Lions Made To Work Hard for Narrow Victory

Stockton Town arrived at Nethermoor unbeaten in eight league and cup games and gave the home side a real test of their resolve before some enterprising play from Kaine Felix led to Adam Nicholson putting through his own goal to see the Lions safely into Monday’s Third Qualifying Round draw.

Guiseley chose to rest captain Scott Garner and striker Lee Shaw both of whom dropped to the bench with Kennedy Digie and Gabriel Johnson taking their place in the starting line-up.

Early pressure saw Johnson and leading scorer Aaron Martin go close but Stockton were proving hard to break down as they got numbers behind the ball every time the Lions had possession which limited the normal expansive playing pattern.

Lee Callum Roberts in the Town goal kept his side in the game as he pulled off a class stop from Martin midway through the half  but the visitors were causing the home defence some issues with their speed on the counter, although all too often it was the final ball that let them down.

The crucial moment of the game came just before the hour as man-of-the-match Kaine Felix cut in from the left touchline and skipped past three defenders before pulling the ball across the six-yard box where the unfortunate Nicholson, in attempting to block the cross, could only divert the ball past Roberts and into his own net.

Seeking a quick recovery from the setback Stockton showed why they were unbeaten so far this season as they piled the pressure on the home side without really creating any clear openings.

The nearest they came to squaring matters when James Risborough’s cross-cum-shot bounced off the top of the bar and went behind.

As the game progressed the Anchors began to tire and Guiseley find more space and mounted several attacks but some last ditch defending and several vital stops by Roberts denied them the second goal that would surely have put the match to bed.

Roberts also denied leading scorerer Martin a goal as he dived to save at full lengthto save a shot that was heading for the bottom corner.

As it was Town found some reserves of energy for one last tilt at forcing a replay but found the home defence in defiant mood and when four minutes of added time were announced skipper for the day Jamie Spencer exercised game management in taking the ball into the cricket scoreboard corner where half a dozen throw-ins were forced as the remaining time ticked down.

Team:

  1. Marcus Dewhurst
  2. Reiss McNally
  3. Brad Nicholson
  4. George Cantrill
  5. Kennedy Digie
  6. Hamza Bencherif
  7. Kaine Felix (Lee Shaw 90+2)
  8. Jamie Spencer
  9. Aaron Martin
  10. Aram Soleman (Andrai Jones)
  11. Gabriel Johnson

Subs:

12. Lee Shaw
13. Lloyd Allinson
14. Andrai Jones
15. Scott Garner
16. Sam Scrivens
17. Paul Clayton

Next Up:

3:00 pm
Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division

Guiseley vs Ilkeston Town