Vanarama National League: Torquay United 1 Guiseley 2

TEN-man Guiseley beat all the odds as second-half goals from Jake Cassidy and Will Hatfield earned them victory from their 'six-point' relegation battle with Torquay United.

The Gulls had slipped into the drop zone in midweek while the Lions had distanced themselves from it with a home win over promotion-chasing Barrow.

Yesterday’s satisfying win after such a long trip pushed Guiseley through the 40-point barrier for the season.

Following their victory at Plainmoor, Lions’ boss Adam Lockwood said: “We always knew it would be a tough place to come.

“In the first half we were poor – half a yard off the pace. I asked a lot of questions at half-time and sent them back out. Then the worst thing that could happen – we went down to ten men.

“We’ve lost too many players to suspension this season – whether they’ve all been justified I don’t know, but it’s definitely something we have look at.

“On the other hand, the second-half performance was very good and we got the right result, despite it not being one for the purists. I thought the heart and endeavour from the players was first class.

“We had two big games in the week – at home to Barrow on Tuesday and then at Torquay - but we got the six points and that has given us a good chance of achieving our goal.”

There was an early delay for an unusual reason after match referee Simon Barrow suffered an ankle injury in the ninth minute.

The fourth official had to warm-up before taking the place of the senior assistant who had taken over the whistle and it took nine minutes to get the game re-started, 18-year-old Guiseley fan Josh Brayshaw taking over the fourth official's duties.

The Gulls broke the deadlock in the 25th minute when skipper Aman Verma hit a 25-yard piledriver that went in off Jonny Maxted’s post.

Then the home side almost doubled their lead when lively striker Brett Williams headed a 36th-minute corner against the bar.

Jake Lawlor picked up the first of his two yellow cards late in the first half, and both sides had chances in the extended stoppage time before the break.

Lawlor departed just eight minutes after the interval following a challenge on Dan Sparkes but the visitors turned the game with two goals inside eight minutes midway through the second period.

Jake Cassidy got a lucky break as a through ball hit the back of his shoulder but fell nicely for him to slot in.

The winner was route one as Maxted’s long punt was latched onto by Will Hatfield, who rifled past home keeper Brendan Moore on the half-volley.

Torquay player-manager Kevin Nicholson was stunned, saying: “If it wasn’t my team, if it wasn’t my football club, I’d probably find those goals quite amusing they were that bad.

“The lads have got work to do and so have I. It’s probably going to take a little while to get over this one.”

Brayshaw, from Yeadon, took over the fourth official duties in the 24th minute, initially wearing his jeans.

He said:"At half-time I changed into something more appropriate - a tracksuit. I switched into match-official mode and it wasn't Guiseley anymore, it was just whites v yellows."

A rising star within the West Riding County FA referees' set up, Josh had travelled down to Torquay on Friday with the Guiseley AFC Supporters' Club.

They had stayed overnight in a hotel and he was looking forward to supporting his team at Plainmoor.

His day soon changed, however, and Josh added:"It was not how I had planned my day but it was a great learning experience for me. A job needed doing and I did it."

He added:"It was a great opportunity to add to my experience as a match official."

After the game The Supporters' Club bus would not wait for him to make the return journey, so he travelled back to Guiseley on the team bus.

Josh, who started refereeing at the age of 14, officiates at games most days of the week, either as a referee or on the line.

He operates in leagues varying from Sunday football to the West Yorkshire League Premier Division.

He has also officiated in Guiseley Under-19 Academy games and Guiseley Vixens' games in the FA Women's Premier League.