GUISELEY were hit by a big blow when striker Emile Sinclair pulled up just eight minutes into last Saturday’s home game against leaders Cheltenham Town.

The Lions had only secured the services of former Bantams apprentice Sinclair until the end of the season just days earlier following negotiations with his parent club York City.

The news that Sinclair’s loan deal had been extended was a boost for Mark Bower and his squad as the club looks to stave off relegation from the National League.

However, as Guiseley began well against Gary Johnson’s table-topping Robins, the talismanic forward pulled a hamstring chasing a through ball. He immediately signalled to the bench and sat on the turf – his day was done.

Bower said: “It was a big blow losing him so early into such a big game for us and it made a massive difference.

“They (Cheltenham) were big favourites to win and that made our job so much harder but we played well and Adam Boyes came on and I thought he did really well. We worked really hard and gave them very few opportunities in front of goal.”

Cheltenham eventually won the game 2-0 after scoring twice in the last ten minutes but the Lions’ hopes of escaping the drop increased after they earned a magnificent 3-1 win over Wrexham in mid-week.

That victory was banked with Sinclair on the sidelines but Bower knows what qualities he brings. He said: “Emile causes problems for opposition defences and he has made a big difference to us since he came in.

“He gets in good positions and holds the ball up well playing in that role. But I think his pace is one of his best assets because that burst of speed, that power, really is hard to defend against.”