Guisborough Town 2 – 0 Seaham Red Star

Match Report

Guisborough Town scored an important 2-0 win over bottom of the table Seaham Red Star at the KGV Stadium on Saturday to earn three vital points which propelled them up to eighth position in the league table.

It wasn’t a classic performance but the true grit displayed by the Priorymen was justly rewarded even though several of the players were literally out on their feet with injuries as Guisborough finished the match with only 10 players due to all their substitutions having been made.
Livewire midfielder Brad Plant typified the fighting spirit of the Guisborough team when he played out the last 15 minutes of the game with a severe bout of cramp – but he still managed to charge up the field in the 90th minute to score of peach of a goal to clinch all three points for his team.

Apart from Brad’s cramp Guisborough also lost two players with serious ankle injuries – Luke Smithyman, himself a substitute, had to be helped off the field five minutes from time and earlier in the 55th minutes Town defender George Waites had to leave the field following a heavy Seaham tackle.

Guisborough’s first goal came in the 19th minute from Steve Roberts, making his first full appearance of the season after himself nursing an injury from pre-season.

So seeing his team of ‘walking wounded’ soldiers bravely gaining a victory despite all the problems they had experienced was especially pleasing for Guisborough’s Manager, Steve Bell.

He said after the game: “I know it wasn’t particularly pretty out there on the field today and but a win is a win and we’re delighted with the three points.

“The lads stuck to their task against a dogged Seaham side and in the end I think we fully deserved our 2-0 victory.

“Although my initial reaction after the game was that we weren’t great on reflection a day later I think occasionally winning ugly is so important.

STRUGGLING WITH INJURIES

“We had three or four players struggling with injuries in the end and we also had Steve Roberts and Scott Howes who have both been nursing injuries and we had to manage them carefully on their first full starts of the season,” added Steve.

Roberts put Guisborough 1-0 up after 19 minutes and although it must have been one of his least spectacular goals with a virtual tap in from close range after great work from Brad Plant and Lewis Green, it will no doubt have done his confidence the world of good.

Earlier, Seaham had started the brighter with Guisborough right back Harry Ord saving his side with a brilliant tackle in the seventh minute and then three minutes later a linesman’s flag ended a promising Seaham move.

After the Roberts opener the match swung from end to end with full commitment from both sides in what was developing into a very competitive encounter.

Seaham’s Mark Robinson (no relation to Guisborough’s recently-retired legend of the same name, Mark Robinson!) had a shot well saved by Guisborough goalkeeper Robbie Dean in the 36th minute and five minutes before the interval Guisborough defender Scott Howes made a brilliant clearance from a dangerous Seaham cross.

Guisborough started the second half well and in the 52nd minute Brad Plant produced a brilliant run towards the Seaham goal but saw his thumping left footed shot thud back off a post and bounce clear. In the 80th minute Plant burst through on the Seaham goal but his clever attempt at a lob went over the bar.

In the 82nd minute Guisborough goalkeeper Dean, who had had relatively few threats to deal with from Seaham, produced one of his trademark brilliant saves from Adam Lennox, spreading his big frame to block the Seaham centre forward’s shot. And just two minutes later Dean proved his high value to Guisborough once again – saving from the same Seaham striker.

But after that double scare Guisborough got their decisive second goal on 90 minutes when Plant went through the pain barrier to fire home a memorable goal for 2-0 to the Priorymen. The value of that goal was underlined on 92 minutes when Seaham’s Robinson missed a great chance when his header from a great cross from the right flashed a yard wide of the Guisborough goal.

The match attendance was 170 which although disappointing after recent 300-plus crowds was perhaps understandable with the holiday season in full swing.

Guisborough Town are very grateful to Vistech for being Match Sponsor for the game against Seaham and also to Cleveland Property and Garden Maintenance for their Match Ball sponsorship.
Guisborough have no midweek game next week which is probably a relief to Guisborough’s first team management to give them more time to get key players like striker Louis Johnson and defender Charlie Marshall fit again after serious injury.

But the Priorymen will face probably their sternest task of the season yet when they travel to the formidable North Shields side next Saturday, 21 August in an Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round tie.

Report: Bill Perfitt