The Lions are back at Nethermoor on Tuesday night for the opening Vanarama National League North fixture of the 20/21 season with Blyth Spartans the visitors.

Last season’s home clash with the Spartans was one of the games to be called off when the campaign was ended early because of the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning it has been well over a year since the two sides met at Croft Park on August Bank Holiday Monday in 2019.

Due to current restrictions the game is being played behind closed doors and streamed live on YouTube for FREE here, you can also download the matchday programme through the MatchDay Info app for just £2.99, find out more here.

Guiseley Radio’s Colin Robertson and Dave Robertson will be commentating on the game which will be available to listen to on the stream and here. We’ll also be providing match updates of the game on Twitter here.

The Lions got the 20/21 campaign off to the best possible of starts on Saturday with a 4-0 win over Atherton Collieries at Nethermoor Park in an Emirates FA Cup second round qualifying fixture.

It included debuts for seven new players including Mark Howarth, Dan Cowan, Lebrun Mbeka, Matty Gillam, Isaac Currie, Jack Ryan and Jonathan Wafula but it was a familiar name on the scoresheet with Kaine Felix netting twice before an own goal and Howarth’s late strike.

Blyth also secured their progression in the competition with a 4-2 win at near neighbours Whitley Bay setting them up for another away game in the third round qualifying with a trip to Marske United.

The Spartans start the campaign without long serving forward Robbie Dale who, after 680 appearances and 212 goals, has announced his retirement from football.

Speaking after the win in the Emirates FA Cup Joint Manager Russ O’Neill said “I am really over the moon with our performance, there was a chance of a banana skin here but in all honesty I think we controlled the game and kept a clean sheet with four goals at the other end, a great start!”

“We tried to play a high intensity physical game, we have a lot of athletes in that dressing room who are young lads trying to learn the game. It was a fully deserved clean sheet and win.”

Speaking about the goalscorers O’Neill said “We speak about Kaine and transforming him from a wide man to a centre forward and his numbers are really getting up there now, we knew his intensity and his workrate was there but can we put numbers to that and slowly but surely he is putting the numbers to that and got another two today.”

“Mark Howarth has all the ability in the world, he has been at good clubs and needs to learn how to play winning football now, he has galloped 40 or 50 yards landed on it and it is a great finish with his left foot.”

It had been an uncertain couple of weeks for all clubs at our level, we asked Russ what this period was like “It is a difficult one, you don’t know where you are throughout Covid-19, it has been difficult for everyone to make decisions. We have kept it away from the players and let them do what they do best whilst we monitor what is going on on the outside off the pitch. We have had a good week starting with a win at Chesterfield, two good training sessions and finishing with another clean sheet and victory.”

However the Joint Manager was keen to add this about the missing supporters “100%, it is not the same, we all love to play football but it is not the same without supporters in the ground, the quicker we can get over that the better. It is better with supporters in and we need them back as soon as we can.”

O’Neill added that the off field staff have a big role to play this campaign “We only have a small squad, we need to work as hard as we can medically off the pitch to keep as many players as fit as we can. We have introduced some academy players this week who have been training with us in pre-season and have done ever so well, as the season goes I am sure you will see them play a big part in it.”

Looking ahead to the fixture Russ added “It will be a tough game, we do not know what to expect, they have got a new manager and a load of new signings, they play high intensity with young players who have a lot of energy. It will be a National League North game, every game is so difficult it is untrue but we look forward to it and hopefully get another clean sheet and three points.”

Remember you can watch the game from home for FREE through our YouTube channel here and download the match programme which is packed full of exclusive features for just £2.99 here.