Birtley Town vs Guisborough Town

Recap

BRILLIANT BIRTLEY TOPPLE LEAGUE LEADERS

Birtley produced their best performance of the season so far to beat table-toppers Guisborough Town 3-1 in a chaotic game at the Arrowmark Home Improvements Stadium.

Backed by a strong midweek crowd for the first game of 2026, the Hoops got off to the perfect start, taking the lead in just the sixth minute. James Proctor sent in a daisy-cutter of a corner which appeared to evade everyone in a crammed penalty area before nestling in at the back post. They almost immediately made it two as Liam Thear fizzed a ball right across the face of goal but no one in green and white could reach it. 

Guisborough then hit straight back in the ninth minute as Matthew Willshaw slid the ball out left to Tolu Osiyemi who slotted past Hoops keeper Max Campbell. Once again in no time at all the third goal came in the eleventh minute as Birtley retook the lead with a brilliant Ban Walker header from a corner. 

Birtley continued to push forward as Dale Burrell had a vicious strike deflect into the side-netting shortly before Thear fired wide after good work from Marty Ward and Scott Heslop. Ward then went extremely close himself after Birtley regained possession before unleashing a strike which narrowly missed the top right corner. The Hoops kept pushing through to half time while limiting the league leaders to half chances at best.

HALF TIME: BIRTLEY TOWN 2-1 GUISBOROUGH TOWN

Continuing their good work from the first half, Birtley again started strong and were rewarded with another goal from a set piece in the 54th minute. A free-kick was sent forward from the halfway line and Nick Marley managed to get a brilliant flick on into the path of Liam Thear who took a delightful touch, before prodding home to send the young ultras behind the goal – who were in fine voice all night – into raptures. 

Just minutes later, Birtley were convinced they should’ve had a penalty as a green and white shirt was seemingly chopped in half about 15 yards out. This didn’t slow the momentum however as Owen Lancaster hung a brilliant ball up at the back post and Scott Heslop headed back across goal only for it to trickle millimetres wide as if in slow motion. Up the other end the Guisborough goalscorer Osiyemi – who was about to have a very different role – showed some twinkle-toes down the right before blazing a good chance wide.

By the midpoint in the second half Guisborough had begun to pile on the pressure but were also getting increasingly frustrated and it all got too much in the 72nd minute. With Birtley awarded a throw in near the halfway line, the ref paused the game and trotted over to Guisborough keeper Ryan Catterick and sin-binned him. With the visitors now a man down for the next ten minutes (and striker Willshaw doing everything in his power to join his keeper in the sin-bin) Birtley put more pressure on. Osiyemi taking up the gloves for the second consecutive season at The Arrowmark following his heroics for Newcastle Blue Star last season.

When Catterick had served his time and returned the game to 11 each, Guisborough once again attempted to launch a late charge. Birtley however, as it was for most of the night, were extremely resolute at the back and the visitors failed to create any meaningful chances, resulting in a deserved win for The Hoops. 

FULL TIME: BIRTLEY TOWN 3-1 GUISBOROUGH TOWN

MOTM: Alexander ‘Ban’ Walker picked up the award from matchday sponsor The Wheatsheaf Pub.
Attendance: 146

UP NEXT
Birtley travel to 2nd-placed Shildon AFC on Saturday afternoon. It will be Birtley’s first visit to Dean Street since their new 4G pitch was laid in DL4. Join us on the road but please remember that there are no air horns or percussion instruments allowed inside the ground.

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