FA Trophy 3rd Round

15th January 2005

Attendance - 402

Team - D Campbell, Atkinson, Williams, Farthing, Linighan, Nicholson, Ormerod (McTiernan 70), Scaife, Robinson, Gill (L Gildea 80), Bishop. Subs not used: Escritt, A Gildea, Johnson.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Whitby Town face a replay against promotion rivals Hyde United tomorrow night for a place in the last 32 of the FA Trophy.
The Blues let a two-goal lead slip in Greater Manchester on Saturday but Scott Nicholson later completed his hat-trick to rescue his side after a spirited Hyde fightback.
The reward for the winners is a difficult tie away to Conference high-fliers Accrington Stanley, who are fourth, or Hereford, who are fifth.
Whitby replicated the brilliant start they made in the league clash between the sides in November.
Just 40 seconds were on the clock when Graham Williams' innocuous left-wing cross was touched into the net by Scott Nicholson.
At the other end, the hosts were convinced they were robbed of a penalty.
Dale Johnson fell to the ground under the challenge of Whitby keeper Dave Campbell, but the referee played on.
The Blues extended their lead on 19 minutes. Good work from Ant Ormerod and on-loan striker Robert Gill on the right enabled Nicky Scaife to float over a pinpoint cross for Nicholson to rise above two defenders and find the same corner with a perfectly-placed header.
The Tigers stepped it up a gear and pushed Whitby right back for the rest of the half. Constant pressure saw Danny Farthing's sliding clearance from Wayne Dean's left-wing cross fly across the box and Dean's follow-up blocked.
But Johnson made amends and pulled a goal back on the half-hour when he steered a smoothly-executed half-volley past Campbell .
Play swung back to the Hyde end as Atkinson's pass released Ormerod who was tripped by defender John Gaynor.
As players from both sides approached the referee, Nicholson and former York City striker Neil Tolson were also perhaps lucky to stay on the field.
Tolson stamped on Neil Bishop, prompting Nicholson to run 10 yards and shove Tolson angrily, all in view of the referee and linesman on the near side.
The pair conferred before Edwards booked Gaynor, but took no further action. The free-kick was driven goalwards by Scaife but charged down.
The home side took to their second-half task manfully and deservedly levelled four minutes after the break.
Salt raced down the right and put over a perfect cross for the unmarked Matty McNeil to meet with a textbook diving header from close range.
Whitby looked to be going to pieces with some desperate defending allowing Hyde to seize the initiative.
On the hour, Milligan's looping free-kick struck the top of the Whitby bar before being hacked clear.
Moments later, the match was turned on its head in controversial fashion.
Tolson, the league's joint top scorer, fired goalwards from the edge of the box and the ball struck the hand of Bishop as he slid in to charge down the effort.
Only the crowd behind the goal seemed to appeal, but the referee pointed to the spot immediately.
Milligan casually sidefooted into the bottom-left corner to give Hyde the lead.
But the breakthrough for Whitby came with 11 minutes remaining.
O'Kane went in the book after upending McTiernan and Scaife's deep free-kick was headed with superb precision by Nicholson for the equaliser.
Both sides went for the win in a frantic finale, with Dean's last minute bicycle kick flying just wide of the post.
After three draws in the sides' last three meetings of 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3, tomorrow's replay is surely not to be missed.
Kick-off at the Turnbull is 7.45pm.