Guiseley 1, Prescot Cables 1

Two controversial dismissals saw both teams end with ten men and share the points after a penalty-spot equaliser for the visitors in a game packed with incident.

The roller-coaster contest was a tribute to the players given the wet conditions.

The heavy rain and chill wind threatened a postponement but the referee deemed it playable.

It looked as if new boss Steve Kittrick would gain his first win in charge when Guiseley went ahead shortly after the visitors' goalkeeper had been sent off.

But Prescot equalised from the spot soon afterwards following a foul by home defender Simon Sturdy which earned him a second yellow card.

The official in charge took every decision to the letter of the law rather than allow common sense to filter into his interpretation. It definitely affected both sendings-off.

Guiseley assistant Wayne Benn said: "Their goalkeeper getting a straight red was debatable. We can't have any complaints about the penalty given against us but was it worth a second yellow card for Simon Sturdy?

"The ref has not been great and I just hope he hasn't done that to even things up.

"We are not using the penalty as an excuse for not winning. That was down to us because we created enough chances to win it. It wasn't down to lack of effort either, our lads worked hard on a gluepot of a pitch.

"But at the end of the day football is all about putting the ball in the net and we have paid the price for not doing that again.

"We are disappointed and frustrated. Prescot had an outfield player in goal for almost half an hour and we never tested him. We went ragged after scoring our goal and Steve and myself have no idea why."

Guiseley had the ball in the net before the hour but the referee ruled the strike out after seeing a push on the visitors' keeper Richie Mottram as the cross came in.

Mottram's red card for handling outside his box came in the 64th minute and was incredibly harsh. He slid out of his area on the greasy turf but tried to pull his hands clear of the ball.

The resulting free-kick on the edge of the area was wasted but stand-in goalkeeper, midfielder Mick O'Donnell, was soon beaten.

Four minutes later, James Hanson planted a header into the net from a Dean Walters cross. From what should have been a winning platform, Guiseley let it slip within five minutes.

Prescot substitute Tommy Taylor broke through into the Guiseley area, Sturdy was on his shoulder and the pair lost their footing.

The referee decreed it was a bookable offence and Sturdy was dismissed, having already been booked. Prescot centre back Thomas Moore slotted home the penalty.