Cards target second win

Guiseley AFC v Woking
Vanarama National League
3pm on Saturday 10 September 2016

The Cards travel to bottom-of-the-table Guiseley on Saturday very much hoping that they can secure their second win of the season against a side which has gained only one point so far. Although it’s early in the season to be speaking of ‘six pointers’, there is no doubt that victory would be a considerable shot in the arm for whichever side can win this game.

WOKING

Macclesfield away was probably one of the fixtures Cards fans least wanted after the relative euphoria of Bank Holiday Monday’s 3-1 win over a lacklustre Chester side. The pessimism, born of many fruitless trips to the Moss Rose, proved well-founded as the Silkmen comfortably outplayed Garry Hill’s side, with Woking also seeing the talismanic Ismail Yakubu leave the field with a calf strain before half-time.

The game against Chester showed that this side can play some decent football and have the necessary determination to fight for a result. They will need to show the same qualities in abundance at Guiseley, who will be equally desperate to claim three points.

GUISELEY AFC

The Lions have risen quickly in recent years up the non-League pyramid, being promoted to the Conference North in 2009-10 and then going on to be defeated in four successive campaigns in the play-offs before finally gaining promotion in 2014-15. In their first year in the National League the Lions…

Guiseley’s start to the season has been even worse than ours, with seven successive defeats and last Saturday’s 0-0 home draw against Braintree Town, rooting them to the bottom of the table. After five losses the Board dispensed with the services of manager Mark Bower, who had guided them to three promotions, and his assistant, midfielder Danny Boshell. Highly experienced central defender Adam Lockwood (ex-Yeovil and Doncaster) has taken temporary charge. His first game at the helm saw a 1-4 home defeat against Bromley on 27 August. Since then the Lions have lost 1-0 away to Tranmere Rovers - not a bad result in itself – and then drawn against Braintree.

Over the summer Bower brought in a number of new faces, the best known of whom is striker Michael Rankine, who has done the rounds of a host of Conference clubs. Others included keeper Tim Deasy, who, however, has already left the club, being replaced by Jonny Maxted on a three-month loan from Forest Green Rovers; Ashley Palmer, a defender who was part of North Ferriby United’s rise to the National League; left back Marcus Williams, with over 250 Football League appearances to his credit; Danny East, a midfielder from Grimsby Town; Javan Vidal, a midfielder/defender from Wrexham; Dave Syers, a midfielder formerly with Rochdale and Scunthorpe; and Jordan Preston, a 20 year-old striker from Blackburn Rovers. Lockwood has now added midfielder Simon Walton, who made over 30 appearances for Crawley Town last season in League 2, to the squad.

GETTING THERE

Guiseley AFC
Nethermoor Park
Otley Road
Guiseley
Leeds
LS20 8BT

Official website: www.guiseleyafc.co.uk
By coach
The Cards Trust is not running a coach to this game. The news item of 6 September announced that the Club had offered some train tickets to fans for a donation.

By car

Guiseley is about 220 miles from Woking and the AA gives a driving time of just over four hours. Head for the M1 and then the M621 (Leeds Centre). At J1 take the A6110/Ring Road exit to A653/Dewsbury Airport. At the roundabout take the 3rd exit onto Ring Road/A6110. Follow A6110 for about a mile and a half till you reach the exit for Ring Road Farsley/A6120. Follow A6120 for about two and a half miles till you reach the exit onto Rawdon Road/A65. Follow A65 for about two to three miles until you reach the ground on your right.

There is a free car park extremely close to the ground on Netherfield Road (Sat Nav postcode LS20 9PD). Parking here is free and you can access Nethermoor by the footbridge in the back corner.  

By train

Guiseley is on the Wharfedale Line, served by trains from Leeds, Bradford and Ilkley. You’d probably want to take a train from London KX up to Leeds, which can be reached direct or via a change at Doncaster, but you might find a better price going via Bradford. The overall journey time from KX to Guiseley, via Leeds, varies but is roughly three hours. For example, the 10.03 from KX would get you to Guiseley at 13.13 via a change (and a 40-minute wait) at Leeds, while the 10.48 would get you there at 13.46 via Doncaster and Leeds. The last possible (and quickest) train from KX would be the 11.35, which would get you to Guiseley at 14.14 via Leeds. Look up www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.trainline.com for more details of times and prices.

Nethermoor is about five minutes’ walk from Guiseley station.   Exit into the station car park and walk diagonally across it towards the path between hedges that leads to a terrace of stone-built houses. Walk to the end of the terrace and turn right into Otley Road – Nethermoor is 200 yards on the right.

The first trains back after the game, via Leeds, leave at 17.26 and 17.52.

ADMISSION PRICES

Adults £15
Concessions £10
12-18 year-olds £5
Accompanied U12s Free

COMING UP

The Cards follow their Guiseley trip with two attractive home games against Torquay United (Tuesday 13 September) and Wrexham (Saturday 17 September). Make sure both matches are in your diary!


Come on, you Cards!

P.S. Don’t forget to book your tickets for the “Evening with Elvis� on Friday 30 September: see the news item on 31 August for more details.