Grand Finale - Lions Fail To Get Over The Bridge !!

And so to Nethermoor Park in Guiseley, Leeds, for what was to be a Big Cat Derby Northern Premier League Premier Division match between Guiseley AFC, The Lions, and Prescot Cables FC, The Tigers, also affectionately known as the Pesky Bulls 🤪 But due to FA Cup commitments, Guiseley beating Scunthorpe United to reach the 4th Qualifying Round, I'm there a week earlier for an FA Trophy clash with Guiseley facing Bamber Bridge FC.

 Guiseley AFC, The Lions, was established in 1909 at Nethermoor, where they have played since inception. The club started in the Wharfedale League and was crowned as champions in 1912/13. Post World War One Guiseley moved to the Leeds League then the West Riding County Amateur League, winning three consecutive titles between 1933 and 1935, and a further championship in 1939.

After switching back to the Leeds League (now the West Yorkshire League) in 1960 the Lions won the title in their first season and again in 1964/65. Thereafter Guiseley joined the Yorkshire League in 1968 and became a founder member of the Northern Counties East League for the 1982/83 campaign.

As champions of the NCEL in 1990/91 the Lions ascended to the Northern Premier League Division One and that season won the FA Vase 3-1 at Bramall Lane, Sheffield, against Gresley Rovers after a 4-4 draw at Wembley. The following year the Magpies of Wimborne Town defeated Guiseley 5-3 in the Vase Final at Wembley.

After rising to the Premier Division Guiseley AFC was elevated to the Conference North in 2010 and following play off heartbreak in 2012, 2013 and 2014 (the latter a 120th minute extra time winner by Altrincham's Sam Heathcote) the Lions finally went up, at the fourth time of asking, beating Chorley 3-2 in the play off final in 2015. But life in the top tier was relatively short lived with bottom place and relegation to the National North in 2018 and further demotion, again bottom, to the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League in 2022. Tenth last time out, Guiseley currently sit fifth this term.

A Bamber Bridge club played in the late 19th century but the modern club was established in 1952. Brig joined the Preston & District League, merging with Walton-le-Dale in 1974 and playing at King George's Field.

In 1983 the club purchased a plot of derelict land at Irongate in the town with the first game played there in August 1987. The ground was renamed The Sir Tom Finney Stadium after Finney's death in 2014, and is now the SFC Stadium. Their record attendance was 2,300 at a pre Euro 96 warm up with eventual runners up Czech Republic - who won the friendly 9-1.

Back to back championships in 1986 and 1987 prefaced a league and cup double in 1990 and promotion to the North West Counties Football League Division Two. Winning the league saw Division One achieved two years later and a second successive promotion, as runners up, followed to the Northern Premier League Division One in 1993.

In 1995 Brig finished as runners up and was elevated to the Premier Division, which they duly won the following season. However Irongate failed ground grading criteria and Bamber were not promoted to the Football Conference, remaining in the Northern Premier League.

Bridge saw relegation in 2002, but achieved promotion back in 2004. Demoted once more the following season, it took until 2018 for Brig to return to the NPL Premier. Yet another play off failure in 2023 and a disappointing last campaign left Bamber 16th of 21 - this time they lie mid table in 12th, but with 3 wins and a draw from their last four outings 🤔. More concerningly Brig, community owned, are in desperate financial straits, and have recently set up a fund raiser for £30,000 to see out the season.

It's an early start as I go past the Old Cheshire Cheese and Sam & Nam Express on a sunny, cool and breezy morning - it turns out to be a gorgeous afternoon 😊 Numberplates today are H15 DTH, POW311S, 45 LP (33 LP would be more appropriate....) and three BJS removal vans displaying 'Saying Cheese in Leicester', 'Grinning Like A Cheshire Cat' and ' Coals To Newcastle' as I pass Stubborn Mule Tap & Shop.

To the train at Navigation Road and beyond Human Appeal at Cheadle, into Stockport with its Hat Museum and the iconic vacant Co-op pyramid. Then the execrable Overdraught at Levenshulme and a chance meeting with Library John at Manchester Piccadilly 😀 

Across the city, bypassing the Victory Over Blindness statute, Scamp & Dude, Mint Velvet and Sixes Social Cricket, brings me to Victoria. The Leeds train takes me initially past Greengate Brewery then Malia and Arrow Mills at Rochdale.

Thence Platform One Gallery at Todmorden, the Lamp Room at Hebden Bridge and the Iron Man at Mytholmroyd - the station building celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. That brings me to Ryburn Valley at Sowerby Bridge and Eureka and Halifax Flour Society 1879.

The Bradford Alhambra, Build A Candle in New Pudsey and Strachan Furniture Makers at Bramley come before the end of rail journey two in Leeds. Versa Leeds Studios and strange street art announcing 'Seagulls Paint With Purpose' greet me there.

The third rail leg is the Ilkley train, past Kirkstall Forge and a congested Guiseley is first stop. Arriving at Guiseley station I come out onto a cobbled terrace street with familiar Yorkstone buildings around, before walking to the ground, just six or seven minutes walk from the station. I reach a real olde style ground on Otley Road after Shed Load of Vinyl, Pipe Dreams, Flippin' 'Eck, The Hoptimist tap and beer shop and The Potting Shed bar.

It is an impressive setup with a five a side pitch, cricket club, bowling club and children's playground all in the same complex, and Nethermoor Park includes cleaned up floodlight pylons, previously corroded and rusted to saturation point. £11 in, reduced from the normal £13, sees a crowd of 460 with a healthy knot of away supporters 😀 

Inside there is a restaurant and bar, behind which is the flight path to Leeds Bradford Airport as several jets land in nearby Yeadon. Opposite is the main stand, split into two covered seated areas, and bookended by the 1909 Suite, club shop, ticket office and Lions' Diner (clever !). The two ends support shallow terraces - the Wetherby Whaler Scoreboard End and the Railway End. Next to the hospitality area are two covered standing areas.

The Lions are in white and blue, sponsored by AGF, Brig in change yellow with black trim, sponsored by Jimibox. 

Bridge have the first chance which is blocked and then Lions' Barnsley loanee Feyi Afuape breaks away but sees his shot well saved by Brig's James Pradic. Will Longbottom hits the bar with a curling effort for Guiseley on 13 minutes; as near as it comes 🤔 

Joe Cracknell, the home keeper, is much the busier, tipping over from Jack Baxter and then clawing away two further Baxter efforts before the break. Afuape shoots wide with the Lions' best opportunity but it remains scoreless at half time.

The second period sees Bridge's central defenders, Alex Kenyon and Adam Dodd, stifle the home attack, as the Lions fail to roar. Dodd featured on BBC North West news in the past few days, having previously suffering cardiac arrest and being resuscitated by his now wife - he is now campaigning for greater CPR education.

For Brig veteran Simon Grand has a shot charged down before the defining moment arrives on 70 minutes. A rather hopeful long distance cross field ball by Liam Brockbank, derided by the two lads behind me, turns out to be the perfect delivery and 40 year old Grand ghosts in at the far post to head across Cracknell and into the net.

Cracknell defies Baxter again with another superb tip over before The Lions have one major chance to level matters on 82 minutes. A defensive error lets in Joe Ackroyd who touches the ball past Preston loanee Pradic, but he recovers to make a splendid last ditch save.

On 94 minutes Guiseley win a corner and Cracknell is sent up to the opposition box. A flashing header wide and that's it - 1-0 to Bamber Bridge and it leaves Guiseley Trophyless 🙄