Chester 0 Guiseley 2: Guiseley pass '˜six-point' examination at Chester

Manager Paul Cox was delighted: “I thought we deserved it, we have put in a great performance and now it is all about consistency, we have to build on the last three games where we have played really well.”

This was a real six-pointer with both sides the two in the relegation places, knowing even victory would still mean they stayed in the bottom four places. Both sides also had a disappointing result at the weekend with Guiseley conceding in the last minute to Aldershot Town while Chester lost 4-0 at FC Halifax Town.

Guiseley made the perfect start as Callum McFadzean hit a fine effort from distance that flew into the top corner with just three minutes gone.

The visitors kept on pressing and had another two early chances with passes across the face of goal just being cleared on separate occasions.

Guiseley were soon 2-0 when James Roberts scored his first goal for the club, when he took advantage of a defensive lapse in concentration and from a tight-angle scored.

Things then got even better as Chester were reduced to ten men with Lathaniel Rowe-Turner shown a straight red card for a tackle on Roberts.

Paul Cox would have known there would be some reaction from the hosts, who knew about the importance of the game but Jonny Maxted kept out Jordan White and the Lions went in 2-0 up at half-time.

Both teams had their chances during the second-half with Maxted being kept busy, but was able to keep the hosts out, the best chance infact fell to Guiseley with Alex Purver having a shot cleared off the line by Tom Shaw after Roberts had been denied by keeper Hornby.

These two sides play again on New Year’s day but before that Guiseley travel to Tranmere Rovers on Saturday.

Chester: Hornby, Jones, Astles, Rowe-Turner, Hall-Johnson, Dawson, James, Shaw (Mahon 74) Gough, White (Archer 60) Hannah (Akintubde 35). Unused subs: Halls, Turnbull.

Guiseley: Maxted, Crookes, Palmer Lawlor Brown, Harvey, Purver, Lenighan, McFadzean, Fondop (Odejayi 84) Roberts (Correia 86). Unused subs: Niate, Hughes, Holden.

Referee: Karl Evans.

n League leaders Macclesfield fought back from conceding early to beat FC Halifax Town 2-1 and halt The Shaymen’s mini revival.

Tom Denton headed Town in-front, his ninth of the season, before Danny Whitehead’s deflected goal just before half-time. Tyrone Marsh then settled the match with a second-half header, but Town will feel hard done-by to leave empty-handed.

There was little to choose between the sides in the first of their Christmas and New Year trilogy, and it was far from the backs-to-the-wall job the league table may have suggested.

Danny Clarke’s clever footwork won a free-kick near the corner flag, from which Denton nodded in Jake Hibbs’ floated delivery from three yards.

Denton could have doubled Town’s lead just before the half-hour mark after being set-up by Clarke, but scuffed his shot near the penalty spot.

It took a laboured Macclesfield until the 37th minute to carve out their first big chance when Scott Burgess’ excellent through ball sent Marsh in on goal, but he blazed his shot over.

And that looked to be that from the hosts until seconds before half-time when Whitehead’s innocuous-looking shot from 25 yards was deflected past the wrong-footed Sam Johnson to hand Macclesfield a parity their play barely deserved as Town conceded a goal for their first time in four hours.

Neither team looked particularly likely to score again, but Marsh produced a lovely glancing header to direct a right-wing cross into the far corner and undo all Town’s hard work.

Elsewhere, in National League North, Harrogate Town slipped up at Darlington, going down 2-1, while Bradford Park Avenue overran Curzon Ashton by the same margin.