Unibond Premier Division

10th March 2004

Attendance - 197

Team - Campbell, Williams, A Gildea, Bossy(Nicholson 65), Linighan, Dixon, Veart, Robinson, Ormerod, Appleby(McTiernan), Sheeran. Sub not used: Hall.

Report - Inconsistent Whitby followed up Saturday’s 3-1 trouncing of Stalybridge with a horror show against second-bottom Bradford, who’d previously managed just one win in their last eleven games and sacked their manager and his assistant 24 hours earlier.
Despite the weekend results taking the Blues into the fabled the 13th position needed to enter the Conference North next season, it was the visitors who had the first chance- Craig Smith shooting well wide on five minutes.
Cagy Whitby were sat right back and fired the first real warning shot across the Bradford bows in the tenth minute, when Robinson speculative shot from distance bounced awkwardly in front of Britton, who coped comfortably.
Five minutes later and Mark Sheeran, making his first home appearance since signing on from Darlington for the rest of the season, fizzed a powerful drive well wide.
Then, Craig Veart’s purposeful surge inside the Avenue box was finished with an uncharacteristic miskick high over Britton’s bar from a very good position.
Bradford then had their best spell and almost had the lead when Bossy had to hack Jason Maxwell’s bicycle kick off his own line and within five minutes, Veart reacted quickly to clear Smith’s goalbound header from under his own crossbar.
At the other end, an incisive Alex Gildea through ball found Andy Appleby, but the Hartlepool United teenager scuffed wide under pressure from Jones.
Four minutes later, Veart laid off a 30 yard free-kick for Bossy to hammer low but straight into Britton’s clutches.
Most of the crowd were expecting to see a different, much more attacking, Whitby Town after the break, but the Blues still stood off their lowly opponents. Eleven minutes in, Graham Robinson advanced to the edge of the Bradford box but ignoring Appleby and Sheeran on either side of him, the Whitby skipper scuffed a weak effort straight at Britton.
Harry Dunn made his first change with French defender Fabien Bossy making way for combative midfielder Scott Nicholson in the 63rd minute.
The Blues fashioned their best chance two minutes later when Ormerod was fouled just inside the near touchline some 35 yards out. Veart surprised everyone by hammering a scintillating whipped free-kick that seemed destined for the top right corner of the net, before Britton pulled off an excellent last gasp tip over.
Whitby failed to threaten from the corner and seemed to be deflated by coming so close rather than be motivated to kick on.
Avenue fought back and after forcing a succession of free-kicks, silenced the sparse crowd completely when former Newcastle United defender Carl Serrant curled home an unstoppable 25 yard free-kick to put the visitors ahead. Despite the goal being against the run of play, a feeling of inevitability filled the Turnbull Ground.
Caretaker boss Serrant then had a golden chance to double his side’s advantage a minute later but headed wide from point blank range.
Whitby’s frustrations began to show when Nicholson flew in on Crossley as the pair a contested a loose ball inside the centre circle. Referee Mr Wallace immediately yellow-carded Nicholson, who at least showed some appetite for a fightback.
Harry Dunn introduced one tricky young forward for another as he threw on left sided Dave McTiernan in place of Appleby with twelve minutes left.
The Blues came closest to levelling the scores with 83 minutes on the clock as Nicholson beat Avenue’s flimsy offside trap and made a beeline for goal, before releasing a goalbound 12 yard drive that Britton somehow touched over.
As Whitby finally committed men forward in vain, there were huge gaps left at the back and James Russell found himself clear one on one with Campbell to finish the match, but the Whitby stopper made to excellent parries on the edge of his six yard box. The Seasiders finally cleared as Bradford players fell over the ball to put the result beyond doubt.
Finally Mr Wallace but both teams and supporters out of their misery as he blew the final whistle.
Hopefully, this will be a blessing in disguise for the dismal Blues, who no doubt will be told in no uncertain terms by their manager to improve matters or face a hammering from rivals Vauxhall who now occupy 13th place.
Motors will not be so generous in front of goal, with the league’s top scorer Terry Fearn and fifth-placed Peter Cumiskey netting 42 goals between them- the same as the entire Whitby squad has managed.