GUISELEY hauled themselves off the foot of the Vanarama National League table with a second consecutive victory at Nethermoor.

The Lions followed up their 6-1 midweek win over York City with a nervy 2-1 win over Southport that consigned their fellow strugglers to the basement.

Adam Lockwood’s men leapfrogged the Sandgrounders in a game that could have gone either way but the home side edged a tight contest thanks to their strikers – all four of them.

Recent signings Jake Cassidy and Jermaine Hylton, who were both on target on debut against the Minstermen, were in the starting line-up, while Adam Boyes and Michael Rankine were on the bench but combined for the Lions’ 82nd-minute winner.

Lockwood said: “If anything this victory has pleased me more than Tuesday’s because performances like that (6-1) come around once a season – if you’re lucky.

“It’s more likely that you’ll get 40 games like this one and I have to give a special mention to the substitutes because all three of them contributed to that goal, and that’s what I want from them.

“I want them to prove that they want to be in the side. The lads who are not playing won’t be happy but it’s a long season so I want everyone pulling in the same direction.

“I want to see the application of the lads, and that’s proving to be the case at the moment.

“When people pick up their paper it will say that Rankine has scored the winner, and I’m happy with that.

“The three lads were substitutes but we know what they offer and I’ve been there as a player when you’re not in the team but they have shown their qualities, and I can only commend them on that.

“You look at the players that started and some people will say that they didn’t produce what they did the other night but they worked their defence hard, and that helps the substitutes to do what they did when they came on.”

Cassidy hit a post early on after being sent through by Hylton, and he was the provider again as Jordan Preston shot at visiting keeper Magnus Norman.

Home shot-stopper Jonny Maxted also made some good saves in the goalless first half.

Just four minutes after the interval, Hylton and Cassidy combined again before the latter curled a shot into the top corner from outside the area.

Southport battled and came close as Jake Lawlor cleared off the line but, following another scramble in the Lions’ area, Jamie Allen equalised.

Hylton and Cassidy made way for Boyes and Rankine in the 81st minute, and a minute later Rankine headed Boyes’ chip home via a post, giving Norman no chance.

But the Sandgrounders’ keeper had the last word as he saved Rankine’s 84th-minute penalty after Josh Thompson had brought Will Hatfield down in the area.