UniBond Premier Division

6th October 2004

Attendance - 222

Team - Escritt, Williams, Veart, Farthing, Obern, Bishop, McTiernan(Jackson 76), Scaife, Ormerod(L Gildea 45), Ure, Nicholson. Sub not used: P Campbell.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Dave Logan celebrated his appointment as full-time Whitby Town manager with a 2-1 success on Wednesday night at the Turnbull Ground. Lee Ure took just 25 minutes to mark his return with a goal, and Craig Veart notched the winner from distance in the second half.
The Blues were without the injured Alex Gildea, Brian Linighan had work commitments and Graham Robinson on holiday. Mark Obern returned to central defence, with Ure back from Billingham Town to make his 197th appearance for the club and fellow new signing Nicky Scaife also beginning a second spell after starting his career at the Turnbull as a teenager. Dave McTiernan replaced Liam Gildea as Logan made four changes from Saturday’s FA Cup losers.
Ure almost made his presence felt from the kick-off when he released Scott Nicholson, but the burly midfielder’s goalbound drive was parried by the legs of Farsley keeper Tom Morgan inside 40 seconds.
Morgan again rescued the visitors on 20 minutes when Ure’s superb low right-wing cross was struck goalwards by Ormerod, only for Morgan to push the resulting drive wide.
But five minutes later the breakthrough came, Dave McTiernan this time supplied the low whipped cross from the right and Ure ghosted into the box and side-footed home from close range, not a bad start from the crowd favourite. However, Farsley were soon up the other end with Mark Bett’s low drive from the edge of the box saved well low down by Whitby’s Ben Escritt. Scarborian referee Mr Rowntree then terrified the home crowd by pulling up Bishop for a slide-challenge when many feared Bett had made it inside the penalty area, there was nothing to fear from the resulting free-kick, which was deflected wide.
But, rather against the run of play, Celtic levelled the scores on 32 minutes. Craig Veart’s attempted volley clear struck Michael Midwood inside the Blues box, with the Farsley forward despatching the loose ball past Escritt with ease from six yards.
Whitby were visibly rattled and Celtic should have grabbed the lead moments later when the Blues backline stood flat-footed with Roy Stammer somehow heading over from close range with all the time in the world to hit the target.
At the other end, Nicholson was unlucky to see his instinctive turn and shot from 15 yards thud against the top of the Farsley crossbar with Morgan beaten.
The second half began in explosive fashion as the Blues regained their lead in style. Once again, Ure was at the heart of it with Celtic’s pedestrian defence having to scythe the pacey forward down in full flow. Veart eyed up the resulting free-kick, as Nicholson stepped away, last season’s top scorer curled a sweet but powerful drive into the top-right corner of the net, giving Morgan no chance from all of 30 yards.
Visiting captain Chris Stab then clashed with Ure after another questionable challenge on the Whitby man, and moments later he and Liam Gildea, on for Ant Ormerod at the break, wrestled to the ground, earning Gildea a booking.
The Seasiders got a real let-off on 62 minutes when Midwood rattled the bottom of the Blues bar from the edge of the box with the ball bouncing on the line 66’ style and as Bett followed up, Escritt saved well diving low to his left.
Farsley struck the woodwork again with 20 minutes remaining, when Knowles’ high looping right-wing cross bounced of the top of the bar this time, and away to safety. Five minutes later, and Neil Bishop was forced to head off his own line as the Blues were penned into their own half like common sheep. It seemed as sure as middle-eastern unrest that Celtic would level the scores, but the closest they came was Midwood’s misplaced free-kick and a few nervous pokes at the ball inside the Whitby box. Substitute Stefan Zoll, another ex-Blue forward returning to the Turnbull after a long absence was unable to conjour up an equaliser with that cultured gallic flair. The final whistle was greeted with relief from the meagre crowd braving the chilly autumn night, Midwood in particular guilty of missing some guilt-edged chances at regular intervals especially in the second period. For those interested, spectators included former Whitby boss Robert Scaife and the scorer of Spennymoor's winner last week to sink the Seasiders, Lealholm's own Tom Raw.