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Guiseley A.F.C.

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Guiseley A.F.C.
Full nameGuiseley Association Football Club
Nickname(s)The Lions
Founded1909
GroundNethermoor Park,Guiseley
Capacity4,000[1]
ChairmanGary Douglas
ManagerMark Bower
LeagueNorthern Premier LeaguePremier Division
2023–24Northern Premier LeaguePremier Division, 10th of 21
WebsiteClub website

Guiseley Association Football Clubis afootballclub based inGuiseley,West Yorkshire,England. They are currently members of theNorthern Premier LeaguePremier Division, the seventh tier of English football, and play atNethermoor Park.

History

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The club was established in 1909 and initially played in the Wharfedale League.[2]They were league champions in 1912–13, and afterWorld War Ithe club transferred to theLeeds League.In 1924 they moved leagues again, this time joining theWest Riding County Amateur League.[3]They went on to win three consecutive league titles between 1932–33 and 1934–35, before finishing as runners-up in 1937–38 and then winning the league again in 1938–39.[3]

When the league was split into two divisions in 1953, Guiseley became members of Section A.[4]They were runners-up in 1954–55 and won the division in 1955–56.[4]In 1960 they switched back to the Leeds League, joining Division One of the league, now known as theWest Yorkshire League.[5]They were Division One champions in their first season, and after finishing as runners-up in 1963–64, they won the league again in 1964–65.[5]

In 1968 Guiseley joined Division Two of theYorkshire League.[6]League restructuring saw them demoted to Division Three in 1970, but a fourth-place finish in 1970–71 resulted in an immediate promotion back to Division Two.[6]Another fourth-place finish in 1973–74 earned the club promotion to Division One. Although they were relegated at the end of the following season, they won Division Two in 1975–76, earning an immediate promotion back to Division One.[6]The club went on to finish as Division One runners-up in 1979–80 and 1980–81. In 1981 the league merged with theMidland Leagueto form theNorthern Counties East League,with Guiseley placed in the Premier Division.[6]

The late 1980s and early 1990s was another successful period for Guiseley. In 1989–90 they reached the semi-finals of theFA Vasefor the first time, losing 4–0 on aggregate toBridlington Town.They reached the final thefollowing season,beatingGresley Rovers3–1 in a replay atBramall Laneafter the first match atWembleyhad ended in a 4–4 draw. Theyalso wonthe Northern Counties East League Premier Division, earning promotion to Division One of theNorthern Premier League.They had the opportunity to retain the FA Vase in1991–92when they reached the final again, but lost 5–3 toWimborne Town.[6]The season also saw them reach the first round of theFA Cupfor the first time, losing 1–0 to Third DivisionChester City.

In1993–94Guiseley won Division One of the Northern Premier League, earning promotion to the Premier Division. They also reached the semi-finals of theFA Trophy,losing 2–1 on aggregate toRuncorn,[6]as well as becoming the first Division One team to win the league's President's Cup.[2]They reached the first round of the FA Cup again in1994–95and lost 4–1 at home toCarlisle Unitedin a match that was moved toValley Paradein Bradford;[6]the attendance of 6,548 remains a club record.[2]After a third-place finish in1998–99,the club were relegated to Division One thefollowing season,although they did reach the first round of the FA Cup again, losing 6–0 atForest Green Rovers.In2002–03another first round FA Cup appearance ended with a 4–0 defeat atLuton Town.A ninth-place finish in2003–04was enough to earn a return to the Premier Division due to league restructuring caused by the creation of theConference NorthandSouth.In2008–09the club won the league's Challenge Cup and finished fourth in the Premier Division, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. However, they were beaten 2–1 byNantwich Townin the semi-finals.[6]Thefollowing seasonsaw the club win the Premier Division, earning promotion to the Conference North.

Nethermoor Park

The next five seasons saw Guiseley qualify for the promotion play-offs on each occasion; in2010–11they defeatedBoston Unitedon penalties in the semi-finals after a 1–0 win in the home leg was cancelled out by losing 3–2 away, but were then beaten 3–2 byAFC Telford Unitedin the final on 15 May;[7]they also reached the FA Cup first round again, losing 5–0 at home toCrawley Town.They lost 2–1 on aggregate toNuneaton Townin the play-off semi-finals in2011–12and 3–1 on aggregate toHalifaxin the2012–13semi-finals, a season that also saw another FA Cup first round appearance, losing 1–0 in a replay toBarrow.In2013–14they reached the final after beatingNorth Ferriby United3–0 on aggregate in the semi-finals, but lost 2–1 toAltrinchamin the final.[6]In2014–15the club defeatedAFC Fylde3–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals before winning 3–2 againstChorleyin the final to finally earn promotion to the Conference National, which was subsequently renamed the National League.[6]

Guiseley reached the second round of the FA Cup for the first time in2017–18after defeatingAccrington Stanley4–3 on penalties in a first round replay,[8]before losing 3–0 toMansfield Townin the second round. They were relegated back to the (renamed) National League North at the end of the season, having finished bottom of the National League. In2018–19the club reached the second round of the FA Cup again after beatingCambridge United4–3 in the first round. They finished bottom of the National League North in2021–22and were relegated to the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League.

Ground

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The club has played atNethermoor Parksince its establishment.[9]It currently has a capacity of 4,000.[1]

Honours

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  • Northern Premier League
    • Premier Division champions 2009–10
    • Division One champions 1993–94
    • Challenge Cup winners 2008–09
    • President's Cup winners 1993–94
  • FA Vase
    • Winners 1990–91
  • Northern Counties East League
    • Premier Division champions 1990–91
  • Yorkshire League
    • Division Two champions 1975–76
  • West Riding County Amateur League
    • Champions 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1938–39, 1955–56
  • West Yorkshire League
    • Division One champions 1960–61, 1964–65
  • Wharfedale League
    • Champions 1912–13
  • West Riding County Cup
    • Winners 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1993–94, 1995–96, 2004–05, 2010–11, 2011–12

Records

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See also

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References

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  1. ^abGround InfoGuiseley A.F.C.
  2. ^abcdHistoryGuiseley A.F.C.
  3. ^abThe West Riding County Amateur League 1922–1939Non-League Matters
  4. ^abWest Riding County Amateur League 1948–1957Non-League Matters
  5. ^abThe West Yorkshire League 1950 and afterNon-League Matters
  6. ^abcdefghijklmGuiseleyat theFootball Club History Database
  7. ^"AFC Telford 3-2 Guiseley".BBC Sport.Retrieved9 July2023.
  8. ^Accrington Stanley 1–1 GuiseleyBBC Sport, 14 November 2017
  9. ^Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2016)Non-League Club Directory 2017,Tony Williams Publications, p453ISBN978-1869833695
  10. ^Guiseley open at home to Ebbsfleet as Preston and Walton move onIlkley Gazette, 5 July 2017
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