UniBond Premier

18th August 2007

Attendance - 357

Team - Campbell, Hardman, Janes, Appleby, Hartas(Harmsworth 50), A Raw, Adams, Nogan(Andrews 83), Hackworth, Ormerod, Charlton(Thornton 86).

Report - by Andrew Snaith - A patched up Whitby Town fresh from a winless pre-season and featuring no less than six debutants held newly promoted Buxton on the Unibond Premier’s opening day at the Turnbull Ground on Saturday. Starting purposefully, Town had what appeared strong appeals for handball waved away after the ball struck a Buxton player just inside the Bucks’ penalty area. A minute later at the other end, veteran goalkeeper Dave Campbell came to Town’s rescue with a fine save low down to block Mark Reed’s far post downward header.

On 28 minutes, Karl Charlton’s left-wing free-kick found its way to Alex Janes on the opposite side of the Buxton box, and the former Darlington defender’s snapshot rattled the crossbar, with player-manager Lee Nogan’s first time follow-up fired high over the top from close range.

The earlier pattern was repeated when Buxton countered within a minute, only for Andy Parton to lob onto the roof of the Whitby net when well placed. The Bucks’ kept up the pressure, and when a superbly timed tackle from Janes in the six yard box conceded a corner, the resulting set piece was hooked off his own line by Lewis Hardman.

Reed, needing one goal to break the visitors’ post-war goalscoring record, thought he’d reached the milestone five minutes from half-time when he raced onto a long ball and sidefooted over Campbell and into the net. Sadly, and a little embarrassingly for the striker as he revealed a celebratory undershirt message, the strike was chalked off thanks to an offside flag.

Striker Tony Hackworth, a summer capture from the former Scarborough club then rounded Buxton keeper Scott Hartley but over-run the ball, and was forced to pass to Hardman whose shot from a difficult angle was charged down.

Whitby replaced one teenage centre-half for another as Dave Hartas suffered a head injury after catching an opposition knee, and was replaced by James Harmsworth- both recently signed from York & District League football.

The Blues enjoyed a good spell at the start of the second half and on 63 minutes deservedly led when a corner from the right was expertly chested back across goal by Anthony Ormerod for debutant Tom Adams to side foot home from close range.

Buxton roared back and possibly inspired by the introduction of Spurs winger Aaron Lennon’s older brother Tony, levelled 14 minutes from time, when Reed sprinted clear and got the chance to show off the t-shirt again, calmly slotting past Campbell for goal number 116 in his 173rd match- a truly remarkable record.

Hardman, one of four teenagers in the Whitby side, twice overlapped down the right flank, poking wide, and later, cutting in and firing left-footed straight at Hartley. Two minutes from time, another young newcomer for Whitby, substitute Sonny Andrews turned superbly just inside the Buxton box and drilled a low drive toward goal but Hartley was down quickly to smother the ball at the second attempt.