Vanarama National League: Guiseley 0 Eastleigh 0

NEW boss Paul Cox oversaw a draw in his first game in the hot seat as Guiseley ended a run of three straight defeats with a stalemate against visitors Eastleigh in the Vanarama National League.

Guiseley are still four points below the trapdoor after nine games ahead of their trip to Barrow, Cox’s former club, tomorrow, but it was certainly a positive beginning.

The Lions have only been beaten once at Nethermoor this term but have not picked up a single point from four away games.

With six points from a possible 27 they are second from bottom.

The result extended the Spitfires’ run of recent draws as the goalless game was the visitors’ fourth consecutive stalemate.

Former Leeds United, Chesterfield and Doncaster Rovers forward Gary McSheffery made his debut for the Spitfires but both sides struggled to carve out clear-cut chances.

Guiseley’s first real effort, in the 12th minute, brought a fine save out of Eastleigh’s former Arsenal keeper Graham Stack.

A free-kick was headed down to Raul Correia, and he lashed a shot towards the top corner that Stack was equal to.

The former Gunners stopper thwarted Lee Molyneux just after the half-hour, getting down well to gather a hard-hit free-kick.

The only other chance of note for the home side in the first half was Connor Brown’s shot following a bustling run but that was wide of the target.

Guiseley almost broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute when Stack could only punch a Molyneux free-kick, and the ball dropped for substitute Frank Mulhern but his volleyed effort was blocked.

The Lions should have broken the deadlock with a little over three minutes remaining as a miscued John Rooney shot fell kindly for Jake Lawlor but with Stack’s goal gaping in front of him, he turned the ball over.

The Spitfires could then have won it in the last minute but Danny Hollands was denied by Lions keeper Joe Green, who had had a quiet afternoon but showed he was still as alert as ever.

Cox was pleased with what he’d seen, saying: “I thought we finished the game stronger, I thought we had the better chances and I thought we’d won it when that ball dropped in there for Jake.

“I also thought our keeper had only one save to make, so there are loads and loads of positives to take from the game. To be fair to the players, the way they have shown their desire and have applied themselves in training this week has been amazing.

“And the way they performed and their work ethic in this game is what I wanted, and our shape looked good.

"We can improve on that, and when we relax a little bit in possession we will start to put three points on the board instead of one.”