Guiseley reserved their worst performance of the season for their game against one of the form teams, who maintained their unbeaten start to 2013 over a Lions side who couldn’t manage one shot on target during the ninety minutes.
Despite having played very little football so far this season, Phil Marsh started up front with Wayne Brooksby and former Motorman Kevin Holsgrove warming the bench, and although both players came on as substitutes with an hour gone it was far too little far too late as the Lions were reduced to nine men for the final quarter of an hour after Aaron Hardy and Holsgrove had succumbed to injury.
The irony was that even with nine men the visitors looked far more accomplished than the home side, who had by that time taken advantage of two uncharacteristic mistakes to build an unassailable lead.
Barnes and Stott both went close in the first half for Vauxhall while Danny Ellis and Andy Pearson were cautioned, the latter being replaced by Mark Bower just after the half-hour. Having maintained the status quo until the break the Lions were punished just after the restart when Steve Drench’s punch from a corner fell straight at the feet of Chris Noone who lashed the ball into the top corner.
Holsgrove and Brooksby replaced Matt Wilson and Marsh while James Walshaw and Josh Wilson found their way into the referee’s notebook before Drench dropped the ball from a corner, leaving Obi Anurou with an easy tap-in on 74 minutes to seal the victory.
Hardy went off injured to be followed by Holsgrove, and Andy Holdsworth became the sixth Lions to be booked in a game where there was not one foul of malicious intent.
If the Lions are to continue the pursuit of leaders Chester then they will have to produce far better performances than this and what better place to start than with Tuesday’s home game against Colwyn Bay?
Hear Steve Kittrick’s thoughts on today’s game here
Team:
1 – Steve Drench
2 – Aaron Hardy
3 – Rhys Meynell
4 – Jack Rea
5 – Danny Ellis
6 – Andy Pearson (Bower, 32)
7 – Andy Holdsworth (Captain)
8 – Matt Wilson (Holsgrove, 60)
9 – Josh Wilson
10 – James Walshaw
11 – Phil Marsh (Brooksby, 60)
12 – Kevin Holsgrove
14 – Wayne Brooksby
15 – Andy McWilliams
16 – Mark Bower
18 – Jacob Giles
