ATHERTON Collieries exited the FA Cup at the 2nd round qualifying stage with a 4-0 defeat at AFC Guiseley.

At a wet Nethermoor Park, the contest began evenly with both sides battling to gain a foothold early on.

Kaine Felix opened the scoring for Guiseley on the 15 minute mark, receiving the ball from Gabriel Johnson in the box and swivelling to fire past Danny Taberner in the Colls’ goal.

Felix looked to double his side’s advantage and his own goal tally in the game soon after. His shot from the left-hand side of the box was well held by Taberner this time round.

Brad Cooke’s side grew into the game after this and caused problems of their own against the Conference North outfit.

Elliot Rokka’s low driven shot was parried away by Brad Wade in the Guiseley net to maintain the hoe side’s advantage .

Rokka was involved again as he met the cross of Clive Smith and looped a header towards the goal, seeing it go agonisingly over the bar.

Jordan Darr then had his shot blocked behind by a Guiseley defender having broken from his own half following a Lions corner.

And before the half was over, Wade was once again called into action by Rokka, tipping the forward’s shot behind for a corner following some great interplay between the Colls’ front line.

Following on from this chance, the referee blew the whistle for half-time and Guiseley went into the break with a 1-0 lead.

Colls started the second half as they had ended the first as Jordan Darr cut in from the left and looked to test the ‘keeper, but his shot went over the bar.

On the 55th minute mark however, Cooke’s side were cruelly made to pay for their missed chances. Guiseley broke down the right side and curled a cross into the Colls’ area. Vinny Bailey connected with the ball, looking to clear it behind for a corner but in the ever increasingly wet conditions, he sliced the ball into the back of his own net.

Now two goals behind, Colls weren’t prepared to give in and carried on fighting to get their way back into the game. Clive Smith met Bailey’s corner on the hour mark but his header went narrowly over the bar.

Cooke made attacking changes with both Jack Banister and Kyle Sambor entering the field but pushing forward, Colls were caught on the counter attack with a sucker punch from Guiseley’s Felix.

He rounded Taberner having run through on goal and stroked home to make it 3-0 to the home team.

Deserving of a goal, Colls were once again denied by a stern Guiseley defence twice in quick succession. Rick Smith’s curling shot was headed off the line by Hamza Bencherif and behind for a corner before Dylan Glass’s shot was cleared.

In the last seconds of the game, Guiseley added a 4th goal as Mark Howarth’s shot went through the legs of a defender and beat Taberner.

The final whistle was blown, and the home side ran out 4-0 winners.

Colls will look to bounce back next Saturday as they are back on the road, away at Nantwich Town in the Pitching In Northern Premier League.