Guisborough Town 0-2 West Allotment Celtic

Match Report

So, the curtain falls on another Northern League home game season for Guisborough’s Priorymen. But to quote that famous M&S TV advertising slogan – this wasn’t just any season, this was the one and only Guisborough Town’s Golden Jubilee Anniversary season!

And, wonderfully typical of Guisborough Town’s sense of occasion, Saturday’s final home game against West Allotment Celtic, was designated the club’s Golden Jubilee ‘Special Reunion’ to celebrate 50 glorious years with former players, coaches, officials and club volunteers from down those years invited to attend. Fittingly, over 50 did come along including Guisborough legends like former Manager Mick Hodgson and the club’s all-time top scorer Mark Davis, who bagged an amazing 341 goals over a Guisborough career spanning well over 10 years.

The disappointing 2-0 defeat against West Allotment was almost incidental to the amazing day enjoyed off the field by a large turnout of 374 spectators. The special day overall was also greatly enhanced by a group of amazing guys from the York area, who turned up in colourful fancy dress as part of an annual pilgrimage they make each year to a match to celebrate the life of one of the brothers of the group, who sadly passed away about 10 years ago (more about this later in this report).

As far as the match itself is concerned, it was another disappointing affair from Guisborough’s point of view as they emerged pointless and goalless from the game and slipped a little further down the table to ninth position as a result. The first half was very even and the Priorymen came close to taking the lead after only five minutes when striker Mikey McGee surged into the Celtic box but steered his shot just the wrong side of the post.

Guisborough had the ball in the net on 26 minutes following a swift raid down the right flank but a Guisborough forward was ruled marginally (and correctly) offside. Celtic nudged themselves in front a minute before half-time when Connor Campbell scored from just a yard out at the far left hand post.

In the 70th minute Celtic sealed a deserved 2-0 victory with a hotly-disputed penalty. The linesman appeared to flag a Celtic player offside just before he went down under a tackle in the penalty area. Most Guisborough fans thought it would be a free kick for the offside but the referee stuck by his penalty decision and Michael Scott stepped up to put the final result beyond doubt for his side.

SPECIAL GOLDEN JUBILEE REUNION EVENT

Despite the disappointment of losing, the result did not put a dampener on the rest of the day’s proceedings as Guisborough celebrated its 50-year Golden Jubilee with a special Reunion of former players, coaches, officials and club volunteers from down those 50 glorious years. It was a great turnout and a fitting tribute to Guisborough Town itself as a club and the way it knows how to look after its people and put on a very special show.

After the game in a special Golden Jubilee Reunion get-together in the club’s packed Priory Suite, Guisborough Town Chairman Andy Willis welcomed everyone to what he said was a very special event in the club’s 50-year history. He commented:

It is an incredible honour and privilege for me to be Club Chair for the season in which Guisborough Town celebrates five decades of football. Football here at Guisborough Town is a passion, a hobby, a profession and for many an obsession!

Those founder members of the club who pulled together, back in 1973, set out a path with guiding principles for all of us: competition, sportsmanship, teamwork, dedication and most of all friendship. This milestone event in our club’s history is due to a team of committed individuals, who have collaborated over the years on ideas which have transformed their great vision into reality.

For any sports club to thrive for half a century, there must be community pride in and a love for the club. Therefore the year 2023 is a very special time for both Guisborough Town Football Club and the wider community in the area. We warmly thank everyone – past and present – including the club committee, sub committees, coaches, volunteers, sponsors, players and supporters for putting in many hours’ service each year to create the wonderful club we have today.

We congratulate them all on 50 years of unforgettable moments, promoting the growth of grassroots football and encouraging wider social involvement. One final hugely important aspect which remains central to the club now – just as it was all those 50 years ago – is the crucial role our volunteers play. It’s a matter of great pride to us all to see our club continuing to grow and evolve further and put down firm foundations for future generations.

Who would have thought 50 years ago that the club would not only have Men’s teams but also Women’s, Boy’s and Girl’s football teams with an amazing number of around 350 players in total involved? Anniversaries provide a wonderful opportunity to recollect the years gone by, to share memories and to reconnect with old friends. So with that, I’d like on behalf of the club to thank you all for coming today – and here’s to another 50 years. Cheers!

In addition to Andy’s speech, two Guisborough legends in former goalkeeper Dennis Wheeler and former Manager Mick Hodgson gave highly fascinating inputs and insights into their illustrious times down the years with Guisborough Town. Dennis in particular has been involved with Guisborough Town since its inception, playing with great distinction as the club goalkeeper before he moved to Whitby Town to continue his impressive career,

Now back as one of the club’s invaluable volunteers, Dennis can often by seen down at the KGV Ground several days a week working with the likes of Club President Don Robinson and another very keen volunteer Ian Johnson, among other club stalwarts. Dennis and Mick both shared fond memories of the club’s famous appearance in the FA Vase Final at Wembley in season 1979/80. Dennis said after leaving Guisborough to join Whitby Town he had always intended to return to Guisborough to put something back into the club as a volunteer, and he has achieved just that!

‘CARSTEN’S BARMY ARMY’ TAKE THE KGV BY STORM!

A colourful band of surprise visitors to the KGV for the game against West Allotment Celtic was a group of guys mainly from the York area (plus one from Scotland!) who call themselves ‘Carsten’s Barmy Army.’ The group was formed about 10 years ago when tragically a former Rotherham United Reserves player called Carsten Armstrong – the brother of the founder member of the group Steffan Armstrong – sadly took his own life.

As a touching tribute to Carsten the group decided to treasure his memory by banding together to visit a different football ground each year on the anniversary of his death – 15th April – and don fancy dress and bring a large drum to announce their eye-catching arrival! Their aim apart from having a great time while remembering Carsten is to highlight the serious issue of depression and suicide, particularly among men. Their entry into the KGV clubhouse caused quite a stir and during the match they chanted almost continually and literally banged the drum in support of the Guisborough players out on the pitch, adding greatly to the occasion.

Report: Bill Perfitt