GUISBOROUGH Town produced the type of positive performance that all KGV Stadium diehards know they are capable of when they convincingly beat Whitley Bay 4-2 on Saturday to move up a place in the table. And it was a doubly satisfying day for the Priorymen as results from the other games in the bottom half of the table went very favourably for Guisborough, who now travel to bottom club Penrith on Wednesday with renewed confidence as a result of the comprehensive victory over the Bay.

It was Danny Earl who set Guisborough on the way to a vital victory with a goal after just 10 minutes, scoring after a cross from the right to make it 1-0 to the Priorymen. Then just five minutes later Whitley gave away the ball in midfield and Guisborough surged forward with Earl’s fellow striker Mason McNeill getting on the scoresheet for 2-0 to the Priorymen with only 15 minutes played. But Whitley Bay pulled one back in the 35th minute when Luke Salmon was played through on the left and he fired home for 1-2 and Whitley seemed right back in the game.

After the break there was chances galore at both ends but it was Guisborough who scored the next crucial goal in the 64th minute when a corner from the right was bundled into the net by defender Lee Bythway for 3-1 to the Priorymen. But just when Guisborough thought they could relax with a two-goal cushion the Bay hit back again in the 68th minute when Jonathan Wright scored from the edge of the penalty area to make it 2-3.

However, the Priorymen kept their nerve and the deciding goal came in the 77th minute when as the ball bobbled about in the Bay penalty area Luke Nixon – younger brother of Guisborough goalkeeper Jordan – fired home to restore his side’s two goal cushion and 4-2 was how it stayed to the final whistle. The crucial three points lifted the Priorymen up a place in the table.

Guisborough Manager Gary Forster was understandably delighted with the win over Whitley, and he commented after the game: “This was a really good and much-needed win for us after the recent reverses we’ve suffered. But in all fairness, I don’t think our recent performances have been too bad, but obviously results haven’t been forthcoming for us as we just haven’t taken our chances at crucial times – and as everyone in the game knows goals change games but not scoring our chances has been our downfall. But yesterday against the Bay we grabbed our goals at the times that we needed to. We played some really good, flowing football despite a greasy, bobbly surface.”

Yesterday was a day of double delight for Guisborough Manager Gary Forster and his football crazy family. Gary was very proud of his young daughter Ruby, whose Boro Rangers girls’ team clinched their Under-13 Premier Division title in the morning before Guisborough travelled to Whitley Bay.

Tomorrow the Guisborough Town combined Presentation and Horse Race Night, will be held at the KGV Priory Suite, after the last home game of the season against Sunderland RCA, kick-off 3pm. Tickets are £5 which includes a pie and pea supper available from the Clubhouse or chrisawood@virginmedia.com. A grand Guisborough Town Juniors Section Spring Raffle is currently being organised with some prizes such as cash amounts of £250, £100 and £50 for the first three prizes respectively plus over 30 more prizes, including two signed Boro shirts from recent seasons.