Guisborough Town 2 Bishop Auckland 1

GUISBOROUGH's pre-season friendly against Bishop Auckland on Friday finished in disarray 15 minutes before time when visiting defender Glen Downey was stretchered off.

With minutes of coming on as substitute Paul Harrison, an ex-Middlesbrough apprentice, made a tackle that left Downey in great pain with a suspected broken ankle.

Angry team-mates of the Bishop Auckland defender stormed off the pitch after manager Tony Lee asked the referee to abandon the match.

Glen, 21, a former professional with Hartlepool United, was treated for a broken ankle and torn a ligament and it is feared he will be out of action for the rest of the season.

He said on Monday that he had been to see a solicitor to take advice on legal action.

The match, itself, was tight with few chances in the first half.Guisborough should have opened their account after ten minutes when Darren Ward slipped his marker and fired in a shot that had the visiting keeper at full stretch to save.

But Ward worked tirelessly throughout and got his first goal after 50 minutes with a 100-yard pile driver.

The visitors equalised two minutes later when Darren Mowbray gave away a penalty and Shaw stepped up to fire the ball into the net.

Fifteen minutes into the second half Ward seized on a defensive lapse when the visiting keeper and a defender collided in the box.

Ward nipped in, pushed the ball round the scrambling keeper and chipped it into the open goal.

Guisborough are away to Peterlee tomorrow, ko 3pm.

Their first home match of the season will be on Tuesday against Bedlington Terriers at 7.30pm.