FA Trophy 1st Round

6th October 2004

Attendance - 202

Team - Campbell, Williams, Veart, Farthing, Linighan, Nicholson, Robinson, Scaife, Johnson (Obern), Ormerod, Gildea A (Bishop) Subs not used - Escritt, McTiernan, Campbell.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Whitby and Marine meet again on Wednesday night after battling out a draw on Merseyside in the first round of the FA Carlsberg Trophy at the weekend.
A 65th-minute free-kick that went through keeper Dave Campbell's hands, cancelled out Graham Robinson's first-half strike for the visitors.
Dave Logan made three changes from the Blues last encounter, the penalty-shoot-out victory over Fishburn Park, some 10 days ago. Brian Linighan returned to the side and became Whitby's sixth captain in as many matches, fit-again Alex Gildea was restored to the midfield and the experienced Dave Campbell replaced Ben Escritt in net. Paul Campbell dropped to the bench, and despite being allowed five subs, Paul Atkinson joined the suspended Liam Gildea in Marine's new North Stand.
On a skiddy surface lashed by a typical Lancastrian downpour, both sides struggled to create and Whitby's chances were further hit as Gildea came out of a 50/50 challenge holding his shoulder. Neil Bishop, back after a three match ban, took to the field as Gildea, who looked badly injured, was to take no further part.
In a rare forray forward, it was the home side who threatened first on the half-hour mark, when Dean Thurston's snapshot from the edge of the box was spectacularly pushed wide by Campbell. Five minutes later, Ben Kay chipped narrowly over the crossbar from a seemingly innocous position.
This appeared to spark Whitby into action. And the Seasiders, who had held most of the possession without carving out anything clear-cut grabbed the lead on 37 minutes.
Anthony Ormerod, a real handful down the left for Logan's side, leapt over Murphy's rash slide and drove in a perfect low cross for Robinson to steer home at the far post- the South African's fifth of the season.
The Crosby-based home side almost hit-back straight from the kick-off when Neil Black's ferocious 25-yard drive cannoned back off the Whitby crossbar with Campbell beaten.
However, the Yorkshiremen should have taken a two-goal cushion into the interval when Scott Nicholson fed Steve Johnson, who raced clear and drove clinically into the bottom-right corner of the net from 18 yards. But the livewire forward was to pay for his turn of pace as the linesman raised a belated offside flag, much to the consternation of the vocal visiting support.
The second half began in as flacid a style as the first with excitement at a marked premium. What action there was to see took place at the Whitby end as Thurston blazed over, striking one of the terraced homes surrounding the compact ground, narrowly avoiding an upstairs window.
Five minutes later, Thurston hit the deck just outside the Blues box giving the hosts a chance to level the scores. They duly obliged in farsical style, as Ben Kay's curled free-kick somehow squirmed through Campbell's hands, and a group of players to nestle in the Whitby net.
The Seasiders went straight on the attack, and a lovely one-touch passing move culminated in Brian Linighan heading instinctively straight at Michael Stuart from Nick Scaife's left-wing cross.
In a turn-around from the first-half, it was Roly Howard's Marine side who dominated possession but found it impossible to fashion a clear opening.
A defensive Whitby change saw utility man Mark Obern replaced Johnson on 74 minutes. Howard countered with a double sub of his own, as the Scousers went for broke in the last ten minutes.
However, it was the high-flying Blues who came closest to grabbing that elusive winning goal. On 88 minutes, Nicholson blasted a speculative effort high and wide from 20 yards as the former Tow Law man looked for support from his teammates. And right at the end, Whitby won a free-kick which the dangerous Craig Veart lined up, but the reliable full-back drove over the bar as Stuart remained a virtual spectator.
Seconds later, referee Mr Yates brought to an end a dour encounter with both teams and supporters desperate for better performances in the midweek replay. Fireworks aside, the best entertainment of the day was the banter between the fans, as the travelling fans from the North East were labelled "Monkey Hangers" by some confused home supporters.