GUISELEY head into the final month of their National League campaign in a heady 15th place after a 1-0 away win at Southport on the first day of April.

It was the Sandgrounders who were ultimately the 'fools' as this defeat left them on the foot of the table and contemplating the drop.

The only real surprise, though, was that Kevan Hurst’s spectacular winner took so long to come.

Guiseley forced a corner with less than 20 minutes remaining and Hurst swung in the flag-kick in. The ball was half cleared after Simon Walton attempted to recycle it but dropped invitingly for Hurst, who volleyed it past home keeper Craig King.

The Lions are now on the brink of the 50-point mark but just six above the relegation places – meaning there is still work for Adam Lockwood and his side to do in their remaining five games.

The Guiseley manager said: “We’re nowhere near over the line. I want to finish as high as possible.

“We’ve got some tough games coming up – as this one was – and yes it was a big three points, but from where we were every win was a massive one for us.

"We want as many points as possible and we need more points to guarantee our place.

“The important thing is that we had a great reaction from last week's 4-0 home defeat to Dover.

"Every time we’ve had a little setback we have come good in the next game and that’s testament to the guys in our dressing room.”

Southport were second-bottom before kick-off with games in hand, and started well.

The home side almost broke the deadlock when Rory McKeown sent in an angled shot that clattered Jonny Maxted’s crossbar.

The Lions weathered an excellent 20-25 minute spell from the Sandgrounders and, while Jordan Preston had chances for the visitors, the threat was still there as Jake Lawlor had to clear a Richard Brodie header off the line.

King was the busier keeper after the interval and he pulled off two top drawer saves to thwart Hurst and Will Hatfield before being beaten by the former.

Lockwood added: “Sometimes that’s what this division is all about. A little bit of quality and there are more like Kevan in that dressing room. I think there’s definitely enough in this squad for us to stay up and keep moving forward.”

Results elsewhere kept the relegation battle interesting as North Ferriby United lifted themselves off the bottom of the table with a 1-0 away win at Forest Green Rovers, while York City recorded back-to-back victories for the first time this season with a 3-0 home win over Braintree.