Team - Courtney, Williams, White, Hassan, Burgess, Hodgson, Martin, McTiernan, C Hassan(Faichney 57), Tymon(Dunford 69), Robinson(c). Subs not used: Leeson, Hawkins, Marron, McDermid, D Campbell(GK).
Report
by Andrew Snaith
Another poor first-half display cost the Seasiders a place in the FA Cup's last qualifying round, as old adversaries Blyth Spartans edged through at the Turnbull Ground on Saturday.
The Northumberland side play in the Blue Square North, one level above Whitby and are now just one win from the proper rounds of the competition, when teams from League One and Two enter. They also pocketed £7,500 in prize money.
Watched on by former manager of both clubs, Harry Dunn, current Blues boss Tommy Cassidy made two changes from Wednesday's dismal 4-3 home defeat to Worksop Town. Darren Williams prevented Andy Leeson from lining up against his old club at right-back, while Sam Hodgson came in to replace fellow midfielder, on-loan Lewis Hawkins.
Roared on by 150-plus travelling fans, complete with a giant banner from the film about Spartan Warriors, 300, Blyth threatened inside the opening three minutes when debutant striker Richard Offiong curled against the top of the Blues' crossbar from 20 yards.
At the other end, some neat build-up play down the left saw the ball played inside for Dave McTiernan on the edge of the Blyth box, who did well to work an opening, but fired disappointingly, high over the top. Moments later, good work from Matty Tymon set up the unmarked Callum Martin to head a right-wing cross straight at former Middlesbrough keeper David Knight.
Spartans skipper Graeme Armstrong then got between Alex White and Kev Burgess, after collecting a neat ball, only to hook an angled drive over the bar, from the right edge of the Whitby box. However, the 13th minute proved lucky for the visitors as they grabbed the opening goal.
Michael Tait went down easily under White's challenge allowing Neal Hooks to lob a gentle free-kick, from the centre circle into the Blues' box and there was Tait, son of ex-boss Mick, to flick a header past Tom Courtney from close range. As Whitby tried to hit back, Tymon charged down a clearance and raced to the byline, he waited for support before slamming against Armstrong, with the ball hooked from the six yard box by Phil Cave.
Spartans bossed the rest of the half with Offiong's 18-yard shot looping up off Burgess and just past Courtney's left-hand-post and Hooks' cross picking out Carl Jones, whose side half-volley was deflected wide by White. Tait came close again with a near-post header after a succession of corners and only a last-ditch sliding tackle from Ibby Hassan denied Chris Emms, following a neat Armstrong backheel.
So it came as little suprise when the visitors doubled their lead three minutes before the break. Hassan headed away Emms' sliced effort, but only as far as Tait, who nodded down for Emms to connect perfectly this time, low and hard, past Courtney, from just inside the left-edge of the box.
And the away side could even have grabbed a third before half-time, only two courageous blocks from Williams denied fellow number two Dan Groves 12 yards out and allowed Hassan to finally clear.
There was also time for Burgess to go in the book, before the break, after grabbing Tait, who'd wrestled Martin to the ground and also picked up a yellow card from referee Ricky Wootton. Williams was also lucky not to be punished after an initial shove on Tait, immediately after the challenge on Martin.
Tait, on loan from Harrogate Town, was replaced at the interval by Richie Slaughter and the away side perhaps missed his midfield bite as the Seasiders came more into the game, as the second half wore on.
There was an unusual incident, soon after the restart, when Blyth's assistant manager Gav Fell, stuck out a leg from outside the dugout and trapped the ball, falsely thinking it had gone over the touchline. The result was a drop-ball that favoured the visitors as it was driven back from just inside their half to Whitby keeper Courtney.
Blues then came a whisker away from pulling a goal back as Martin's left-wing inswinging cross flew across goal and wide, narrowly avoiding the onrushing Robinson, six yards from goal. Moments later, another pinpoint Martin ball did find Robinson via a Blyth header and his scuffed shot from the edge of the box, was poked on by Callum Hassan, but Cave got between Hodgson and McTiernan to clear.
As Whitby pushed on, Martin chipped a beautiful ball between the centre-halves for Callum Hassan, but the big striker couldn't control the ball as it dropped over his shoulder and Knight was out to gather.
It was the on-loan Hartlepool forward's last touch of the game and possibly his last for the Blues as his month-long spell is due to end this week- Jake Faichney replaced him around the hour mark.
Martin hooked waywardly high and wide when well-placed, before Robinson became the third Whitby player to go into Mr Wootton's notebook after sneaking a free-kick all of two yards forward- White had earlier rightly seen yellow after a crunching lunge. With ball suitably replaced, Robinson's speculative 25-yard set piece, near the right touchline, was clutched comfortably low to his left by Knight.
Martin then put over yet another inviting cross from the left with Burgess heading high over the bar from eight yards. Martin, another teenager picked up from Hartlepool, then showed his strength lies with passing rather than shooting, as he poked an optimistic scuffed effort well wide from distance.
Tymon made way for fellow frontman Matty Dunford, last seen netting at Parkgate, two rounds earlier, but Blyth should have ended the contest, ten minutes from time. Emms' lofted pass picked out Armstrong who seemed to connect with his cheek from just six yards out, to send a free header across goal and comfortably past Courtney's left-hand post.
And it looked as though the former Northern League outfit might be punished when Whitby pulled a goal back, nine minutes from time. Centre-half Burgess, thrown up front for the last 20 minutes, nodded down Martin's long ball for Faichney to force home from point-blank range. Moments later, Robinson helped on Hodgson's clearance but Jones just got in ahead of McTiernan, as the ex-Middlesbrough junior lined up a 12-yard shot.
Successive corners were cleared before yet another Martin cross was sent well off target by Faichney's inventive edge-of-the-box diving header. The away side showed their nerves with progressively slower substitutions late on and there was time for one final golden chance for Town, with two minutes remaining.
Robinson's throw was flicked on by Burgess and Williams, but it was a Blyth head whose attempted clearance could only find McTiernan, however the tireless number eight could only volley high and wide from 12 yards.
Speaking after the game, Cassidy was disappointed his side couldn't start the game as they ended it, he told the Whitby Gazette:
"We only play in patches of games and it's not good enough.
"Today the second half was much better than the first half, Wednesday night, the second half was much better than the first half.
"We tried to address it the other day, it didn't happen, it didn't work- it's just so, so frustrating.
"Blyth got the two goals but they weren't that much better than us, as far as I was concerned."
The former Gateshead and Workington boss also confirmed he's hoping to sign two strikers this week from a higher level.
He revealed: "We need at least two new players and we're definitely talking forward players, there's no doubt about that and we're trying to do that at the moment.
"We need a bit of experience around the club and it's showing, we've got to just try and battle on and I'm still very confident we'll stay up."
