Guiseley look to pull in the fans (From Wharfedale Observer)

Guiseley look to pull in the fans

1:13pm Thursday 19th April 2012 in Guiseley

Guiseley are hoping for a bumper crowd in their last home game of the regular Blue Square Bet North season.

The promotion-chasing Lions face Bishop’s Stortford at Nethermoor on Saturday and, given a fair wind, would like a four-figure attendance.

Joint club secretary Adrian Towers said: “If it is a nice day, we would be delighted to get 1,000 fans but anything over our last home gate of 776 would be great.

“We have regularly been getting over 500 and 600 and we are running various schemes on Saturday to boost the crowd.”

The club are making Saturday’s game Lions Share day and are en-couraging all their regular fans to try and take at least one friend along.

Other initiatives include half-price entry for fans of Football League sides if they produce their current season tickets at the turnstile.

Towers added: “We have also been in touch with all the universities in the area and they have been kind enough to put something on their websites.

“We have also been using Facebook and Twitter, and have run competitions on each social network offering a pair of free tickets.

“It all helps and, even though a lot of our players have Football League experience, they are sensitive to noise and do tend to pay better in front of a big crowd.”

Second-placed Guiseley, who are still two points adrift of Hyde with two games to play, warmed up for this weekend with a 3-0 win at old rivals Stalybridge Celtic.

Goals came from skipper Simon Ainge – his fourth in the last three league matches – James Walshaw and Matt Wilson.

Ainge is now up to joint fourth in the club’s league scoring charts with nine, and pleasingly the goals are coming from all areas.

Towers said: “The only regular outfield player not to have scored at all this season is Dave Merris, and it is great to have scorers coming from defence and midfield as well as attack.

“We are a bigger side in height terms this season because of the players we have signed, and the quintet of Simon Ainge, Danny Ellis, Matt Wilson, Ciaran Toner and Simon Baldry all make a nuisance of themselves in and around the opposition box.

“It doesn’t matter if they don’t win the initial header, although if they do it stays headed, as long as the opposition don’t get the ball clear, and we haven’t even mentioned the strikers. It is something that we were talking about in training the other night.

“We have tried to get the defenders and midfielders to push on, and Simon Ainge has a good shot on him and has scored a couple of absolute belters re-cently.

“Danny Boshell can also pick up the bits and pieces around the edge of the box and, even though Simon Baldry isn’t the tallest, he uses his experience to be in the right place.”

Only the dismissal of Walshaw marred last Saturday’s match for Guiseley but they are not going to appeal as the incident was not caught on either club’s video camera.