Stevenage v Guiseley AFC: Mark Bower aiming to pull off FA Cup upset after renewing Lions love affair

Nethermoor Park was where Bower chose to wind down his playing career, as well as where he started his managerial career.

The former Bradford City captain first took charge of Guiseley in 2013, stepping into the role permanently after a caretaker stint.

He etched his name into the club’s history books in 2015, when he led the Lions in the fifth tier of English football. His place in the books was cemented further when he kept them there a year later.

Eight years on from his exit, Bower is back at the helm and on the cusp of of writing a new chapter of his Lions love story.

Seventh-tier Guiseley have made it to the FA Cup first round proper - and a trip to League One side Stevenage awaits.

"The club have been at the second round stage before but never made it to that third round,” Bower told The Yorkshire Post. “It does feel like it's quite a long way off at this point but you never know.

"If we get it right on the day and get through, and match the highest level the club's ever got to, that would be a nice bit of history. You never know, it gives you an opportunity to go that one step further.

"But we'll just concentrate on the game, prepare the best we can for it, give it our best shot, and all the other stuff will fall into place if we can get it right.”

Since their relegation to the Northern Premier League Premier Division in 2022, Guiseley have finished no higher than 10th. They have risen to seventh under Bower but a win over a League One club would be a major upset nonetheless.

"It's a different challenge, with a different pressure,” he said. “There's no pressure for us to go and get a result. We can go an express ourselves and hopefully enjoy the day. It's one for our fans to enjoy as well. We're looking forward to it.”

The draw for the first round proper was held at the University of Bradford Stadium, familiar territory for Bower. For non-league clubs who advance beyond the qualifying rounds, there are generally two types of tie that are equally desirable.

A high-profile opponent is in the best interests of both finance and romance, while a clash with a fellow minnow is often fancied for the sake of realism. Either way, a tie on home turf is ideal.

The draw failed to cater for any of Guiseley’s wishes, granting them a tough away test at a League One club who are not a major TV draw.

"I think it's fair to say we'd have probably preferred a home game against anyone,” Bower explained. “Or if you were going to play away from home, at one of the former Premier League-type clubs or one of the clubs around our level where we'd have a good chance of getting through.

"Stevenage away wouldn't have been high up the list of games we wanted, mostly because they're a really good team and it's a long way from home. It's going to be very difficult for us - but it is what it is.”

Guiseley reached the second round of the FA Cup in 2017 and emulated the feat a year later. Mansfield Town were the first to burst the bubble, before Fleetwood Town did the same in 2018.

If the Lions can make it a trio of second-round appearances, they will pocket £45,000 of FA prize money for their first-round victory.

"The prize fund is nice and if you can get through one of the proper rounds, that money does jump up a lot,” Bower explained. “Getting to the first round or the second round as a non-league club, what you're wanting is that home game on TV, that live game, that can really be a money-spinner.

"Even if you don't get that, the prize money from the FA has been significant for us and will help us with our long-term ambitions of getting the club back in the higher levels of non-league.”

Bower has assembled a squad that blends experience with youthful exuberance. The trip to Stevenage’s Lamex Stadium is arguably of particular significance for those with less years in the bank.

“That exposure to a level they've not played at before, it can be a good learning curve for them,” said Bower. “It's also a great opportunity for them to put themselves in the shop window. We've got lads we feel can play at a higher level and young players that could push on.

"For those, it's a good opportunity to test themselves against higher league opposition. For the older ones as well, who are perhaps a bit more familiar with that kind of level, they still feel like they've got plenty to offer. It's one for the players to look forward to for different reasons.”

Talk of shop windows, however, will be parked as the Lions look to revive their reputation as FA Cup banana skins and topple a heavily-favoured Stevenage side.

“There will definitely be a non-league team or a few non-league teams who beat teams in this round,” said Bower. “Why can't it be us?”