Match Report

Priorymen forced to dig deep to secure hard-earned 3-2 victory over West Allotment Celtic at the KGV

Guisborough Town 3, West Allotment Celtic 2

(Northern League – Division One)

Guisborough were made to battle right up to the final whistle to secure a hard-earned 3-2 victory over lowly West Allotment Celtic that opened up a six-point lead at the top of the table.

West Allotment belied their second from bottom position to push the Priorymen all the way from start to finish at a wet and windswept Kevin Edward KGV Stadium.

For the first half hour it was Guisborough who dominated but chances went begging, principally to leading scorer Kurtis Howes who blazed over the bar after doing well to get into a shooting position.

Howes had the ball in the back of the net just before the half-hour mark but he was adjudged off-side – a decision which the Guisborough fans at the swimming baths end of the pitch vociferously disagreed with!

Seven minutes later, however, the Priorymen deservedly took the lead as skipper for the night Joe Ferguson played a captain’s role by jinking his way cleverly into the West box and he unleashed a fierce shot into the roof of the net for 1-0.

Then within a minute Guisborough doubled their lead when Matty Willshaw cleverly made space for himself and fired the ball home into the bottom corner of the net for 2-0.

But just two minutes before half-time West gave themselves hope when Owen Mitchell surprised Guisborough when he lashed the ball strongly into the back of the net to pull it back to 2-1 at the interval.

Within minutes of the re-start Guisborough had two great chances to go into what would have been a commanding 3-1 lead when Elliott Beddow set up Willshaw but his goal-bound effort was blocked.

Then two minutes later on 50 minutes Howes forced a good save from the West ‘keeper but when Willshaw pounced to lay the loose ball off to Beddow who shot over when well placed.

In the 53^rd minute, with the rain getting heavier, West pulled level to 2-2 when they profited from a harshly-given penalty for hand ball and Benjamin Shopiende sent Ryan Catterick the wrong way from the spot.

In the 55^th minute Guisborough brought on Tolu Osiyemi from the bench and it was a shrewd move that proved pivotal.

Osiyemi immediately looked threatening down the left wing and it was from there in the 73^rd minute that he restored Guisborough’s lead.  First Ferguson played the ball forward to Tolu on the left, and the big forward showed fast feet in beating his man and cutting inside before scoring with a shot low past the West ‘keeper.

Tolu’s exuberant celebrations, both immediately after his winner and later as he left the pitch to run down the tunnel were refreshing to see. Clearly, he loves scoring for the Priorymen!

Guisborough then brought on a raft of their young, talented substitutes to conserve energies ahead of the trip to North Shields this coming Saturday (20 December) and the Priorymen comfortably saw out the last minutes to record an important win, their fifth on the trot.

It avenged the shock 1-0 defeat which Guisborough suffered early in the season at the hands of West.

Guisborough skipper Joe Ferguson was made the Guisborough Brewery-sponsored Man of the Match after the game, which was watched by a crowd of 182 – a good turnout on a foul night.

Meanwhile, with Christmas fast approaching, Guisborough Town are putting on a special ‘Xmas Get-together’ for everyone connected with the club on Saturday, 20 December from 4pm in the Clubhouse to bring everyone together to celebrate an incredible year at the club.

See the poster below for all the details:

Report by Bill Perfitt.