Burscough 3 Guiseley 2

THIS scoreline flattered Guiseley who only managed to pull a couple of goals back in the dying minutes of the game.

At a windswept Victoria Park Paul Gedman and Tony Gray proved a handful for Guiseley netting all three of the Linnets goals.

Both sides struggled to get into any kind of rhythm although the early chances fell to Guiseley. Chris Clarke just failed to get to Mark Stuart's cross which had beaten the 'keeper. On ten minutes Clarke saw his effort beaten away by 'keeper Matt Boswell.

Guiseley 'keeper Matt Taylor was then called into action to tip over an effort from Tony Gray and then he had to make a good save to keep out the same player nine minutes later.

Taylor had no chance with Burscough's first goal on 42 minutes. Steve Hussey put Gedman in and the former Guiseley reserve held off a challenge to hammer the ball home.

Just a minute later Ryan Bowen played the ball low across the box, Gedman dummied and the ball ran to Gray at the far post who scored with ease.

Guiseley bounced back and were perhaps unlucky not to narrow the margin when Karl Bell blocked a goalbound effort from Jeremy Illingworth, Sam Denton had a shot blocked, Clarke had an effort cleared off the line and Boswell saved a Danny Ellis header.

Guiseley had had their share of the game in the first-half and there was no reason to believe they would not be competing to get back on level terms in the second.

Their performance in the second-half however left a lot to be desired and they went 3-0 down when Hussey played another quality ball to Gray who coolly stepped over the ball before netting.

It was only late goals from Nathan Hay - heading in from a Stuart corner - and a 25 yard thunderbolt from Neil Grayston that saved their blushes.

Manager Neil Parsley said: "In the second-half we were a non-entity. Our attitude was just not positive enough. It was a retrievable situation because we had been unfortunate to be behind in the first-half but the players capitulated."

Frickley 2 Guiseley 1

Guiseley paid a heavy price for two abject refereeing decisions and a lack of finishing at a chilly Westfield Lane on Tuesday evening when ex-Guiseley defender Matt Daly netted the two goals to boost Frickley's play-off aspirations.

The first-half started at a terrific pace with both sides stroking the ball about, Frickley having the upperhand in the first 15 minutes until Guiseley found their feet and then more than matched their opponents with some slick passing and movement off the ball.

Neil Grayston, Tony Lennon, Scott Jackson and Matt Smithard in particular gave the jittery home defence some anxious moments.

But not for the first time this season it was Guiseley's opponents who opened the scoring on 37 minutes as Matt Daly lashed in a shot at the near post. The lead only lasted two minutes though as Matt Smithard outpaced the home defence only to be tripped by Gary Ingham's outstretched arm as the Guiseley man sought to go round the prone 'keeper.

With no covering defence in the vicinity Ingham was the last defender and having prevented a certain goal should have been dismissed but referee Richard West interpreted the offence as worthy only of a yellow card, not the expected red. Scott Jackson duly buried the penalty to put Guisley level going into the break.

Guiseley began the second-half much as they had finished the first and made Frickley look anything but a promotion chasing team. Sam Denton sustained an injury which led to the introduction of new signing from Campion, Chris Graham. On his debut the big striker almost made an immediate impression as he held of two challenges and forced Ingham into a desperate save with his feet.

Graham then chased a seemingly lost cause to the corner flag and robbed a defender before progressing down the dead ball line and teeing up a glorious chance which Scott Jackson hiked high over the bar from 12 yards. Matt Smithard should then have scored from close in but fluffed the chance.

Having survived these two misses Frickley responded with several attacks that were comfortably dealt with by the Guiseley defence until the man in the middle intervened again to give a free- kick, for the type of innocuous challenge that had gone unpunished all evening, just outside the area.

Daly stepped up to fire in a low drive that took a wicked deflection off the wall to beat Matt Taylor at his far post and give Frickley three points that they scarcely deserved. Guiseley will rarely play so well and come away with nothing to show for it.