Guisborough Town 3-3 Tow Law Town

Match Report

Guisborough Town missed out on a golden chance to go second in the table when they inexplicably squandered a three-goal lead against lowly Tow Law Town with less than 20 minutes left in the game at the KGV on Wednesday night.

The Priorymen looked to be cruising to a comfortable victory when in the 68th minute leading goalscorer Cole Kiernan netted from the penalty spot to put his side 3-0 up. The commanding lead was no less than Guisborough deserved after almost completely dominating the game up to that late stage in the match. But as is often the case, they must have been regretting missed goal-scoring opportunities, particularly in the first half, which would have given them an unassailable lead by the time Kiernan scored that 68th minute penalty.

But when Tow Law pulled a goal back on 72 minutes as defender Kurt Seymour went unchallenged to score with a header, most fans in an excellent crowd of 301 probably thought it was merely a consolation goal. But the Lawyers had other ideas and scored two further goals within the next 12 minutes to earn an unlikely draw as Guisborough just seemed to go to pieces.

The Priorymen started the game off brilliantly by taking the lead after just four minutes when winger Jack Blackford advanced with typical speed and menace on the Lawyer’s goal and unleashed a powerful shot from 18 yards which fizzed into the back of the net. For the rest of the half – 41 minutes of it – Guisborough proceeded to completely dominate the game but try as they might they just couldn’t add to their early lead.

First Guisborough’s big striker Jason Blackburn stormed down the right in the 19th minute and cut in but his shot was deflected into the side netting for a corner when it looked almost certain that he would score. Two minutes later Blackford put Kiernan through on the Lawyer’s goal but he delayed his shot a fraction too long and he ended up tripping over the ball and down on the pitch in a heap. In the 25th minute Guisborough’s other winger Ben Jackson tried a snap shot but it swerved wide of the post.

On 32 minutes, great link-up play between Blackford and Jackson ended with the ball being deflected over the bar following some desperate Tow Law defending. A minute before half-time Guisborough almost doubled their lead when a superb run and cross down the right by full back Ollie Cann found Blackburn but his header was plucked from just under the bar by Tow Law keeper Orton.

OVERALL DOMINANCE

So the Priorymen went into the interval just one goal up which was a very poor return for their overall dominance, leaving many in the crowd wondering whether that would come back and haunt them later in the game. But within 17 minutes of the re-start, Guisborough had sprinted into a deserved 3-0 lead when first in the 55th minute they won a penalty after Kiernan was clearly impeded bearing down on the Tow Law goal.

Kiernan himself took the spot kick but it was brilliantly saved by Orton but he couldn’t hold on to the ball and a relieved Kiernan tucked the rebound home for 2-0. In the 68th minute Guisborough were awarded a second clear-cut penalty when Blackburn was blatantly pulled down and this time Kiernan made no mistake by scoring easily direct from the spot to give his side a 3-0 lead. It was Cole’s 10th goal of the season.

Four minutes later, however, the Lawyers gave Guisborough something to think about when they pulled a goal back as Kurt Seymour headed home unchallenged following a corner. Straight after scoring their first goal Tow Law went upfield and Guisborough had to thank goalkeeper Will Cowey – not for their first time – for being alert to keep out a Lawyers effort. But on 79 minutes a rejuvenated Tow Law pulled another goal when Andrei Ardelean, who played a several games for Guisborough a few years back, scored with a goal that looped agonisingly over Cowey and dipped just under the bar and into the net.

Then, incredibly, after looking down and out 12 minutes earlier Tow Law grabbed an equaliser in the 83rd minute when they worked the ball to the Guisborough by-line and crossed into the middle where Ardelean scored virtually on the goal-line for 3-3. It was unbelievable how badly Guisborough had crumbled in that crazy 12 minute spell and they were probably relieved to hear the final whistle as Tow Law, with their tails up, went in search of an unlikely winner.

STILL UNBEATEN IN LEAGUE

So instead of surging up to second in the table Guisborough remain in fifth place, albeit still unbeaten in the league after six matches. Guisborough Manager Steve Bell was clearly as shell-shocked as the KGV faithful at the end of the match and had some harsh words for his side behind closed doors in the dressing room.

I couldn’t believe how we badly we faded in those final minutes. In the end I was over the moon to gain a draw and a point,” he added with more than a touch of irony in his tone.

The Priorymen have a good chance to make amends for the disappointment of Wednesday night when they take on Division Two strugglers Washington at the KGV on Saturday, 27 August (KO 3pm) in the First Qualifying Round of the FA Vase. The match should have been at Washington but they are currently without a permanent ground.

Report: Bill Perfitt