National League: Latest from York City, Guiseley and North Ferriby

North Ferriby United have learned the hard way just how fine the margins can be between winning and losing in the top tier of non-League football.

The Villagers have lost 13 times in their first 17 games at this level, and almost half of those have been by a solitary goal.

In fact, five of Ferriby’s last half-dozen reverses have been by the 1-0 scoreline with Tuesday night’s loss at Tranmere Rovers being especially cruel due to the part-timers not conceding until the ‘93rd minute’.

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Manager Steve Housham appreciates this as much as anyone, not least because that Prenton Park loss means his side have taken just three points from the last dozen games. It is a run that has dumped United at the foot of the table.

“We really do need to win this one,” said the Villagers chief about today’s home game with Bromley. “We have three games at home now and I have set the boys a target of winning them all. The players are capable of picking up wins. They know they are competing well, especially against the top sides.

“But we now have to start picking up points against sides in the lower half of the table. The next three games are a great opportunity to start doing that.”

Bromley’s visit to Ferriby will be followed by those of Wrexham a week today and Sutton United on November 19. Sandwiched between those latter two is a trip to Woking.

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Curtis Bateson is again out for the visit of a side sitting 17th and well within the sights of the bottom four.

York City are another who both Ferriby and Guiseley are looking to overhaul. Gary Mills’s first two league games have yielded just a point and host Sutton sitting perilously close to the drop zone.

Mills, who thinks the squad is far too large, began his overhaul of the playing staff with Charlie Cooper arriving on loan from Birmingham City.

The teenage midfielder goes straight into the squad.

Guiseley, who moved off the bottom on Tuesday night, head to Aldershot looking to build on taking seven points from their last four games.