Dumped

No fairytale; Guiseley were unceremoniously dumped out the FA Cup 3-0 by Mansfield Town, two sendings off either side of half-time not helping matters.

It was still something of an occasion, it being the first time Guiseley have got this far in the cup. The club had offered free coach travel, and ten coach loads of us took them up on the offer which contributed to an away following of 675, only a few hundred short of an average home gate.

Today's image captures a typical moment in the first half, with Mansfield pressing the Guiseley goal from a free kick. Guiseley have goalie Jonny Maxted to thank for series of fine saves which kept the scoreline more modest than it might have been. I should point out that only two stands were in use, the main stand to the right (out of shot) and the away stand which is where I was sitting, so the image doesn't do justice to the presence of a crowd.

Our buses arrived a couple of hours before kick-off, so I had a wander into town for an hour or so, it being my first visit to Mansfield. To be fair, I did manage to include the Christmas market on my circuit, along with the usual plaques, ghost signs and derelict buildings.

It's also seven years ago to the day that I started this journal, but as I got a bit lackadaisical in 2016 it'll be another eleven days before my "proper" #2555 anniversary comes up. Happy #2544 anyway.