Struggle

Although I'd taken in three of their pre-season friendlies, today was my first chance to get to a Guiseley game since the season got underway. Hartlepool United were the visitors, the latest of the former league clubs to drop down into the National League.  The teams have had slow starts to the season and both were in the bottom four after six games.

As a "bigger" club, there was plenty of traveling support. On such occasions Nethermoor Park is segregated, which goes against the easier going nature of non-league, but is probably sensible when there's a likelihood of home fans being outnumbered.

Guiseley started with some promise, and had a good early chance, but the game soon stagnated, with neither team able to retain possession and the football spending more time in the air than on the ground.  Hartlepool hardly threatened, but in the opening minutes of the second half put a few passes together and scored what proved to be the only goal of the game. Guiseley had one more chance well saved, but there were too many futile long diagonal balls to areas of the pitch where no team-mates were to be found.

So Hartlepool leap one place ahead of Guiseley, with both on five points after seven games and both still in the bottom four. A long season's struggle for both teams it seems.