Hednesford moved joint top of the Northern Premier League this evening as two first-half goals were enough for them to ease their way past Guiseley at Keys Park

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Having recorded back-to-back league wins for the first time in 2026 last weekend at Bamber Bridge, manager Kevlin Davis saw no reason to make any changes to his side and named the same XI that had started the last two games. A whole plethora of first-team names - Simeon Maye, Dan Trickett-Smith, Dan Turner, Jonny Edwards, Dom McHale, Ryan Wynter, Xander Parke, Jacob Gwilt and Joss Labadie - all missed out again as the Pitmen's vast squad depth came into stark focus

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Guiseley's season had started to peter out in recent weeks, as Ian Richards' side dropped out of the play-off race, whilst staying well clear of the relegation scrap below them in the table. Richards made one change to his Lions side from the one that had drawn 1-1 with improving Workington last weekend, as Jake Lawlor was preferred to Calum Hudson in defence. The Guiseley gaffer had also been active in the loan market in midweek, bringing in young York City winger Mo Fadera on a deal until the end of the season; the teenager lined up amongst the Guiseley substitutes ahead of today's trip down the South Staffordshire

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Top scorer Ahkeem Rose started off as he meant to go on with a strong opening salvo in front of goal, pulling a right-footed effort well wide of goal in the first minute of the game after a powerful run into the box

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Two minutes later, Rose fired a rising shot narrowly over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area as he picked up a pass from Montel Gibson on the edge of the box before unleashing a half-volley at goal

 

The in-form Omari Sterling-James cross created another good opening for Rose in the fourth minute as he stood up a cross that was met at the far post by the striker, whose effort dropped wide of the woodwork

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Gibson - working hard and a constant threat to the Guiseley defence - did well to control the ball just outside the opposition box in the eighth minute, striking a powerful effort at goal that was deflected off Elliott Owen and looping up over goalkeeper Joe Cracknell's head, forcing the lanky stopper into action backpedal and make the catch

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Ollie Harrison went close to opening the scoring in the tenth minute as the big centre-back rose to meet Chris Hussey's deep corner kick at the far post, only to glance his effort wide of goal under pressure from skipper Lebrun Mbeka

 

Guiseley had barely got a foot into the game so far, having to defend diligently against the high-pressing Hednesford attack and struggling to get out of their own half. It took until the sixteenth minute for the Lions to have a sight at goal of their own, with Jordan Thewlis spotting Tony Breeden off his line and attempting a hugely optimistic lob over the stopper from forty yards out that drifted well wide of Breeden's right-hand post

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Rose went agonisingly close to breaking his duck in the eighteenth minute as some neat play in and around the Guiseley box saw Sterling-James and Gibson involved to play Rose in on goal, only for Cracknell to make a fairly easy save to hold the shot after a block from Ollie Brown had taken the sting out of the shot

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The Pitmen's incessant pressure finally told on twenty minutes as Gibson grabbed his seventh goal of the season after excellent work from Rose; making a powerful run down the right, Rose took the ball past Kyle White before drilling the ball across the face of goal via a deflection off the boot of the Guiseley left-back, falling conveniently into the path of Gibson to sidefoot the loose ball home at the far post

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The hosts continued to press, looking to force home a quickfire second goal; Gibson was left frustrated by a late offside flag against him on twenty-five minutes as he made a run in behind the Guiseley defence to latch onto Joel Taylor's pass, only for the assistant on the main stand side to raise his flag against the striker

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Breeden's first real involvement in the game came three minutes later, making a good save to deny Thewlis with a good save down to his right to deny the former Harrogate Town man after Thewlis had made a smart run into the box and struck a low angled shot at goal after a one-two with Brown

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Four minutes later, Brown went close to levelling matters for the visitors as a break down the right saw Jack Emmett whip in a cross to the youngster, whose effort beat Breeden but drifted wide of the veteran's left-hand post

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Guiseley's brief spell of pressure was soon broken by the Pitmen, who extended their lead on thirty-six courtesy of an opportunistic strike from Rose. Lawlor looked to play a ball back to Cracknell but sold his goalkeeper short with a pass that was a little short for the stopper; this allowed Rose to steal in and intercept the errant pass, leaving Cracknell in his wake before gleefully passing the ball into the empty net to make it 2-0

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Gibson continued to torture the Lions defence and went close to making it 3-0 on thirty-nine minutes as his cross-cum-shot from the right very nearly caught Cracknell out, forcing the stopper into corrective action to tip the ball over the crossbar for a Hednesford corner kick

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Harrison went within a whisker of adding to the Pitmen's tally on forty-two minutes as he rose above Mbeka to meet an inswinging corner from the right by Sterling-James, but galloping his effort inches wide of the far post

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At the other end, Owen went close from a corner kick as Harrison Hopper's corner was flicked towards goal by the head of the defender, only to be denied by a goalline clearance from Taylor

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Max Sheaf's game came to an end in the final minute of the first half as the combative midfielder was forced off due to a knock and was replaced in central midfield by Joe Doyle-Charles

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The hosts had been thoroughly good value for their half-time lead, having completely dominated proceedings and showing a ruthlessness in front of goal once more that had been sadly lacking earlier in the season. Davis was forced into another change ahead of the restart as Elliott Johnson was brought off and replaced by on-loan Aiden Walker, making his league debut for the side after joining on loan from Bury earlier in the month

 

Another offside call denied Gibson his second goal of the afternoon on forty-nine minutes after the former Hereford man had risen at the far post to head home Rose's cross, only to have the goal chalked off by referee Mr Constable for a flag raised against him

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This was to prove to be Gibson's final involvement in the afternoon as he was taken off as a precaution on fifty-six minutes after picking up a knock in the centre circle, with Jake Jervis replacing him up front

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On fifty-seven minutes, Rose made another powerful run into the box before laying the ball off to the incoming Taylor, whose curling effort from eighteen yards whistled just past the upright. Close from the left-back

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Midway through the second half, Guiseley made their first changes of the afternoon as new signing Fadera was given a chance to run at the Hednesford defence as he replaced Amir Berchil, who had found it tough going up against Morgan down the left. At the same time, Hopper was brought off and replaced by Joao Slva in midfield

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Cracknell party atoned for his earlier mistake with a fine double save on sixty-seven minutes, pushing a low strike from Sterling-James away before making a brilliant recovery stop to deny Jervis down to his left as the substitute turned the rebound goalwards

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Mbeka picked up the game's first booking of the afternoon a minute later as the lanky defender was shown a yellow card by Mr Constable for clattering Sterling-James from behind to stop him from breaking into the Guiseley third of the pitch

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Sterling-James picked up the home side's only yellow card of the afternoon on seventy-two minutes as he didn't take too kindly to a challenge on him from Brown and entered into a bout of pushing and shoving with the youngster that saw him booked by the official for dissent. Brown somehow managed to avoid a card for both the foul and his part in the subsequent handbags between both sets of players

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Guiseley made a third change of the afternoon with fifteen minutes of play remaining as striker John Lufudu was brought on as he replaced right-back Lucas Odunston

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Another brilliant save from Cracknell denied the Pitmen what would have been a killer third goal on seventy-seven minutes, denying Morgan his first-ever Hednesford goal after some neat one-touch play in and around the penalty area saw Sterling-James and Rose play the right-back through on goal, only for Cracknell to make a superb one-handed save to deflect the shot over the crossbar from close range

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Good play from Lufudu down the left on eighty-one minutes saw the ex-Spennymoor Town forward whip in a cross to Thewlis, whose first-time effort was deflected behind by the boot of Hussey for a Guiseley corner kick

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Before play could restart, Guiseley made their fourth change of the game as former U18 captain Brown was taken off and replaced by ex-Scarborough Athletic man Hudson 

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The resultant corner from Silva on the right was delivered deep to the far post, where Owen rose above Harrison but could only get underneath the ball and head over Breeden's crossbar

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Rose was afforded a standing ovation from the Keys Park crowd on eighty-six minutes as the hard-running striker was taken off by Davis and replaced by Niall Watson for the final few minutes

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Jervis looked to add to his memorable strike at Bamber Bridge with a great chance to put the icing on the cake as we headed into nine added minutes, breaking from halfway and taking the ball towards goal, onyl to be denied right at the death by a last-ditch challenge from the covering Lawlor before the veteran striker could get his shot away

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Guiseley made a late final change of the game deep into added time as young midfielder Derren Boyle came on in place of the experienced Emmett in the centre of the park

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Three points for the Pitmen, aided by a goalless draw for league leaders Hebburn Town at Warrington Town, means that the hosts draw level with the Hornets on sixty-three points at the top of the table, with Hebburn only remaining top of the tree on goal difference. The Pitmewn will now make two tricky journeys north in the next fortnight, facing bottom-of-the-league Stocksbridge Park Steels next weekend before making the long trip up to Cumbria to face a resurgent Workington side at Borough Park the following Saturday

Hednesford Town: Breeden ©, Morgan, Taylor, Hussey, Harrison, Johnson (Walker 45), Sheaf (Doyle-Charles 45), Kinsella, Gibson (Jervis 56), Sterling-James ▆, Rose (Watson 86)      Sub unused: Hylton

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Guiseley: Cracknell, Odunston (Ludufu 75), White, Mbkea © ▆, Owen, Lawlor, Hopper (Silva 65), Brown (Hudson 81), Thewlis, Emmett (Boyle 90+4), Berchil (Fadera 64)     Subs unused: none

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