Guisborough Town 2 Whitley Bay 1

GUISBOROUGH Town dug deep to put on a battling display against Whitley Bay at the KGV Stadium last Saturday to earn their first win in 13 games and lift themselves off the bottom of the table for the first time in weeks.

The managerless Priorymen looked set for another difficult afternoon as Whitley Bay raced into a 1-0 lead after only five minutes when sloppy play in midfield allowed Alex Kempster to burst through and beat Guisborough keeper James Dawson.

The Priorymen must have feared the worst as a fast and strong-looking Bay side controlled the opening 20 minutes, but they failed to capitalise further on their superiority thanks mainly to some excellent goalkeeping by Dawson.

Guisborough equalised in style after 27 minutes when midfielder Gary Wood, enjoying a fine game, put through an inch-perfect, defence-splitting pass for Connor Smith. He sprinted through and just beat Bay keeper Thomas Flynn to the ball to side-foot home from just inside the penalty area.

It was a wonderfully-worked goal and the relief around the ground and among the Guisborough players was palpable.

Guisborough visibly gained in confidence and they went close to taking the lead on the half-hour when another great ball by Wood down the right set up Sam Orritt, a highly impressive new loan signing from Bishop Auckland, whose superb cross just needed a final touch from Smith.

A rejuvenated Guisborough came out for the second half and continued to do most of the pressing. They again went close to taking the lead midway through the half when a 25-yard free kick from left back Joe Ferguson was well-held by Flynn.

But, barely a minute later, the Guisborough players and fans went wild with delight when David Onions peeled away beautifully from his marker to chase another brilliant ball from Wood. Onions took the ball to the byline, cut inside and threaded the ball from a tight angle into the far corner of the net as the KGV erupted as if Town had won the league.

Guisborough caretaker manager Dave Ryder, who took charge for the day along with team coach Chris Fairless, was a happy man after the game and said: “I thought we started slowly, going behind after just five minutes, but we eventually settled into the game and got a deserved equaliser through Connor Smith.

"Before the game, we'd discussed about pressing higher up the field and I thought we executed our game plan very well for the full 90 minutes. Whitley Bay are well-organised and one of the better sides in the league and it's important to stop their back four from coming up field and thus pressing and frustrating them.

"I thought our energy levels were right where they should be and the tempo was a lot higher than of late.”

There are still mounting issues for the club in terms of more injuries and possible player comings and goings, not to mention the need to fill the managerial vacancy following the resignation of Steve Dowling.

Guisborough are keen to appoint a new manager as soon as possible, but they will not be rushed into things. Club chairman Don Cowan said there had been very strong interest in the vacancy, but the club wanted to make sure it gave appropriate time and due consideration in making the right decision for the future.

Ryder, who has been a Guisborough stalwart for many years, both as a player and on the coaching side, has decided not to throw his hat into the managerial ring due to increasing work commitments.

He said: “This was my last game and I found it hard to tell the players this when they were on such a high after the great result against Bay. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Guisborough for making me feel so welcome over the past years and my special thanks to all the players past and present for all the kind words they have said to me.”