Lewis Whitham struck a late winner for the Lions as Guiseley secured Isuzu FA Trophy progress in a game that went right down to the wire writes Edward Robertson.
Whitham’s winner sparked jubilant celebrations amongst the travelling fans, however the key talking point proved to be Warrington goalkeeper Tony Thompson’s sending off after an incident involving spectators behind his goal. It was the first of three red cards shown in a tempestuous encounter.
Lions manager Danny Ellis was pleased to have ended the recent run of three consecutive defeats,
“I thought we deserved it today, they could say the same as they are a good side. I thought Kyle Trennery was excellent today and made a couple of good saves at the end and we are in the next round.”
Ellis also felt that the sending off didn’t necessarily present Guiseley with an advantage,
“Sometimes when you face a side that have gone down to ten it can be a dangerous thing, you can become a little lethargic and switch off but I felt we managed the game well and created chances.”
On a crisp clear autumnal afternoon the gentle pre-match build up soothed by the absence of pre match music or announcements, provided little indication of the drama to follow.
When the match did get underway it was the Lions who started sharpest. Match winner Whitham stated his intent early on when he cut infield from the left and saw his right footed effort deflected over the crossbar. From the resulting corner Jordan Emery then scuffed a shot wide.
Mohammad Qasim also came close after stealing the ball from Warrington defender Andy White but couldn’t keep his shot down.
The home side grew into the game and found their first sight of goal on the 14th minute when Jay Harris struck from range only for his effort to be deflected wide.
Yellows winger Eddie Clarke then hit the side netting after a smart drive from the edge of the penalty area.
Whitham almost produced a moment of magic when he picked up possession some 25 yards from goal and unleashed a precision strike that beat Thompson but clattered off the crossbar.
The Lions continued to ask questions of the home defence. On 34 minutes captain George Smith produced a pinpoint cross field pass. Jake Cassidy coolly chested it down then fired in a powerful shot from range that forced Thompson into producing an excellent save. The ball fell tantalisingly in the path of Joe Ackroyd who was denied by a combination of Thompson and ultimately an offside flag.
As the half drew to a close Warrington captain Sean Williams flighted in a dangerous cross from a free kick that was only repelled by a perfectly timed punch from Trennery.
The half time team talk from Warrington manager Mark Beesley appeared to fire up his troops as the home side came out more assertively in the second half.
However, the balance of the match tipped in Guiseley’s favour after Thompson saw red following a prolonged confrontation in the 58th minute. As a result back-up shot stopper Kian Hall was introduced in place of Eddie Clarke.
Hall produced a solid performance, denying both Qasim and Cassidy from opening the scoring on the 74th minute.
Four minutes later it was Trennery’s turn to thwart a goal after White powered forward only to be denied by the Guiseley goalkeeper. Bohan Dixon was also rebuffed by the Lions shot stopper after the Warrington forward slipped between the defence to shoot.
Guiseley might have grabbed a winner on 83 minutes after Whitham produced a sweetly flighted free kick into the penalty area. The ball found its way to an unmarked Jameel Ible but his stretching legs could only poke it over the bar.
As the ninetieth minute beckoned Whitham finally broke the deadlock. His firmly driven free kick foxed the substitute goalkeeper who stretched well after it took a deflection but couldn’t prevent the effort from nestling into the bottom corner of the net.
There was still time for further drama and two more red cards.
First, Warrington substitute Josh Amis produced a moment of madness by kicking out at Trennery who was on the ground after he had collected the ball in his hands leaving referee Ben Robinson with little choice but to dismiss him.
Then as the prolonged added time ticked down Guiseley’s Ross Daly picked up a second yellow card and headed off the field of play moments before the end.
After the match Whitham was delighted to have grabbed the winner,
“The gaffer put me on free kicks last Saturday against Radcliffe, and I always back myself. The lads just said have a shot and make sure it’s on target.”
Attendance: 560
Subs: 12. Nicky Walker, 13. Cooper Skerry, 14. Andy Kellett, 15. Keegan Hartley, 16. Callum Chippendale, 17. Luke Dean and 18. Angus Chapman.