Vanarama National League: Guiseley 0 Gateshead 1

IT may be St Valentine's Day but Guiseley are still looking for their first win of 2018 after a narrow home defeat to lower mid-table Gateshead kept them at the foot of the Vanarama National League.

It was a sixth straight loss for Paul Cox’s Lions, who haven’t tasted victory since a 2-0 win at Chester on Boxing Day.

The visitors hit their winning goal in the sixth minute and held onto it.

The Heed had the ball in Guiseley’s net twice more but both strikes were disallowed.

Guiseley were caught out as a long through ball from left back Scott Barrow found Wes York, who beat Lions keeper Luke Coddington with a low shot from deep inside the area.

The home side gained a free-kick minutes later, but Ash Palmer’s header to Liam Hughes’ delivery was wide of the target.

Palmer got into the area in the 20th minute but his shot was blocked by Barrow as the defender timed his intervention to perfection.

Coddington was soon back in action but he comfortably gathered former Guiseley man Jordan Preston’s shot from outside the area.

Preston had two more first-half efforts - one over Coddington’s net and another that was well blocked before the rebound fell to Heed skipper Paddy McLaughlin, who lashed his shot over the bar.

Guiseley’s best attempts before the interval came when a Callum McFadzean corner led to panic in the visitors’ defence and a long-range header from Hughes that Montgomery claimed with ease.

Into the second half, a Rowan Liburd shot was deflected for a 46th-minute corner, and soon after Montgomery saved a Dayle Southwell shot.

The Heed’s keeper had to parry a Hughes corner on the hour mark, but from then on the visitors looked the most likely to score.

They thought they had doubled their lead when a McLaughlin cross was headed in by James Burrow, but the celebrations were cut short.

Another flag from the assistant referee denied Theo Vassell as he nodded in from a late corner kick.

Gateshead had suffered their first lost in five games at the weekend, 2-1 at home to promotion-chasing AFC Fylde, so their manager Steve Watson was expecting a positive reaction.

He said: “I want to thank the fans - on a Tuesday night they have come in good numbers and we really appreciate it.

“I wanted and got the reaction from the players from Saturday. It was a good result and a good performance.”