Joint boss Marcus Bignot wants Guiseley to go on the offensive

The Lions faced off against fellow relegation-threatened sides Brackley Town and Chorley in their previous two fixtures over the last week, but ended up slipping to 3-1 and 1-0 losses respectively.

The defeats have left the club sitting in the relegation zone in 21st place and with fixtures on the horizon against play-off pushing Southport, Chester, Farsley Celtic and York City, Bignot recognises his players need to perform better if they are to beat the drop.

“You can’t read too much into the league at the moment,” said Lions’ joint boss Bignot.

“There are a lot of teams in false positions and it is very tight – that isn’t getting away from the fact that we shouldn’t be where we are at this moment in time, but there are much-needed points to be gained and there is no reason why we can’t pick them up against the teams in the top half as much as we can against those in the bottom half.”

Having taken his players for training on Thursday night, Bignot added: “You know, we are limited on time, so tonight was very much focused on how to build and finish the attacks. It is clear to see that we need to score more goals, and that will ultimately see us concede less as we’ll spend more time up that part of the pitch.”

This week’s visitors to Nethermoor are an incredibly unpredictable Southport side, who despite winning on their last visit to Yorkshire against Bradford Park Avenue, are very inconsistent in the league.

Bignot has taken some comfort from their erratic recent form and believes that despite his opposite number Liam Watson’s knowhow, his Lions’ side can reign supreme and finally get their season up and running.

“Liam Watson’s teams are always competitive,” added Bignot. “He has a good track record of promotion in this league and knows his way around the division, so we are up against a great set of staff who have assembled a very good young set of players. I’ve been impressed with them in terms of the performances I have seen.

“Their results may have been up and down, but we are under no illusions that it will be a difficult game against the system they set up with.

“We have got to find our strengths, match them up against the weaknesses we’ve identified, play full of intensity and personality and if we can do that, I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Meanwhile, Farsley Celtic do not play this weekend, with their game against Darlington being called off due to a bout of Covid-19 in the Darlington squad.

Their next fixture is a trip to Gateshead for an FA Trophy second round tie on Tuesday night, while their next league game incidentally is a trip to Nethermoor, where they face Guiseley on Boxing Day.

Elsewhere in the National League North tomorrow, Bradford Park Avenue host Leamington.

Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United, With a digital subscription, you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click HERE to subscribe.