Guisborough Town 2-2 Northallerton Town

Match Report

Guisborough Town showed great character and resilience to come back from a 2-0 half time deficit to earn 2-2 draw against Northallerton at the KGV Stadium on Boxing Day.

In doing so, the Priorymen extended their unbeaten run to eight games after straight wins in their previous seven matches.

After the match Guisborough Town Manager Steve Bell commented:

It was a really poor first half from us today.  It’s been four weeks since we last played and it definitely looked like we were miles off the pace in the first 45.
To be honest, I didn’t really go too hard on the players in the dressing room at half-time as to a man they already knew how bad they had been.  In fact, I was over the moon that we went in at the interval with only a two-goal deficit.
In the second half we were a completely different team.  We were much more on the front foot and more aggressive on the ball.
By the end we had a great chance to actually win the match but, if I’m totally honest a 2-2 draw seemed just about right.

After a bright opening five or six minutes by the Priorymen it was Northallerton who started to assert themselves and Guisborough goalkeeper Will Cowey had to be on high alert in the seventh minute to save in a one-on-one situation with a Northallerton forward.

Then just a minute later Northallerton were awarded a penalty when Cowey was a fraction late and brought down visiting forward but from the Nathan Stephenson’s spot kick struck the Guisborough bar.

Northallerton continued to press hard despite the disappointment of the penalty miss and Ethan Henderson forced an excellent save from Cowey in the 13th minute.

Northallerton finally turned their concerted pressure into a goal on 23 minutes when straight after former Guisborough defender Anthony Snook made a goal-line clearance from a Cole Kiernan shot they went straight upfield and Henderson crossed the ball for Matty Waters to plant a fine header firmly home.

BRILLIANT SAVE!

Northallerton almost doubled their lead on 28 minutes but Guisborough keeper Cowey again saved his side with a brilliant save to deny Walters.

But in the 35th minute Northallerton deservedly doubled their lead when Henderson fired home for 2-0 to the visitors.

Northallerton almost trebled their lead just before half-time but a cross shot from David Parker flew across the Guisborough penalty area but went just wide of the far post.

Right from the start of the second half Guisborough looked a completely different side and following a spell of strong pressure, much of it sparked by some brilliant wing play by Jack Blackford, they pulled a goal back in the 54th minute.

The Priorymen won a corner and an excellent flag kick from Liam Miller was headed home superbly by Guisborough captain Nick Hood.

The Priorymen continued to pile on the pressure and on 69 minutes they drew deservedly level with a brilliant finish by full back Callum Martin from the edge of the Northallerton penalty area.

Both sides had chances to force a winner in the last quarter of the game but in the end a draw was a fair result after a proverbial ‘game of two halves.’

Overall it was a very highly competitive game which kept an excellent KGV Boxing Day crowd of 339 very well entertained from start to finish.

Report: Bill Perfitt

Photos: Dan Clark

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— Guisborough Town F.C. (@guistownfc) December 26, 2022