 | |||
| Full name | Guiseley Association Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Lions | ||
| Founded | 1909 | ||
| Ground | Nethermoor Park,Guiseley | ||
| Capacity | 4,000[1] | ||
| Chairman | Gary Douglas | ||
| Manager | Ian Richards | ||
| League | Northern Premier League Premier Division | ||
| 2024–25 | Northern Premier League Premier Division, 4th of 22 | ||
| Website | www | ||
Guiseley Association Football Club is afootball club based inGuiseley,Leeds,West Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of theNorthern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football, and play atNethermoor Park.
The club was established in 1909 and initially played in the Wharfedale League.[2] They were league champions in 1912–13, and afterWorld War I the 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 League to 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 Vase for the first time, losing 4–0 on aggregate toBridlington Town. They reached the final thefollowing season, beatingGresley Rovers 3–1 in a replay atBramall Lane after the first match atWembley had ended in a 4–4 draw. Theyalso won the Northern Counties East League Premier Division, earning promotion to Division One of theNorthern Premier League. They had the opportunity to retain the FA Vase in1991–92 when they reached the final again, but lost 5–3 toWimborne Town.[6] The season also saw them reach the first round of theFA Cup for the first time, losing 1–0 to Third DivisionChester City.
In1993–94 Guiseley 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 in1994–95 and lost 4–1 at home toCarlisle United in a match that was moved toValley Parade in 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. In2002–03 another first round FA Cup appearance ended with a 4–0 defeat atLuton Town. A ninth-place finish in2003–04 was enough to earn a return to the Premier Division due to league restructuring caused by the creation of theConference North andSouth. In2008–09 the 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 Town in the semi-finals.[6] Thefollowing season saw the club win the Premier Division, earning promotion to the Conference North.
The next five seasons saw Guiseley qualify for the promotion play-offs on each occasion; in2010–11 they defeatedBoston United on 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 United in 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 Town in the play-off semi-finals in2011–12 and 3–1 on aggregate toHalifax in the2012–13 semi-finals, a season that also saw another FA Cup first round appearance, losing 1–0 in a replay toBarrow. In2013–14 they reached the final after beatingNorth Ferriby United 3–0 on aggregate in the semi-finals, but lost 2–1 toAltrincham in the final.[6] In2014–15 the club defeatedAFC Fylde 3–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals before winning 3–2 againstChorley in the final, having been 2-0 down, 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 in2017–18 after defeatingAccrington Stanley 4–3 on penalties in a first round replay,[8] before losing 3–0 toMansfield Town in 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. In2018–19 the club reached the second round of the FA Cup again after beatingCambridge United 4–3 in the first round. They finished bottom of the National League North in2021–22 and were relegated to the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League.
The club has played atNethermoor Park since its establishment.[9] It currently has a capacity of 4,000.[1]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
