Match Report

Another emphatic league victory keeps Priorymen 6 points clear!

Guisborough  Town  4, Easington Colliery 1

(Northern League – Division One)

Guisborough  Town extended their current impressive unbeaten league run to 10 matches with a thoroughly convincing 4-1 win over Easington Colliery at the Kevin Edward Executive Search KGV Stafium on Saturday.

With all five teams immediately  below them also winning, it was essential the Priorymen also gained three points from an improving Easington side.

And Guisborough passed this latest test with flying colours to not only register a league ‘double’ over the Colliers but also maintain their clear six point lead at the top and improve their goal different to +24 – three goals better off than second-placed Shildon’s +21.

The match had an explosive start with near misses exclusively on the Easington goal before Guisborough  took the lead on nine minutes when James Frazer  – such a towering defender at the back – came up for a corner and was well placed to fire home at the near post for 1-0 to the Priorymen.

But the lead was short-lived as the Colliers mounted a swift attack just two minutes later and a cross from the right found Chris Trewick unmarked and he headed home with esse for 1-1.

Despite this unexpected setback Guisborough continued to dominate possession and it came as no surprise when Matty Willshaw fired his side 2-1 back in front with his 10th goal since joining the club – after a brilliant lightning burst forward by captain Toluwani Osiyemi, filling in again superbly as a central defender, turned defence into attack.

On the half-hour mark midfielder Josh MacDonald limped off with what loomed like a serious ankle injury and that gave a good opportunity  for Elliott Beddow to come on for a good two thirds of the game.

Guisborough continued to have virtually comete control and on one occasion when Easington threatened down the left defenders Cal Martin and James Frazer combined brilliantly to classilly snuff out the danger.

On 36 minutes Willshaw had the KGV roaring their approval with some great work before his shot was blocked and it stayed 2-1 to Guisborough at the interval.

Four minutes after the restart good work by the industrious Jack Bailey put in Elliott Beddow who got a good shot away and Howes followed up in great goal-poacher fashion to net his 14th goal of the season for 3-1 to the Priorymen.

In the 59th minute first half substitute Beddow made it 4-1 when he slid the ball home at the back post with Willshaw the provider this time. It brought Elliott’s goal tally for the season to eight – all the more creditable since several have come from substitutes appearances.

That’s  how the score stayed as understandably the Priorymen conserved their energies by playing comfortable possession football to run the clock down.

Once again there were at least 8/10 performances throughout the Guisborough side but one man who especially caught that eye was Osiyemi, who has quickly established  himself as one of the KGV crowd favourites with his classy style of play. And he was rewarded after the game by being deservedly presented with the Guisborough Brewery-sponsored Man of the Match award.

One other who must have run big ‘Tolly’ close for MoM was young Tommy Birtles who ran his socks off throughout the game and showed classy touches and bursts of speed for good measure. Well done Tommy!

Once again the attendance was marvellous ‘ and the 475 crowd, boosted by a superb ‘Sponsors Day’, narrowly surpassed  the 466 at the Shildon game the previous week. The large turnout very pleasingly boosted Guisborough’s average crowd for the season so far to an amazing 403!

Following the game Guisborough  Manager Nathan Haslam said he was delighted witn the victory against a good in-form Easington  side.

“It was a dominant win, we were in total control in the first half apart from conceding their goal. It was a poor goal for us to concede but I think that was their only real shot on target.

“But we took the game to them and once we went three and four goals to the good we took our foot off the pedal and just saw the game out.

“Once again we had several young lads out there some as young as only 16 and they did us proud again.

“All in all a good day at the office” added Nathan.

Report by Bill Perfitt