Crook Town 1-3 Guisborough Town

Match Report

Battling Guisborough Town kept their end-of-season play-off hopes very much alive with a hard-earned 3-1 win over Crook Town at the KGV on Saturday.

Two penalties – one in each half – by Guisborough’s Mr Reliable spot-kick connoisseur Callum Martin paved the way for another important victory for the Priorymen. So with two matches to go to complete their league season, Guisborough are sixth – one place outside the play-offs – but level on points with fifth-placed Birtley who have two games in hand.

Clearly, with results going their way Guisborough can still overhaul Birtley and also mathematically Heaton Stannington can still be caught to next Saturday’s KGV showdown with Stannington now assumes massive importance.

This proved a really tough game today against a very solid Crook team. In the first half, with us playing up the hill and against the wind, 1-1 was just about right at the half way point.

But after the break I felt we took control of the game and proved the better team overall. So just two games to go now but this victory at least keeps us very much interested in getting into the play-offs.

Guisborough Manager, Steve Bell

In the first half, the Priorymen took the lead against the wind in the 18th minute when Kurt Howes was fouled for a stonewall penalty and Martin tucked the spot kick expertly away. But this lead was cancelled out when Craig Moody scored in the 34th minute.

After the interval Guisborough started to dominate and get on top and deservedly regained the lead in the 64th minute when a Howes cross was diverted into his own net by Daniel Mitton for 2-1 to the Priorymen.

Guisborough then clinched three priceless points in the 72nd minute when Man-of-the-Match Joe Pickett was brought down in the box for a clear penalty and up stepped Martin once again to coolly score from the spot.

Overall, a solid performance all round from Guisborough to register their third win in a row and set up the mouth-watering prospect of a potential play-off decider against Heaton Stannington at the KGV next Saturday, 20 April with another big crowd in prospect.

Report: Bill Perfitt