However four minutes later, Jason Price’s run on goal was impeded by Matt Rose and Mr Hart’s card was a similar colour. It looked like a lifeline for Guiseley, but James Walshaw’s spot kick was well saved by Lewis Carey and they faced what has often proved a mountain for them, a goal down to ten highly-motivated opponents.
Gloucester immediately plugged their defensive gap with sub Tom Hamblin on for Dave Bird while Lee Ellington replaced Price, and the game proceeded in predictable frustration. A succession of Guiseley corners were competently repelled, while at the other end the muscular threat of Darren Edwards kept the home defence on their toes.
It was Edwards who, however innocently, was involved in the next major incident, a challenge on Drench leaving the ‘keeper laid out with a serious facial injury that eventually led to his being stretchered off and replaced by Jacob Giles.
Whatever was said in the home dressing room at half time – and/or an easing off of the Arctic conditions – had an immediate effect. A Walshaw effort was acrobatically turned over by Carey, and inside two minutes Danny BOSHELL had drilled Guiseley level. Then on the hour ELLINGTON put them ahead after a concerted spell of pressure, and when two minutes later FORREST’s purchase of a raffle ticket had similar success it looked all over for the visitors.
The weather, though, had different ideas and with a fresh blizzard behind them and surface water that made defending treacherous the Tigers fought back, EDWARDS making the score a far less comfortable 3-2. Their tails were up now and they piled on the aerial pressure, but Steve Kittrick responded by adding Matt Wilson to the defence in place of Forrest, and with Giles making the most of his runout with some confident handling, the clock ticked down.
This was hardly the assured Guiseley of recent weeks but it was a game that could easily have run away from them and they were able to show (just) enough when it counted. And at this stage of the season, it’s undoubtedly the points that count.
