Whitley Bay 1-1 Guisborough Town

Match Report

Guisborough Town’s recent upturn in form following the appointment of Cal Martin and Tommy Marron as joint player/managers to the end of the season continued at Whitley Bay on Saturday when the Priorymen earned a well-deserved draw on North Tyneside.

The match was only three minutes old when the Priorymen suffered a severe blow when skipper Cal had to leave the field after sustaining what looked like a serious ankle injury when he was hurt after an accidental coming together with Bay winger Alfa Djalo.

And worse was to follow for the Priorymen in the 24th minute when Guisborough defender Dylan McAvoy was penalised for impeding Bay striker Mackenzie Sharpe’s run into the box.

The referee awarded a penalty for Bay which Sharpe himself took and sent Robert Dean the wrong way with a shot down the middle for 1-0 to the home side!

Despite this setback – on top of the early loss of Cal Martin – the Priorymen demonstrated admirable determination to draw level in the 32nd minute with a wonderfully well-worked three-man move.

Midfielder Jack Bailey sparked the move off with a lovely through ball which the lively Muzzy Abdullahi chased towards the by-line and pulled the ball back beautifully for Max Craggs to spin smartly and plant the ball superbly in the bottom right of the Bay goal.

Both sides had chances to clinch victory but it remained all square at 1-1 to the final whistle, although Guisborough came within inches of claiming what would have been a famous win when in the last minute substitute Cole Kiernan worked the ball brilliantly in the Bay box and hit a great shot which unfortunately hit the bar.

So, after a depressing run of seven defeats and a draw in their previous eight games before Cal Martin and Tommy Marron were appointed joint player/managers just a week ago, Guisborough have ground out four points from their last two away games against tough Tyneside opposition.

Overall, this was a tremendous team performance with every player playing their full part with tremendous commitment and determination.

GUISBOROUGH’S JOINT MANAGERS GIVE THEIR THOUGHTS…

After the game, Guisborough’s dynamic duo of caretaker player/managers Cal and Tommy both expressed their delight at how well things have gone so soon into their fledgling managerial partnership.

Cal commented: “It was a bit of a scrappy game in which either side could have nicked a win. I thought we played the better football overall and with the amount of players we had missing I don’t think it was a bad point at all.

“Before the game today and the one at Blyth last week we would have been more than happy to take four points out of the two away games especially considering our previous poor form,” added Cal.

Tommy said he agreed with Cal’s comments and added: “It was a resilient performance considering we came into the game with just one recognised centre back.

“Losing Cal so early on and having to restructure the side and play some lads out of position took the wind out of our sails after the positive start we’d made.

“But we showed good character on a difficult, bobbly pitch and we earned lots of positives to take into our next Teesside derby match at home to Marske on 15 March by which tie we hope to see a few more key players returning to the squad,” continued Tommy.

GUISBOROUGH’S TRAVELLING FANS THANKED FOR SUPPORT

He said he, Cal and all the players would like to thank the healthy contingent of Guisborough fans who made the journey up to Whitley Bay, helping to swell the crowd to a very healthy 423.

“The lads really appreciate the support and hope we’ll get a bumper derby attendance for next Saturday’s Marske game,” added Tommy.

Report: Bill Perfitt