Guiseley capture first two signings as they confirm return of former star

Guiseley AFC have added to their attacking options by signing Buxton forward Jake Wright.

Wright, 27, is not to be confused with the Boston defender of the same name. The pair played together for Boston for four seasons, a time in which the Guiseley signing scored 27 goals in 85 games for the Lincolnshire club.

It was a period in which he had to carry the word Junior behind his name, a tag he now wishes to discard and be recognised in his own right.

Wright has plenty of National League and National League North experience and has made his mark in the past with York City, Harrogate Town and Gateshead after having been a scholar in the Sheffield United Academy and becoming a pro for three years. He played one first team game for The Blades.

The player, who also had a loan spell at Southport, is now looking forward to joining Guiseley – a club he has heard good things about from his former teammates Connor Brown and Jordan Thewlis.

Wright said: “I am looking forward to getting started. I like to play down the middle and I will give 110 per cent. We don’t want to be in this league, we need to crack on and get promotion.”

In other news, attacker Jordan Thewlis is set for a return to Guiseley and only promotion as champions will satisfy the well-travelled front man.

Thewlis left Guiseley in January 2022 to join Spennymoor Town for an undisclosed fee after netting six goals in 20 games. The 31-year-old notched four goals in 19 games in his first season at The Brewery Field and three goals in 15 games in 2022-23 season before moving on to Alfreton Town in November 2022, where he found the net seven times in 24 games over the remainder of the season.

The Scunthorpe-based property developer then found some of his best form in the season just ended, grabbing 25 goals in all competitions as Alfreton reached the National North play-offs and FA Cup second round.

A graduate of the Scunthorpe United Academy, where he turned professional in 2011, Thewlis has spent the majority of his non-league career in National League North and that is where he is aiming to return to with Guiseley.

He said: “I and the club want promotion from the Pitching In League and want it to be as champions, not through the play-offs.

"There is nothing worse than getting to February and your season being over. I haven’t played in this league before, there will be new clubs and grounds for me and I am looking forward to that.”

He added: “We need to build a good base in pre-season and although results are not everything in pre-season games, we need to get some wins to build momentum.”

Thewlis has joined Guiseley on a two-year deal and says he is really happy to be returning to the Nethermoor Park club.

“It is a place I am familiar with, and I have played with some of the players still there such as Prince (Ekpolo).

“I came across Mark Bower as an opposition manager a number of times and his sides have always been competitive. I am looking forward to working with him and Danny Boshell.”