 7. John Lufudu, 8. Adriano Moke (75′ Bentley), 9. Gabriel Johnson, 10. Joe Ackroyd (59′ Emmett) and 11. Will Longbottom.

Subs: 12. 13. Danny King (GK), 14. Jack Emmett, 15. Sam Bentley and 16. Feyi Afuape.

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