Pickering Town 0-3 Guisborough Town

Match Report

Two superb goals of rare quality from Guisborough winger Jack Blackford – the second one an absolute ‘worldy’ which would even grace ‘Match of the Day’ – earned the Priorymen their second convincing win in succession at Pickering on Saturday.

After the match Jack said he hoped his great goals would help boost his confidence for rest of the season adding that, in common with Manager Steve Bell and the rest of the team, he had felt lacking in his own self-assurance recently. But the mercurial winger looked back to his best at times at Pickering and his brace of goals in the 75th and 78th minutes came at just the right time.

For Pickering had been putting the Priorymen under strong pressure for 20 minutes midway through the second half to try and get back on levels terms after falling behind after only three minutes to yet another wonderfully well-taken goal by Guisborough’s leading scorer Cole Kiernan.

After the game a delighted Guisborough Manager Steve was full of praise for his revitalised side. Following his revelation after the superb Crook Town victory the week before that he had used a kind of ‘reverse psychology’ on his players, asking them to re-set their season and treat that game as if it was the first of the campaign, Steve quipped:

This was a really good result today, winning our second game of the season!!

I think the 3-0 scoreline was just about right. We went in at half-time deservedly 1-0 up with a brilliant early doors finish from Cole. Pickering had a right go at us for around 25 minutes of the second half and we had to stand up and be counted and withstand that pressure which we did very well indeed.

Then after that it was the ‘Jack Blackford’ show. First, he scores with a brilliant goal to make it 2-0 then he scores an even better solo goal to make it 3-0 and wrap up three points for us. I was also really pleased with another clean sheet for the second Saturday in a row.

The Priorymen got off to the perfect start when they went 1-0 up after only three minutes when Cole Kiernan was put through by his strike partner McKenzie Dicicco and Kiernan finished off beautifully into the bottom left corner for his 16th goal of the season so far. Guisborough were unlucky not to double their lead on 13 minutes Joe Scaife-Wheatley got in a thunderous shot but it bounced back off the Pickering post.

On the half-hour mark the Priorymen had a strong shout for a penalty when Dicicco appeared to be tripped around the edge of the Pickering penalty area but the referee waved away Guisborough appeals for a spot kick. A minute later a fine run and cross by Blackford found Kiernan but his shot was saved but the Priorymen got through to half-time with a well-deserved one-goal lead.

Four minutes after the re-start Pickering came desperately close to equalising and would have done so but for Guisborough skipper Nick Hood making an absolutely brilliant block to deflect a goal-bound shot for a corner. In the 61st minute Guisborough were indebted to brilliant young ‘keeper Will Cowey who made an unbelievable instinctive save to keep out a virtually point-blank deflection from one of his own defenders!

Dicicco was having probably his best game for Guisborough and he twice went close in the 65th and 72nd minutes before Blackford burst into life again with a brace of two fantastic goals in the space of three minutes. Firstly on 75 minutes he produced a superb run from left to right across the edge of the Pickering penalty area before clipping an exceptionally clever low shot right into the far left corner of the net for 2-0 to the Priorymen.

As if that goal wasn’t pleasing enough on the eye, his second solo goal in the 78th minute was even better. He produced an electrifying run down the left wing, cut inside and planted a wonderful strike into the far right hand corner of the Pickering net. It was a goal of such quality which would have had Match of the Day pundits drooling over it!

All in all, apart from some eye-catching brilliance from Blackford and Kiernan, this was another fine all-round team performance from the Priorymen. There were excellent performances right the way through the team, starting with ‘keeper Cowey who although well protected by his defenders played very well throughout, and that wonderful reflex save in the 61st minute was outstanding.

The defensive back line of Ollie Cann, Nick Hood, James Dillon and Liam O’Sullivan all played extremely well, with Hood perhaps the pick especially with that superb last-ditch tackle in the 49th minute which preserved the Priorymen’s one-goal lead. It was good to see Cann back so relatively soon after a recent serious injury.

In midfield, the trio of Shabs Mohammed, Jordan Fielding and Joe Scaife-Wheatley all linked together really well, bossing the middle of the field for most of the game. Fielding in particular caught the eye. Up front, well enough has already been said about the superb goals of Kiernan and Blackford but ‘Chico’ Dicicco deserves special praise for a non-stop performance which made himself a thorn in Pickering’s side.

Report: Bill Perfitt

Photos: Dan Clark

Cole Kiernan scores goals👏⚽️ pic.twitter.com/uimwrj58sg

— Guisborough Town F.C. (@guistownfc) October 29, 2022

pic.twitter.com/moBya8L2T9

— Guisborough Town F.C. (@guistownfc) October 29, 2022

pic.twitter.com/KxmQGbu0mW

— Guisborough Town F.C. (@guistownfc) October 29, 2022