Guiseley manager Steve Kittrick has called the next two home games “absolutely massive” as they con-tinue their quest for promotion from Blue Square Bet North.

The third-placed Lions face lower-mid-table Histon on Saturday and Harrogate Town next Tuesday as they aim to put pressure on leaders Hyde, who the Lions meet at Ewen Fields a week on Saturday.

Hyde currently have 71 points, which puts them 11 ahead of second-placed Nuneaton, with both having played 33 games, while the Lions have two games in hand on both of them and only trail the Nuns by a point.

Halifax are fourth with 57 points having played 33 games, and Guise-ley boss Steve Kittrick said: “It will be a test of nerve for the top four between now and the end of the season.

“The next two home games are absolutely massive for us. If Hyde slip up, we want to be in a position to take advantage.”

Guiseley go into Saturday’s match on the back of a 2-1 defeat at mid-table Gloucester City last weekend and a 3-1 home victory against Soli-hull Moors on Tuesday.

Kittrick’s team were trailing 1-0 at half-time in midweek, and he said: “I had to do something. What I did and what I said at half-time were both important.” He brought off Jamie Clarke and replaced him with Simon Baldry on the right-hand side of mid-field.

Kittrick confessed: “We are giving away silly goals at present, and that is something we will address at training tonight.”

He called the setback at Gloucester as disappointing but what was more disturbing to him was the perfor-mance of referee Neil Radford from Worcester.

Kittrick said: “We had a meeting at the beginning of the season about mutual respect but when you have a referee who is effing and blinding at the players and showing them no respect, then that is not good. I had a chat with Gloucester’s manager and he also said the referee was poor.

“It was the second time we have had him in five days, and that should not happen either, but we just hope that we don’t get him again.”