GUISELEY started their 2025 away campaign in a similar vein to the way they ended 2024, as goals from Ollie Brown and Will Longbottom sealed an impressive three points in Cumbria on Saturday, writes Joe Priestley.

It took just 12 minutes for the Lions to open their account for the year, when Liam Ridehalgh found Brown with a super cross following a well worked move from the team. The move started in the Lions’ backline and had 18 passes including Ridehalgh’s wicked cross which Brown dived to head into the bottom corner past Reds goalkeeper Alex Mitchell.

Guiseley continued to press the Workington goal with Longbottom and Ridehalgh both missing the target from close range following some super attacking play from Jack Emmett and being denied just minutes later by Mitchell.

The hosts did try and edge their way back into the game but David Symington’s free kick which dropped wide of Joe Cracknell’s goal was as good as it got for them in the opening 45.

The Reds did start the second half strongly but still couldn’t force Cracknell into a meaningful save, Kai Nugent’s corner bounced off the top of the bar in a rare chance for the home side.

Emmett continued to trouble the Workington defence in the second half, even managing to place the ball in the back of the net only to be denied by the assistant referee’s flag and playing a tantalising ball across the face of goal just a yard too far in front of a lunging Will Longbottom.

However Guiseley’s dominance finally did pay dividends when another superb Ridehalgh cross found Longbottom unmarked after a slip from Steven Swinglehurst, and Guiseley’s top scorer made no mistake on this occasion.

The result keeps Guiseley in second place in the league and extends the phenomenal unbeaten run in the league to 15 games ahead of the trip to Morpeth on Saturday.