FA Trophy: Burscough 2 Guiseley 2

VANARAMA National League Guiseley will try to make home advantage count as they seek a place in the second round of the FA Trophy at the second attempt after being held to a draw in wet and windy west Lancashire on Saturday.

Hosts Burscough, who play their football three steps below the Lions, twice came from behind to earn their replay tat Nethermoor on Tuesday.

They needed a penalty and a very late leveller but their never-say-die attitude will make Guiseley wary in the second meeting.

Guiseley had Danny Atkinson in goal, with first-choice keeper Steve Drench on the bench, and they were without Anthony Dudley, the young on-loan forward having been recalled by his parent club Bury.

After a difficult opening for both sides in tough conditions at Victoria Park, Guiseley broke the deadlock midway through the first half when Tom Craddock slid an Adam Boyes cross past home keeper Calvin Hare.

Craddock thought he had doubled the Lions’ lead soon after but his celebrations were cut short by an offside flag.

Despite that, the visitors reached the break with their slender lead intact and looked untroubled.

Gavin Rothery flashed a shot inches wide after the break and, with a little over 16 minutes remaining, Guiseley were made to rue that miss.

The Linnets equalised from the spot, winger Michael Monaghan netting after Danny Lowe had been penalised for a push in the area.

Lowe went from zero to hero when he put the Lions back in front in the 83rd minute with a shot from outside the area that flew past Hare into the bottom corner.

Minutes from time, however, Guiseley conceded a corner, and when the flag-kick was played in, Will Jones headed home to earn the Linnets, who are Evo-Stik Division One North rivals of Farsley Celtic and Brighouse Town, their trip to Nethermoor.

Lions’ boss Mark Bower was far from impressed, saying: “It’s frustrating not to get through when you’re winning well and then get back in front after they equalise.

“It was self inflicted really because we controlled the start of the second half and then it was a bit of a soft decision for the penalty.

"We got back in front but then a set-piece that should never get as far as it did when it came into our box gets them back in it.

“We could have defended that better, and we said to the players after the game that we dominate a game for 80 minutes but if we give goals away like that then we are not going to win games, no matter who we are playing against.

“I think Tom’s disallowed goal is more than a bit contentious.

"Obviously it makes a big difference because if that goes in then it’s 2-0 and you can’t see a way back for them.

“The penalty decision is one that probably wouldn’t have gone our way if we’d been playing Forest Green Rovers away in the league.

"I thought that we had done enough to win the tie and, as much as I’d like to look at a couple of the decisions again, we have invited the pressure on ourselves.

“I’m disappointed because that allowed them to get back into it when we should have had enough to get through after getting ourselves in that position on two occasions.

“It’ll be a difficult replay and we say it all the time – we’ve been there ourselves as underdogs – teams around the country from their step on the pyramid will beat teams from the Conference.

“Credit to them for getting Saturday’s game played in conditions like that, and we have to make sure that it’s not us who gets knocked out when they come for the replay.”

Former Bantams centre back and skipper Bower is also disappointed that Dudley has gone back to his old club’s Sky Bet League One rivals Bury. The Lions boss is hoping that Dudley, who has been a big hit since his arrival late in October, has not played his last game for Guiseley.

Bower said: “Anthony has been recalled by Bury because he’s scored a few goals for us and they have got injuries.

“He goes with our best wishes, and I think the loan deal has done him good and his parent club are getting a player back who’s match sharp and in form.

"It was good for us to have him and when their (Bury’s) injury list shortens it is maybe something we can revisit next month.”

The lively Dudley scored five goals in seven games for the Lions, announcing his arrival with a brace on debut as Guiseley beat Welling United 2-0, and his last goal was in the National League derby at The Shay in a 1-1 draw with FC Halifax Town nine days ago.