REPORT BY: CAYDEN SANDS

A man-of-the-match performance from Callum Chippendale saw Guiseley comfortably dispatch of Atherton Collieries 3-0 on Boxing Day.

Much like their game against FC Halifax Town last week, it was Guiseley who had the better of the opening minutes, with the home side having a number of set-pieces including a pair of corners that caused Atherton some problems, whilst the visitors also had very little in the way of a response up to this point.

The Lions’ opening dominance continued as the game hit the 15 minute mark following a pair of chances that if it wasn’t for the last ditch heroics of Collieries’ Nico De Freitas-Hansen, would likely have been easily tucked home by the likes of Lewis Whitham for Guiseley, but the hosts’ search for an opener went on.

The visitors nearly had the lead on 20 minutes against the run of play after a shot from Scott Bakor was saved by Lions debutant Cam Mason before falling to the feet of Jay Fitzmartin, but the forward’s shot was cleared off the line by Guiseley captain George Smith, saving his team’s blushes.

The hosts had a near miss of their own just three minutes later after a solo run from Lewis Whitham created a crossing opportunity for Chippendale, with the resulting ball in being deflected to the feet of Smith, whose effort went just wide of the target from outside the box.

Another chance fell for Guiseley on 31 minutes, after a series of deflections from the Atherton defence allowed the ball to fall for Ross Daly, who whipped in a strong cross to the head of Jameel Ible, but the resulting header was caught at close-range by Freitas-Hansen.

Daly himself had an effort three minutes after his near assist, but Freitas-Hansen was there again to save his side at the last moment.

The hosts’ persistence was rewarded on 39 minutes in the most bizarre circumstances, with a corner from Smith seeming to have crossed the line before being headed, meaning Guiseley took the lead at a vital time of the half.

The Lions’ lead was nearly doubled just before the break after a shot from Whitham that looked more like a cross curled narrowly wide of the post, but this didn’t stop the home side going in at the break with a deserved lead that they would be hoping to extend in the second-half.

The game restarted and Whitham was at it again for Guiseley within 30 seconds, making another run before unleashing a curling effort that scraped the post.

It wouldn’t take long however for the hosts to extend their lead, when a ball from debutant Kallan Murphy was volleyed home by Chippendale on 48 minutes, sending the Lions’ supporters into elation with a vital goal.

Guiseley nearly had a third on 56 minutes after a chipped cross from debutant Courtney Meppen-Walter was headed towards goal by Ekow Coker before being tipped over by Freitas-Hansen, with the resulting corner leading to Meppen-Walter heading the ball narrowly past the post.

Chippendale doubled his tally for the game on 61 minutes after a fine bit of skill from Whitham laid out Atherton’s Joel Amado, with the low cross that followed being powered home by the fan-favourite forward, tripling Guiseley’s lead.

Despite the position they found themselves in, Atherton came to life after the third goal, threatening the Lions’ goal for a period of ten minute with a number of set-pieces, but the home defence held firm amidst the frequent pressure. Guiseley would see out the rest of the game in comfortable fashion to secure their second consecutive league victory to finish 2022.