Guiseley AFC (H) – Match Preview

A win tomorrow could see us go 7 points clear at he top, but it is a win that requires us to beat a very inform Guiseley

Somewhat intriguingly, the only team on a longer unbeaten run than Guiseley is a Quorn side that sit in 15th

However, this preview is solely going to focus on the Lions, who have lost just twice since the 11th of August, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Lancaster and a 1-0 defeat to Alfreton.

Outside of that though? It has been nothing but victories, as they have put 3 past Bury, 4 past Emley, and most recently beaten our promotion rivals Cleethorpes Town, with a 72nd-minute winner being the difference in that fixture.

It has been a successful season in the FA Cup too, with a 3-0 win against Southern Premier Leiston FC, meaning that Guiseley now welcome Sutton United to Nethermoor on the 7th of November.

Between then and now though, they have a trip to ours, and a midweek fixture against Leek to take care of

Outside of that blip away to Curzon Ashton, our league record has been solid, though our 4 draws are a tally that is on the higher end of the scale across the league.

Points dropped (or won, depending on how you look at it) against Bury, Quorn, Emley and Cleethorpes are the difference between our current tally of 34, a low of 30 that would see us be below Cleethorpes, and a total tally of 42 that would have put us over ten points clear of 2nd place.

After tomorrow’s fixture against Guiseley, we do enter a rather hectic November that does also see us tick off two league opponents completely.

Matches against Bury and Workington emulate our first two fixtures of this campaign, and it means that we potentially could never face those sides again.

What is interesting too is that we tick off those two opponents before facing the likes of Gainsborough and Whitby for the first time.

Looking to next year, there is one other bit of intrigue, as we face Warrington Town for the first time on the 14th of November, and we then face them for the potential last time on the 9th of January.

But, obviously, that’s still ages away, and we have plenty of other matches to play (and hopefully win)

One final bit to note is to do with our players, and it is simply that Brad Fewster has the chance to get on the scoresheet for the 4th league game in a row, having scored against Ilkeston, Avro, and Ashton in consecutive fixtures.

Adam Boyes is also getting closer to 15 league goals too, with our striker being 3 off that tally as things stand

Guiseley’s history is quite long, with the side being founded in 1909, and their initial campaigns being played in the Wharfedale League.

They would win the league in the 1912-13 season, and following the conclusion of WW1 they would be transferred to the Leeds League.

Another move would then see them join the West Riding County Amateur League in 1924, and between 1932 and 1935 they would win three consecutive league titles.

The Lions would move about a lot, be it through promotions, relegations, or the above league shufflings, with their longest sti t in any division being a 9-year stretch in the Northern Counties East Premier that concluded with a title win and promotion to the Northern Premier Division One for the 1991-92 season.

Three seasons there would then see them promoted to the NPL Premier, before dropping back down to Division One.

After another promotion, a few seasons later they would eventually reach new heights, as promotion at the end of the 2009-10 season would see Guiseley enter the Conference North, before another promotion would see them enter the first officially named National League.

Three seasons there would be followed by relegation, and four seasons in the National League North would be ended with another relegation, with the Lions residing in Step 3 since the 2022-23 campaign.

Outside of the league, there has been success for Guiseley, albeit going back a few decades, with an FA Vase win in the 1990-91 season being the highlight, along with an FA Trophy semi-final in the 93-94 campaign, and two consecutive runs to the second round of the FA Cup in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

A win against Sutton would also see them reach the second round for a third time, which would be a great bonus for the side.