UniBond Premier Division

11th October 2005

Attendance - 211

Team - Campbell, Brumwell, Veart, Farthing, Nicholson (Hudson), Scaife, Ormerod, Brown, Raw, Wilford (McTiernan), Richards. sub not used - Atkinson

Report - Whitby gained swift & clinical retribution over Farsley for their end of season Play-off defeat at Throstle Nest on Tuesday evening and helped get over Saturday's FA Cup defeat at Alfreton in the process. Two goals in as many minutes from Andy Brown in the dying stages of the game snuffed out any hope of the home side snatching a point. Manager Dave Logan was able to field a full-strength team and they opened the game in a well disciplined & organised manner. Despite a confident start, Whitby had 'keeper David Campbell to thank in the 9th minute when his full-length acrobatic dive produced a fingertip save, pushing the ball onto the post to keep the scoreline blank. Once over that scare, Town were soon back into the groove and took the lead five minutes later. Tom Raw latched onto Aron Wilford's deft flick to take the ball in his stride, leave two defenders in his wake before stroking it past Celtic 'keeper Paul Cuss and into the bottom right corner of the net. It was a just reward for the bright start made by the visitors but as the first half wore on, Farsley's midfield slowly began to assert themselves, helped in no uncertain manner by some wayward Whitby passes. With just over half an hour elapsed, Simeon Bambrook caused panic in the Whitby defence as he charged into the penalty area. The striker's shot managed to pass Campbell and would have levelled the scores had it not been for a timely sliding interception by Phil Brumwell, outstanding on the night.

The second period saw both teams cancel each other out in the early stages but as in the first half, the home side battled to get the upper hand. For all Farsley's possession, Whitby's defence remained resolute & looked impenetrable until the last quarter of an hour when Campbell was again called upon to make a fine save from Rowe's free kick on the edge of the area. The Whitby 'keeper was eventually beaten in the 80th minute when Celtic were awarded a penalty after Karl Richards was adjudged to have committed a foul just inside the box. Substitute Paul Rickers calmly slotted home the equaliser sending Campbell the wrong way. The hosts' joy was short lived however, lasting a mere two minutes. Instead of panicking & handing the initiative to Farsley, Whitby responded by surging forward positively and had their endeavours rewarded with a second goal. Celtic's defence failed to clear the ball effectively and found Andy Brown lurking unmarked just outside the 18 yard box. His first time shot sped through a crowd of players & past Cuss before nestling in the back of the net. Before they knew it, Farsley's hopes of salvaging a point were washed away in the rain as Whitby increased their lead with a superbly well worked goal. A long ball out of defence found Tom Raw, a constant thorn in Celtic's side, free to run out wide to the left flank. He looked up, crossed the ball low & hard across the greasy surface where Brown was waiting to plunder his second goal of the night. Farsley tried their best to make the scoreline more respectable in the remaining minutes but the Whitby defence proved more than equal to the task.

It was difficult to single out a performance above anyone else as the entire team played with a unity & determination to leave with all three points. Dave Campbell's crucial save with the game scoreless could have been the catalyst Farsley required to get a grip of the game but equally so Brumwell & Farthing were shining lights in defence. Raw & Ormerod never stopped running and Brown's workrate coupled with his two goals at the death shows what a fine signing he is. The only negative from the game was skipper Scott Nicholson's wrist injury causing him to leave the field late on. All in all it was a much needed three points, an excellent team performance and it will hopefully stand them in good stead for the FA Trophy game against Eastwood Town.