Guiseley manager Mark Bower is looking forward to the hectic festive period and who can blame him.

Gavin Rothery’s last-gasp equaliser at Nethermoor on Saturday earned a 2-2 draw against Altrincham and extended the Lions’ unbeaten run to 14 games.

It also gave them a boost ahead of their four tough Skrill North games in just ten days.

It includes two derby clashes against Harrogate away on Boxing Day and home on New Year’s Day.

Sandwiched between those encounters is a home fixture with Gainsborough Trinity and the Lions round off their seasonal programme with a visit to Brackley Town.

After seeing his patched up side come back to draw against Altrincham – they were without Danny Boshell, Adam Lock wood, Jack Rea and Danny Forrest – Bower said: “We can go into the Harrogate game happy that the run keeps going. It feels almost like a win in the dressing room.

“We have some hard fixtures over this Christmas period but if we have the same commitment we had against Altrincham we have every chance of getting results.

“If you look at our most recent four games, they were tough too. We beat Boston United, Bradford Park Avenue twice and drew with Altrincham who I think are one of the best team’s in the league.

“In that period we have taken seven points out of nine and progressed in the FA Trophy. I just hope we can keep up our momentum.”

Boshell, who was not allowed to play against his old club because of the terms of his move to Guiseley, will come back into the reckoning at Harrogate.

Lockwood, Forrest, Rea and Danny Ellis are all making good progress from their respective injuries but are not ready to return yet.

Bower says he is looking to strengthen his squad in the coming weeks as the demands mount for Guiseley.

“At this time of the year clubs are reluctant to let the sort of players we want go as they need cover for the busy holiday period,” he said.

“That is why we are working to make sure we have the numbers in our squad to keep our momentum going.

“We brought in Luke Parkin last week who is a young striker who has been a consistent scorer with the Leeds Academy side.

“He is on a month’s loan and I was pleased with the way he played against Altrincham. He showed some nice touches despite the tough conditions..

“We are determined to continue to climb the table as well as doing as well as we can in the FA Trophy."