Guiseley 2 Nantwich Town 2

Guiseley rescued a point from their home clash with a battling and spirited Nantwich side which keeps them just two points off the UniBond Premier Division summit.

It was a chance missed to head the division as the two points dropped would have put them level on points with Hednesford still with a game in hand.

For long periods of the game the supporters must have wished they had stayed at home in front of the fire. It was the freezing fog at one point that threatened the game, not conditions underfoot as with the volunteer groundworkers having covered the pitch with tarpaulins the overnight frost had not affected it.

Town, like many clubs who visit Nethermoor, came with a burning desire to provide an upset such is the importance this season of beating Steve Kittrick’s men.

Nantwich pushed and harried Guiseley and led the game for most of the second-half but substitutions by Steve Kittrick had the desired effect. After a late leveller they could even have stolen all three points.

“We haven’t played well, we know that, but give credit to Nantwich because they have come here to upset the odds and almost have,” said assistant manager Wayne Benn.

“They scored in first-half stoppage time which altered our talk to the lads when we got them in the dressing room. It didn’t matter what we said, because for the first ten minutes of the second-half we couldn’t get out of our own half.

“We took Chris Bolder off but it could have been any of the four across midfield because they all under-performed. The other one we took off was Phil Denney from up front and I felt sorry for him because he hadn’t had any service.

“Putting David Brown and James Hanson on when defences are tired is a great weapon for us. We have four top-class strikers at this club and its difficult getting them all enough time on the pitch.

“It’s giving silly goals away that is costing us points. I’m fed up of having to say we gave the opposition easy goals but we’ve gone and done it again.”

Guiseley got off to a whirlwind start by taking a deserved lead just three minutes into the game. A good run from Mark Thompson forced a corner, Mark Whitehouse whipped it in and Adam Muller headed in from the edge of the six-yard box.

Town did not trail for long, restoring parity in the seventh minute through a superb half-volley from Mike Lennon after his strike partner Dave Whittaker had nodded down a chip from Glyn Blackhurst.

When they snatched the lead seconds before the half-time whistle it was the unmarked Whittaker who turned the ball in after a low cross from the left. Three minutes after the double substitution, which saw Hanson and Brown introduced, the latter netted Guiseley’s equaliser bringing great celebrations from his teammates and the crowd.

A Muller effort was cleared but Dave Merris played the ball back to Brown and he rounded the ’keeper before chipping the ball into the empty net.

There was still time for Guiseley ’keeper Piotr Skiba to make an absolutely stunning reaction save to finger-tip a header over his bar. It eclipsed the brilliant save by Town ’keeper Lee Jones to block a Thompson free-kick just after the half hour.

Guiseley’s West Riding County Cup clash with Ossett Town due to be played at Nethermoor on Tuesday night wa s postponed eu to the icy conditions, It will now be played on Tuesday, kick-off 7.45pm. In the meantime Guiseley travel to league leaders Hednesford on Saturday for the top-of-the-table showdown. The Reserves entertain Ossett Albion (3pm).