AFC Fylde 2 Guiseley 1: Two wins on spin as Danny Whitehead scores his first Coasters goal

Two first-half strikes consolidated third place in National League North.

Ben Tollitt put his side ahead on the 15-minute mark when he was gifted with an opportunity after a mix-up between Hamza Bencherif and Owen Mason in the Guiseley defence.

A well-taken finish from home debutant Danny Whitehead doubled the Coasters’ lead from outside the area nine minutes later.

Thierry Latty-Fairweather halved the deficit before Fylde saw out a quiet second half, in which the Yorkshire side had Andrew Hollins sent off on receiving his second yellow card for a foul on Nick Haughton.

Jim Bentley named an unchanged starting 11 from the 2-0 victory at Leamington a week earlier, though there were places on the bench for Luke Conlan, who returned from injury, and new signing Tom Walker.

Having scored last time out, Sam Osborne had the first chance of the game as he spun his marker inside the area and found space to unleash a shot which rose over the bar.

The early stages were even until Tollitt seized his opportunity to score for the third time in four games from six yards out, pouncing calmly on the defensive error.

The Coasters soon had a second after Haughton danced his way past several Guiseley players and laid the ball off for Whitehead, who struck low and hard into the bottom left corner for his first Fylde goal on only his second appearance.

The struggling Leeds side weren’t for giving up as Dom Tear tested Bobby Jones but the Fylde shot-stopper stood firm.

The visitors pulled one back on the half-hour, when the Coasters couldn't clear their lines and debutant Latty-Fairweather finished well into the top corner.

Confidence was still flowing through the home side, though, as Tollitt beat Hollins and forced Owen Mason into a good save down to his left.

Jack Evans then hit a ferocious, swerving effort towards the top corner but Mason once again produced a top-class save the keep the half-time score at 2-1.

Osborne started the second half just like he did the first with a chance on goal. The wide midfielder latched on to Tollitt’s defence-splitting pass and struck the underside of the bar from 12 yards out.

The visitors were down to 10 men in the 57th minute, when Hollins went through the back of Haughton having already been booked, leaving the referee with no option.

A solid spell of Coasters possession saw Tollitt denied a second when his shot from just beyond 18 yards struck the outside of the post.

In a half of few chances, there was a last one for the Coasters when the ball fell for substitute Jack Sampson but his low, hard drive was saved by Mason's outstretched arm.

Fylde have cut the gap on second-placed Brackley Town to four points and can reduce it further when they play their game in hand at Chorley on Tuesday. Those two sides played out a goalless draw on Saturday.

Fylde: Jones, Pike, Whitmore , Stott, Evans, Joyce, Philliskirk, Whitehead (Walker 69), Tollitt (Shaw 90), Osborne (Sampson 69), Haughton; Subs not used: Unused subs: Obi, Conlan.

Guiseley: Mason, Cantrill, Latty-Fairweather (Nicholson 70), Ekpolo, Bencherif, Mbeka, Hollins, Spencer (Hey 72), Haw (Stones 84), Tear, Brown; Subs not used: Hutchinson, Lambton.

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