4th December 2003

Attendance - 229

Team - D Campbell, Obern, Gildea, Hall, Reed, Dixon, Swales(McTiernan 74), Robinson, Ormerod, Sheeran(Nicholson 82), Veart. Subs not used: P Campbell, Clementson.

Report - by Andrew Snaith -Whitby Town crashed out of the FA Trophy on Wednesday night after a second half Simon Collins strike gave Bradford Park Avenue a 1-0 victory in West Yorkshire. Collins’ 54th minute header settled a thoroughly dour game at Bradford’s Horsfall Stadium, with referee Mr Grunnill giving an encore performance after Saturday’s bumbling Turnbull Ground effort.
The Blues were rocked before kick-off by the news that Lee Ure would miss the game with flu, this also meant the Seasiders fielded just four substitutes instead of the usual five.
Local lad Mark Swales replaced Ure on the right side of the three-man Whitby midfield. One piece of good news saw Alex Gildea shrug off Saturday’s knock to once again start at left wing-back.
The home side applied most of the early pressure with a crisp passing move releasing Andy Hayward in the Whitby box, but his shot was charged down by the Blues defence. Little else happened until the 15 minute mark when former Newcastle United left-back Carl Serrant’s deep cross was headed over by Hayward from close range.
This set the tone for the match as the puddle-strewn pitch made smooth one touch football challenging. Moments later, the Seasiders had a similar opportunity when Swales worked his way down the right and put in a high looping cross only for on-loan Darlington striker Mark Sheeran to head straight at Bradford keeper James Alderson.
The Blues had possibly their best chance of the night to break the deadlock on 24 minutes, when Anthony Ormerod set up Sheeran’s whose low angled drive from the edge of the box was parried by Alderson. The ball pin-balled around the Avenue box with Graham Robinson’s instinctive drive charged down. With ten minutes of the first half remaining, Whitby were unlucky again when Ormerod’s goal-bound header was brilliantly flicked over his own crossbar by Stansfield.
At the other end, Avenue almost sneaked into the lead before half-time when Hayward headed straight at relieved Whitby keeper Dave Campbell. Harry Dunn’s Whitby side came out for the second half in purposeful mood and had their best spell of the match. Within two minutes of the restart, they’d won a corner on the right which Craig Veart looped perfectly into the path of Anthony Hall, who headed wide.
On 49 minutes, the Blues showed some neat touches in midfield with Gildea releasing Swales inside the Bradford box, only for the Whitby-born 21 year old to shoot wide of Alderson’s near post. The pressure continued as moments later, another Veart corner was headed off his own line by Collins.
Then everything turned upside down for Whitby. The home side broke away and were awarded a free-kick for a nothing challenge by Hall, who was booked. The resulting set-piece, 30 yards from goal, was flighted into the Whitby box by Serrant and there was Collins to head home off the underside of the crossbar and into the empty net.
On 61 minutes, Stansfield was lucky to remain on the field when he cynically tripped Ormerod as the former Middlesbrough striker was sent clear down the Bradford left. Referee Mr Grannill who had infuriated both sets of supporters all night with his seemingly random decisions, issued a booking for the lucky home defender.
In-fact Grunnill's mystifying performance was only topped by that of clue-less 'assistant' referee, I use the term loosely, step forward, J Clark of Harrogate. Several bewildering offside awards, including one that appeared to be awarded when the forward was in his own half paled into insignificance when Clark gave a throw with the ball landing a foot inside the playing area. It hardly helped the sanity of supporters who'd travelled over 100 miles when Whitby were in a hugely advantageous attacking position at the time. Three minutes later, Sheeran flew down the left and put a teasing cross right across the Bradford box and inches away from Swales’ trailing foot as the youngster arrived at the far post.
The hosts, who were happy to play a depressing long ball game, came close on 72 minutes when Wayne Benn’s speculative 35 yard lob landed on the roof of Campbell’s net, with the Whitby keeper back-pedalling. The Blues introduced highly rated left winger Dave McTiernan for Swales with fifteen minutes remaining.
But by now it seemed the visitors had long since ran out of ideas with the hosts looking likeliest to find the net, once again. On 83 minutes, Gildea’s skill got him in trouble when the left-sided midfielder was dispossessed just outside his own box, only for Benn to hammer wastefully over the Whitby crossbar. Saturday’s goalscorer Scott Nicholson replaced Sheeran in the last ten minutes but to little avail as Whitby looked increasingly less likely to trouble Alderson and the home side trotted out a truly painful victory to book a Third Round trip to another Unibond Premier side in highflying Hucknall Town. Even with competent officials the Blues would still have struggled. Forwards Sheeran and Ormerod were fed on scraps with Whitby brought down to Bradford’s level, playing to the home side’s strengths by pumping endless long balls towards the beleaguered young strikers. Radcliffe seemed a million miles away after an awful performance like this.