Guiseley sacked manager Andy Welsh this week after only five months in charge, and he has hit back at the decision, insisting the club “never outlined any playoff aspirations”.

It was a huge call to make by the Lions on Tuesday, coming three days after a 3-2 home defeat against Lancaster City which has threatened to derail their promotion hopes in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

But Welsh has been ousted by the club with them only three points off the play-offs with five games to go, which he feels was an unjust decision.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, this morning, Welsh wrote the below statement:

Guiseley have named club captain Liam Tongue as caretaker manager until the end of the season, with his side one of several fighting for one the four play-off spots.

The Lions currently sit eighth with five games to go, while Hyde, who occupy the final play-off spot in fifth, only have three matches left.

The bigger issue for Guiseley is therefore the presence of sixth-placed Ashton United, who are only behind Hyde on goal difference, but have five games left like the Lions.

The botom line is that Guiseley have to keep winning to ry and make it into those play-offs, starting with a tricky home game against second-placed Warrington Rylands tomorrow afternoon.