Mitch Duggan: Guiseley will be out for revenge

Warrington Town defender Mitch Duggan is hopeful of advancing to the FA Trophy third round, but admits they must be ready for the threats posed by Guiseley.

A return to cup action will be a welcome distraction for the Yellows, who have lost their last two league matches against Whitby Town and Marske United last time out.

Duggan has desires to bounce back against Guiseley this weekend, in what will be their second encounter with the Lions in the space of a fortnight.

Reflecting on last weekend’s result, Duggan said: “We all know as a team that the first half against Marske wasn’t good enough, but we probably deserved at least a draw based on the second half performance.

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“It doesn’t really matter what competition we’re playing in. We just need to keep trying to perform the best we can, and the results will take care of themselves.”

Mark Beesley’s side were triumphant against a strong Lions side in the league earlier this month, winning 3-1 on the road.

Duggan was serving a suspension during the last meeting between the pair, but has hopes that the Yellows can replicate their performance in Saturday’s rematch. 

“I’ve been there before where you play a team twice in a short space of time, and if you lose the first game you always seem to up your game in the next meeting to get some sort of revenge,” he admitted.

“We know that’s how Guiseley will be thinking, so we need to make sure we approach the game as we did the first meeting.”

Focus switches to the FA Trophy this weekend, with the Yellows looking to progress into the third round, having already enjoyed wins over Hebburn Town and South Shields in the earlier rounds of the competition. 

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The prospect of playing a team higher up the football pyramid motivates Duggan, who hopes to use that as an added incentive this weekend. 

“We’re all involved in football to play in the big games, at good grounds and in front of a big crowd,” he said. 

“Hopefully we can progress into the later rounds and get a tie against a big team from a few leagues above.

“It would be great for the players and the club if we could be drawn against one of the biggest sides in the competition. We just need to focus on Saturday first.”