Guiseley 1

Lancaster City 1 CITY sprung back from their first day horror show to earn a difficult point against much fancied Yorkshire side Guiseley on Bank Holiday Monday. But they left it late to register their first Unibond Premier League goal, John Coleman managing to find the net with a powerful header in stoppage time at the end of the game. The only team change from the Hyde battering came with Anthony Key stepping in for the unavailable Steve Trainor and he proved to be at the heart of many of City's moves until he went off injured at half-time.

Stuart Gelling also came to life and caused problems galore for the Guiseley rearguard as Alan Tinsley's men turned out determined to prove they are at home at the higher level.

The Blues found themselves a goal down against the run of play at the end of the first half when their new-look defence failed to clear the ball and Neil Matthews took advantage of the scramble to blast the ball home.

That brought protests from the City players who claimed that the ball had twice been kicked out of Mark Thornley's hands but the goal stood leaving Lancaster with a second half mountain to climb.

Things began to look better when City's luck changed. Guiseley's Des Hazel was sent off with 20 minutes to go after speaking out of turn to a linesman and that gave City the chance they needed.

Coleman found space and put a good opportunity wide of the goal as time ticked away but with the 90 minutes already gone, the deadly frontman finally got it right to beat Dickinson and get City on their way. TEAM: Thornley, Macauley, Armstrong, McNeilis, Dullaghan, Gelling, Key (Stimpson), Flannery, Diggle, Coleman, Borrowdale. SUBS: Hartley, Tomlinson. Lancaster City..0 Hyde United..4 First day blues for Lancaster THE new season arrived at Lancaster City like a slap in the face as title favourites Hyde United 'welcomed' the Blues to life in the Unibond Premier League

Alan Tinsley fielded three of his close season signings in a new-look defence which conceded their first goal of the campaign after just nine minutes when Mark Thornley failed to claim a corner and Tony Carroll headed into the empty net.

John Coleman struck a post with a 25-yard free-kick minutes as Lancaster fought back but they fell further behind in the 31st minute - another header from a set piece, this time Gallacher converting a free kick.

Two goals down at the break, City started the second period in determined mood but fell even further behind when Owen charged down a Robbie Armstrong clearance and lobbed Thornley to make it three.

Things went from bad to worse. Debutant Steve McNeilis was sent off for a second booking with 12 minutes left and Dave Nolan rounded things off for Hyde with the fourth. TEAM: Thornley, Macauley, Armstrong, McNeilis, Dullaghan, Gelling (Key), Trainor, Flannery, Diggle, Coleman, Borrowdale. SUBS: Stimpson, Hartley.

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