STOCKTON TOWN VS GUISELEY PREVIEW
COMPETITION: Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division
DATE: Wednesday 14 August, 2024
KICK-OFF: 19:45
ENTRY: £11 Adult, £9 Concessions, £5 11-18 year olds, £3 under-11’s
Tickets available via this link – https://stocktontownfc.ktckts.com/event/stfcguiseley/guiseley
GROUND: MAP Group UK Stadium, Bishopton Road West, Stockton-on-Tees, TS19 0QD
LIVE UPDATES: @stockton_townfc Twitter/X
LIVE COMMENTARY: Anchors Radio (mixlr.com)
Stockton Town return home for some midweek football action as Guiseley make the trip from West Yorkshire.
For the first time in the club’s history, Stockton Town Football Club are hosting step three football at the MAP Group UK Stadium.
The Anchors got off to the perfect start in the NPL Premier Division on Saturday afternoon, beating fellow newly-promoted side Leek Town, 2-0, thanks to goals either side of the break from Michael Sweet and Michael Fowler.
Summer signings Lewis Leech and Owen Gallacher both impressed in their competitive Stockton Town debut at the weekend, with the latter assisting Michael Sweet’s opener, in a game which also saw youngsters Jack Spears and Jacob Johnson make a positive impression off the bench.
THE OPPOSITION
Guiseley are now in their second season in the NPL Premier Division following their relegation from the National League North in 2023. After a 10th placed finish last season, the Lions have significantly improved their squad in hopes of pushing for promotion back to step two.
Mark Bower made a number of impactful new additions, notably bringing in forwards Jordan Thewlis and Jake Wright who have both proven their worth in higher divisions, experienced midfielder Adriano Moke – who has previously spent time with Spennymoor and Darlington, on top of many more significant signings to showcase their intent to challenge at the top of the standings this season.
Guiseley opened their 2024/25 campaign in similar fashion to that of the Anchors, beating Workington 2-0 at home thanks to goals from debutants Will Longbottom and John Lufudu.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The two sides met in FA Cup action back in 2019, when there was a three league gap between the Lions – who were in the National League North at the time, and the Anchors who were in the Northern League. The West Yorkshire side narrowly edged through that afternoon in a 1-0 victory to kickstart an impressive cup run which ended at the hands of Fleetwood Town in round two.
21 Sep 2019 – Guiseley 1-0 Stockton Town – FA Cup, Second Qualifying Round
FORM GUIDE
Stockton Town: W
Last Game: Leek Town 0-2 Stockton Town
Guiseley: W
Last Game: Guiseley 2-0 Workington
PRE-MATCH QUOTES
Anchors coach Nathan Mulligan provided his thoughts on Wednesday’s clash by saying:“We’ve looked at them over the summer, they’ve brought in a lot of talented from higher divisions so that’ll be a really tough test.
“We watched their highlights and they’re a big side, a very big side so we’re going to have to be on top of our game if we are to get away with three points.”
By Jordan Clarke
