UniBond Premier Division

15th March 2008

Attendance - 439

Team - Campbell, Brumwell, Newby, Appleby, Tobin, Pallender, Claisse, Nogan(Adams 79), T Raw(Garvie 53), Brunskill(Gildea 90), Charlton.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Former player-manager Lee Nogan made a shock comeback in a Whitby shirt after his resignation last October and fired home a sensational second-half equaliser at fourth-placed Buxton on Saturday.

Already missing the injured defensive pairing of Richard Forster(knee) and Alex Janes(ankle) for the second match running, illness victim Anthony Ormerod, and Andy Burton, who was busy getting married, Whitby suffered a further blow when another defender, Ashley Lyth, failed a late fitness test.

So 38-year-old Nogan, who remained registered to the club even after leaving the managerial hotseat, agreed to help out, alongside two more former Pickering Town players still on Town's books in Lee Pallender and Tom Adams.

The depleted Seasiders began strongly against promotion-chasing opposition and almost grabbed the lead inside five minutes when Buxton keeper Scott Hartley allowed the ball to squirm out of his hands as Karl Charlton challenged. But the 20-year-old winger chipped wide from an awkward angle just inside the area.

Six minutes later, and a perfectly-placed Matty Appleby pass over the shoulder of the onrushing Danny Brunskill, set up Town's leading goalscorer to force a strong parry low down from Hartley, with defender Greg Anderson almost dribbling the ball over his own goal-line before booting clear.

It seemed a double injustice then when the home side were gifted a highly contentious penalty in the 14th minute from their first serious attack. Pallender on his first start since January, was adjudged to have pulled back Neil Ross, who went down theatrically in the Whitby box. However, the ex-Stockport County forward was soon back on his feet to send Dave Campbell the wrong way and calmly slot home the opening goal.

The match was a stop-start affair with neither side allowed to hold possesion for too long. Four minutes from half-time came a golden chance for the Bucks to double their advantage. Recent signing Mark Lees cut in from the left flank and jinked his way along the byline before teeing up Paul Walker who nonchalantly backheeled straight at Campbell from point blank range.

Ross picked out Campbell with a speculative 20-yard effort, before Town almost hit back during a good spell going into the break as leading scorer Brunskill twice threatened.

First the former Durham City marksman, with a trademark shot on the turn forced Hartley to save well low down after a slight deflection. Then, some neat interplay between Nogan and Brunskill, culminated in the 25-goal striker firing narrowly wide, again following a touch from a covering defender.

The second half began slowly with chances at a premium until the 64th minute when Lees' ferocious 25-yard shot out of nothing flew inches over the Whitby crossbar.

This seemed to stir the visitors who won a free-kick on the edge of the Buxton box after a push on Steve Tobin and Appleby's on-target strike brought another good stop from Hartley.

With 20 minues remaining, Whitby pressure brought the breakthrough. Nothing much seemed on when Nogan recieved possession just over the halfway line and advanced to the left edge of the Buxton box. But the wily veteran with around 500 Football League appearances and 100 goals tried an angled drive that skipped up off the pitch, over the diving Hartley and inside the helpless keeper's right-hand post.

Pacey teenager Sam Garvie, a recent recruit from New Marske who has also turned out for Town's Under 19s, looked lively after replacing the unusually quiet Tommy Raw shortly after the break.

In a frenetic end to the game, both sides won a string corners with the better chances coming Whitby's way.

The best of them saw towering defender Tobin rise highest at the far post, in the final minute to head Appleby's inswinging corner narrowly wide. Even inside the two minutes added time, Town threatened again when Tom Claisse nodded straight at Hartley after good work from substitute Liam Gildea with his first touches of the ball leading to the subsequent corner.

Buxton did surge forward right at the death, but Whitby's well-marshalled offside trap and Campbell's calm handling ensured the scores remained level at the final whistle.