Guisborough Town 2 Billingham Town 0 - LOCAL rivals Guisborough and Billingham Town produced an absolute thriller in terrible conditions on Tuesday night.
No praise is high enough for these two teams, who first had to contend with a heavy, energy-sapping pitch and then were confronted with driving rain accompanied by a freezing wind.
Yet the players ignored the Baltic conditions in an effort to entertain the fans, who must have been frozen to the marrow.
Billingham had the better of the opening minutes and went close in the second when Paul Harrison fired the ball across the box and forward Lee Tucker sliced inches wide.
Guisborough's first real chance came in the 22nd minute when Michael Todd slipped round his marker, but with only goalkeeper Darren Collier to beat fired the ball straight to him.
Steve Osborne had the best chance of the half for the visitors on 28 minutes when he raced down the left, nipped smartly round Steve Corden and fired in a low shot which Marty Ball was at full stretch to save.
Almost immediately Guisborough hit back and some fine play between Richie Storr and Darren Mowbray allowed Todd space to fire in a 20-yard shot which skidded along the greasy surface and almost fooled Collier.
As the half drew to a close Billingham missed a clear-cut chance when Neil Bishop's sweetly-struck shot drifted agonisingly high and wide of the far post courtesy of the swirling wind.
The Priorymen devastated Billingham in the second half with a dazzling display of pace, precision passing and finishing power.
They pressed forward from the whistle and almost got the breakthrough with their first touches.
A long ball from Corden fell to Storr, who controlled it well and his twisting volley went just wide.
Minutes later Storr left the field with a nasty foot and ankle injury after a clumsy two-footed challenge.
The breakthrough came on 65 minutes from a set piece. Assistant manager Corden floated in an inch-perfect pass which fell to Guisborough's prolific goalscorer Mowbray, who climbed majestically above the defence and neatly headed the ball into the net.
From this moment on Guisborough controlled the match and their second came within seven minutes, again from a set piece.
Corden curled a neat ball deep into the box where centre half Craig Gibbon got in unmarked to glance a fine header home.
Though Billingham pressed forward in the last ten minutes, they never looked like breaking down a determined and well-disciplined Guisborough defence.
Guisborough: Ball, Sunley, Wilson, Corden, Mowbray, Todd (Ward), Hyson, Hampton, Storr (Gibbin), Richie, Whitfield.
Guisborough's next two matches are away, both with morning kick offs.
Today they visit Newcastle Blue Star, kick off 11.30, and on Monday they have an eagerly awaited local derby at high-flying Marske United, kick off 11am.
l Guisborough player-manager Mark Forster announced his resignation on Wednesday night. He has been in charge for four years, but will be leaving at the end of the season.
He said: "I'm not enjoying it as much as I would like, plus I've been unhappy with one or two recent events".
Forster, who hopes to continue playing, will hand over the reins to former Middlesbrough player Steve Corden.
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