Guiseley’s long wait for a win continues after Southport defeat

The Sandgrounders were the better side in a match that had few key chances.

Jack Sampson, who scored the winner in that reverse fixtures, had the first opportunity in this match when he was found in the area from about six yards out – he flicked his header towards goal but it drifted narrowly wide.

The same forward would then have an even better chance, a free-kick into the area found him unmarked, his effort though was just kept out by Marcus Dewhurst who deflected it away with his right leg.

The hosts had their first and main chance on the half-hour mark. A Niall Heaton corner found Scott Garner, his header was going towards the top corner but Southport keeper Dan Hanford did well to keep it out with an acrobatic save.

Sampson continued to play a key role in the action in the second half and got the all-important winning goal. Good work by Jason Gilchrist saw him fire a cross to his strike partner who had a tap-in.

Guiseley’s Alex Purver did have a shot blocked – which was effectively their only chance in the second half.

Guiseley pushed players forward late on, yet the visitors should have doubled their lead when David Morgan fired just wide from the edge of the area.

The main positive for the Lions was that Ashton United lost, meaning they remain three points clear of the drop zone.

After the match Guiseley joint-manager Russ O’Neill said: “I thought we had an element of control in the first half, with the draws and loses our confidence is low, the goal has knocked the stuffing out of us.

“We need to show a reaction and it’s good that we’ve got a game so quickly to try and do just that.”

Guiseley are back in action tonight when they travel to Curzon Ashton to play their game in hand.

Elsewhere, Jake Beesley bagged a brace for the second successive weekend and took his league tally to 16 for the season, but Bradford Park Avenue were still held 2-2 at home by Curzon Ashton.

The on-loan Salford striker opened the scoring from the penalty spot, but Ryan Brooke levelled with a powerful header, before Cameron McJannet gave Curzon the lead.

Beesley went on to secure a share of the spoils when he bundled the ball home following good approach play by on-loan York attacker Macaulay Langstaff and Lewis Knight.

York City climbed into the top half of the table for the first time since October with a 1-0 win at Leamington.

The Minstermen enjoyed a first-ever triumph over the Warwickshire minnows after a hat-trick of consecutive 2-2 draws when Alex Kempster grabbed the game’s only goal on 11 minutes.

Ex-Whitley Bay forward Kempster pounced after home keeper Tony Breeden failed to hold on to centre-half Hamza Bencherif’s close-range shot following a right-wing cross by Wes York.