Spennymoor v Guiseley: The Moors should fear lowly Lions insists joint-boss Russ O’Neill

Joint manager Russ O’Neill has stressed the difficulty of the league as a whole. He said: “There are no easy games for anybody. Spennymoor have just been sat at the top of the league thinking Guiseley are coming. Do you think they’ll be expecting an easy game? I don’t think so.”

The Lions sit 19th in the table – six points clear of the relegation zone – and have remained unbeaten in their previous two games.

This has been a big turnaround in form for Guiseley, as they had lost four in a row before their two-game unbeaten run and will now relish the chance of playing against a side who have not won in their last six in the league.

Spennymoor have been on something of a downhill spiral of late.

Including the side’s 2-0 defeat to Hereford on Saturday, four of their previous six league games have now ended in defeat.

The Lions could hold a tighter grasp of their destiny in the bottom half of the National League if they take advantage of a struggling Moors team.

After the vital 1-1 draw at home to York City on Saturday, O’Neill spoke about the stream of confidence flowing through his side leading up to the game.

“Confidence is a big thing and I think they’ll expect a tough game and, hopefully, we can go up there and give them one,” said O’Neill.

Fighting talk has come at a premium this season but with daylight separating O’Neill’s team and FC United of Manchester in 20th position, the chance to extend the gap even further with their game in hand has made that talk warranted as the league reaches the business end.