THE woodwork came to Darlington’s rescue on four separate occasions as Guiseley had to settle for a 0-0 draw from their trip to Blackwell Meadows.

It was a third consecutive Vanarama National League North stalemate for the Quakers after their 2-2 draw at Bradford (Park Avenue) in midweek, following a point at Leamington the previous Saturday.

Darlington will be the happier after their latest draw as the Lions created the better chances and should have made them count.

They were first denied by the frame of the goal in the eighth minute when Kaine Felix’s lightning pace took him past Luke Trotman and he fired a shot away. Darlo keeper Zach Hemming got a hand to it and that was enough to divert it on to the post.

The Quakers had their best spell late in the first half but Harvey Saunders headed over and five minutes later, when he went to ground in the area under a challenge from Lions’ keeper Joe Green, his penalty appeal fell on deaf ears.

Midway through the second half Hemming did well to parry a Kingsley James shot and Paul Clayton latched onto the rebound.

The Guiseley assistant player manager chipped the ball over the recovering Hemmings but it hit the bar and bounced into the arms of the relieved keeper.

Minutes later, a cross from Felix took a deflection and Hemming got a hand to it to palm the ball on to his own bar. Clayton was denied for a second time when his shot from an acute angle came out off the post.

Guiseley remain 13th and immediately above Darlington, whose boss Tommy Wright said: “I thought our lads dug in and got a really good point.

“They (Guiseley) are a really good side and I thought they edged it so I’m proud of the lads because we could have lost it near the end and that would have been a kick in the teeth.”

Marcus Bignot, one of Guiseley’s joint managers, said: “We came into the dressing room after the game and the word was 'frustration'.

“We were frustrated to have come in with just one point. On another day, Mr Clayton – our messiah – would have put those away. He was a goal threat all game and was unfortunate not to score.

“It’s not where we want to be but it’s a work in progress for this young group of players and they have to learn that they need to bring the same mentality into every game.”

Guiseley had signed 18-year-old winger Louis Walsh on a month’s loan from Barnsley in the build-up to the game and the youngster had an impressive debut starting at No 11.