Guiseley .............. 1

Blyth Spartans ... 2

GUISELEY player-manager Bobby Davison probably had little sleep on Tuesday night. What had transpired at Nethermoor hours previously is something that only happens in your worst nightmares.

For 40 minutes his side had put on a scintillating display of all that is good about the game of football. Sharp, incisive, flowing build-ups ran Blyth ragged as the notoriously hard to please Nethermoor crowd almost purred with satisfaction.

Slick passing and neat link-ups between the back four and a midfield that possessed a welter of on-the-ball skills made the visitors look second rate.

What made it all the more impressive was the fact that it was achieved on an evening when it never stopped raining and the surface was so greasy the ball was liable to zip away from the slightest of misplac ed passes.

There were hardly any of these and it was hard to believe that after such a first half performance, the teams were level at 1-1 at the interval.

As one fan put it succinctly: "If we had spent any more time in their half, we would have had to pay rent."

However, while football cliches are something of a joke these days, they have emerged from a background of truth. Football is a 'funny old game' and any fixture can be 'a game of two halves'

Fans were undoubtedly hoping that Guiseley would reproduce their silkiness of the first half on the resumption, but so high had been the standard and pace of their display that it was expecting too much.

While Guiseley still dominated in spells, Blyth were a stronger force in the second 45 minutes, producing just enough to cast doubts in the minds of home supporters and give rise to thoughts that perhaps they were about to witness a travesty of justice.

They were, and perhaps the biggest lesson to be learnt by Guiseley from the night is that when you are so far and away on top, when you are in form collectively and dominance is total, you must make it count.

Guiseley had enough chances in that first 40 minutes to win three games, yet the first seeds of doubt were sown in the knowledge that all they had to show for it was a slender lead which had come from the penalty spot.

It was hard to believe that at the end of 90 minutes, that was still their only score, for the match had begun so differently.

After just six minutes, Colin Hunter burst down the left flank, only to be stopped unfairly by Blyth full back , Michael Farrey, a player who was later to have a captain's moment and stun the home supporters.

The free-kick came out to Mick Morrell and the youngster struck a good, low right foot shot that whizzed just passed goalkeeper Terry Burke's right hand post. The game then went as follows:

9 minutes - Full back Peter Atkinson beats his man on the right and sends in a powerful shot which flies just over the angle of post and bar.

11 minutes - Andy Williams feeds Colin Hunter, who takes on his man and forces a corner. However, the kick is wasted by a poor Hunter pass to central defender Stephen Hook, who had come up into the attack.

15 minutes - Another Guiseley corner and this time Bobby Davison gets his head to the ball to force a diving save from Burke.

17 minutes - Midfielder Lee Elam, who was to have an industrious first half, sets off on a jinking run which ends in a good low shot, again saved by a diving Burke.

18 minutes - Another good build-up from Guiseley between Elam and Hunter leads to a further corner, this time wasted by Elam who puts it straight into the side netting.

20 minutes - The breakthough arrives. Hook sends Morrell down the right-hand side and the youngster's pace and strength embarrasses the Blyth defence. He is brought down in the penalty area.

Atkinson takes the kick and drills it low into the goalkeeper's right hand corner. Even then, Burke almost gets to it.

At this stage, everything is going to plan. Blyth can hardly get out of their own half and it

seems that more goals are inevitable.

25 minutes - Neat play by Elam earns yet another corner on the right. This is headed out of the penalty area to be met by a Williams blockbuster that Burke manages to turn over the bar. Hook just gets his head to the resulting corner, but can't direct the ball.

31 minutes - The majority of Guiseley attacks are down the right and from yet another one, Elam crosses too near to Burke.

32 minutes - Guiseley's umpteenth corner is played out to Hunter on the left, who immediately send in a cross that just eludes Davison in front of goal.

33 minutes - Blyth finally make it out of their own half. Goalkeeper Steve Dickinson contrives to give the home fans palpitations by dwelling on a harmless back pass and deciding to dribble round an onrushing attacker before passing to full back Simon Phillips.

34 minutes - Davison and Elam combine to give Hook the chance to send in a curling shot just too high.

35 minutes - Phillips goes on a forward run and send in a powerful shot, unfortunately for Guiseley straight at Burke.

At this stage it was hard to see how Blyth would get back into the game. Even though Dickinson had to make a difficult catch when under fierce pressure from striker Willie Moat, and the visitors at last began to put one or two passes together, they looked slow and laboured compared to the home side.

However, Guiseley still had only the penalty to mark their superiority and the unthinkable was about to happen.

Ian Blackstone, who only a season ago had been on loan at Guiseley, put in a run down the left which was stopped by a strong Hook tackle. From the throw-in, the ball was put into the Guiseley box and not properly cleared.

The ball reached Farrey, who from about 20 yards, had time to take aim and send a piledriver into the roof of the net leaving Dickinson nowhere.

If the 1-1 interval score was a totally unfair reflection of play, the second half was hardly much better. Guiseley, without ever reaching the heights of their earlier play, still had much the better of things, but again couldn't make it count.

With Burke, Blyth's man of the match, in scintillating form, Guiseley were to pay dearly for failing to convert chances.

These still came the way of the home side. Williams, who quietly patrols midfield, increasingly began to pull the strings. He released players with a string of intelligent passes and emerged as the home side's best player on the night, just ahead of central defender Simon Trevitt, who is certain to prove an inspirational signing.

Still the chances came and went. Hook sent a free-kick over, followed by a rasping drive brilliantly saved by Burke.

Guiseley continued to force corners, but posed little danger, with the tall Burke particularly strong on crosses.

Morrell was being forced to shoot from long range and though Williams brilliantly chested down a clearance before blasting in a 20-yarder, it just cleared the bar.

Back came Williams with another great run through the middle to free Hunter, who played a cross into the path of Morrell. Unfortunately the shot was weak and Burke saved easily.

Slowly Guiseley began to run out of ideas and, as the game entered its later stages, appeared to lose some steam as well. Sporadic Blyth attacks became more frequent and twice Dickinson had to make saves.

The fans became apprehensive, and in the 80th minute Blyth proved they had good reason to feel so. Awarded a free-kick 25 yards out on the left, ex-Hibernian player Mark Lee rattled an unstoppable shot under the angle of post and bar.

It wasn't quite the end. David Cooke came on for Elam, there were dubious appeals for a penalty when a Phillips shot appeared to strike a defender's arm (though this would have been the harshest of decisions if given) and with four minutes left there was the miss of the match.

Williams again droves forward, drew a defender and released Hunter on the left. His the perfect cross, curling away from the keeper, went straight into the path of Morrell. The striker met it on the volley, but from four yards out managed to miss the target.

That, as they say, was that.

Guiseley will play far worse than this and win games. But that will be of little consolation to a team that patently possesses the ability to go places this season.

l For a report of Saturday's match against Stalybridge Celtic and a preview of this weekend's fixture, see page 25.

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