OLD head Andy Gray could play a Teddy Sheringham role in Guiseley’s bid to establish themselves in the National League.

A hamstring strain denied the veteran striker the chance to face former club Bradford City in Tuesday night’s friendly at Nethermoor.

But Mark Bower believes his former Valley Parade team-mate has what it takes to provide the nous in the dressing room for their first assault on fifth-tier football.

Bower said: “Andy has vast experience and is a great example to other players. He’s always been very fit.

“He might be 37 now but I look at him as being in the same bracket as strikers like Dean Windass and Teddy Sheringham. They never really relied on pace but kept themselves fit.

“I feel he can certainly be an asset for us this season.

“Andy’s got a little tweak after having such a long time out the game.

“It’s unfortunate for him but we’ve got to make sure he’s right. He hadn’t played at all since leaving City so you expect these type of little niggles.

“It was quite a casual agreement when he came in. He asked if he could come in for training and it gave us the chance to take a look at him.

“We still feel he can contribute and he’s up for it. His match sharpness has been looking all right and we’ll see how it goes.”

Guiseley are second favourites behind Welling to be relegated with few bookies giving the part-timers a chance of beating the drop.

But Bower insists his players will relish the opportunity to prove them wrong.

He said: “People are writing us off before we’ve even started, chiefly because we are part-time. But that can have its advantages too with players that can’t commit to being full-time.

“We know what we are up against. We will be playing teams who have been long established in the Football League but the players are confident.

“We have played Conference sides in cup competitions and done well. We’ll have a lot of respect for these teams but, after playing on some pretty poor pitches, going to Tranmere, Cheltenham and Grimsby will suit the way we play football.”

Bower is building up to his third season at the helm and admits he is still on a learning curve.

“You face different challenges every day,” he added. “You’re not just concentrating on yourself and preparing for games, you’ve got 18-20 lads in there.

“You have to deal with all sorts of different characters, players, agents and managers and I’ve learned that recruitment is massive.

“It’s not just as players but as characters and how people are going to fit into the dressing room. You need the right types.

“We had a really tight-knit group last season that took us such a long way. You saw that character to come from 2-0 down to win in the play-off final.”