Match reports
Witton Albion 1–0 Guiseley
A single goal from Adam Warlow, made by a run from full-back Liam Brownhill, was enough to beat Guiseley and keep Witton top of the table with three matches of the 2007–08 season left.
Match facts
Witton Albion1–0Guiseley
- Date
- 12 April 2008
- Competition
- Northern Premier League Premier Division
- Venue
- Wincham Park
- Attendance
- 591
- Scorers
- Adam Warlow 68
- Witton Albion
- Kennedy; Brownhill, Pritchard, Barras, Junior Brown, Brodie, MacPherson, Alex Brown (Lloyd 69), Peers, Thornley (Evans 69), Warlow (Rapley 82)
- Guiseley
- Skiba; Hay, Sturdy, Ellis, Merris, Fernandez, Crooks (Dunne 46), Dunning, Taylforth (Cotterill 82), Wilford (Knight 72), Hanson
- Original club report by
- Andrew Simpson
With four league matches left in 2007–08, Witton Albion were still top of the Northern Premier League Premier Division but could feel Fleetwood Town behind them. Guiseley, who would finish sixth, came to Wincham Park on 12 April 2008 and made the leaders work for every minute.
Background
Witton had drawn 1–1 at Guiseley four weeks earlier. Since then they had lost at home to Fleetwood and thrashed Lincoln United, and they had not played for a fortnight. The crowd of 591 was well above the season's average.
The match
Guiseley had the better of the first half. Jon Kennedy fumbled an early drive from Sean Taylforth and recovered just in time to deny Aron Wilford, then tipped a swerving shot from the same player over the bar. Wilford also went past Tony Barras shortly before the interval and put his shot narrowly wide.
Witton's chances were fewer but good ones. Dave MacPherson had an effort cleared off the line by Richard Dunning midway through the half, and six minutes before the break Rod Thornley was put clean through by Adam Warlow's flick, only for the Guiseley goalkeeper Piotr Skiba to block.
The visitors appealed for a penalty at the start of the second half when Brian Pritchard and James Hanson came together under a high ball. After that Witton took charge. A cross from Liam Brownhill skimmed the bar, Skiba saved at his near post from Mark Peers, and on 68 minutes Brownhill ran from full-back and slipped a pass to Warlow, who turned away from Simon Sturdy and drove the ball into the bottom corner.
Warlow hit the underside of the bar from a rebound soon afterwards. Guiseley finished strongly, and a corner from David Merris struck the outside of a post, but Witton held on. In stoppage time the substitute Tony Evans headed a clear chance straight at Skiba.
What it meant
It was Witton's sixteenth home league win of the season. The club's man of the match was Junior Brown, playing out of position at full-back.
Three days later Albion beat Frickley Athletic 3–0, but Fleetwood, winning their games in hand, moved ahead in mid-April. Witton drew 1–1 at North Ferriby United on 19 April and lost on the final day against Worksop Town. The full sequence is in the 2007–08 fixtures and results.