UniBond Premier Division

9th April 2007

Attendance -

Team - Reid Brumwell Janes Appleby Ward Hollingsworth Thomas Drinkall Raw Brunskill Ormerod subs McTiernan Robinson Richards

Report - Two second half goals condemned Whitby to a first ever competitive defeat to North Ferriby United on Easter Monday.

The Blues remain without an away win since December and officially have the worst travelling record since the turn of the year in the entire division.

Whitby manager Lee Nogan made one change from the side that drew 2-2 with fourth-placed Guiseley on Good Friday, with Byron Webster returning to Harrogate Town and James Drinkall replacing him in midfield.

Town started brightly but had only an early Phil Brumwell effort poked over the top from 30 yards on two minutes to show for their endeavours.

It was the home side who carved out the first real chance five minutes later when 24-goal marksman Gary Bradshaw turned neatly inside the Whitby box, firing a goalbound low drive that Arran Reid saved well, pushing round his left-hand post.

A succession of corners followed with Joel Hartley seeing his shot from the edge of the box charged down by a visiting defender.

The Blues came close on 14 minutes when their own leading scorer, Danny Brunskill, showed some fine skill, flicking the ball over a home defender before being crudely sent to the ground. The 26-goal striker took the resulting 20-yard free-kick himself but fired into the wall but Steve Thomas caught the loose ball superbly with a sweetly-timed drive that was just too close to Ferriby keeper Antoni Pecora.

Whitby were playing some good football on the testing rock-hard surface at Church Road, with some neat interplay four minutes later, culminating in Alex Janes' crossing from the left for Ant Ormerod to head just wide from the edge of the box.

Bradshaw missed a great opportunity to grab the lead for his side moments later however, when young defender Darren Hollingsworth miscontrolled and the former Cheltenham striker took advantage racing clear. But the Ferriby striker overhit the ball, taking himself wide and allowing the Seasiders to eventually clear the danger.

A real must-see moment nearly followed on 27 minutes, when Whitby goalkeeper Arran Reid nearly did a Paul Robinson and beat his opposite number. The young Town stopper's goal-kick bounced up awkwardly off the dry pitch and forced Ferriby's former Scarborough goalie to tip the ball over at the last second.

Reid was soon back to familiar goal-stopping duties 11 minutes before the break when he spread himself superbly to parry from Chris Bolder.

Assistant manager Graham Robinson replaced Drinkall for the Seasiders at half-time, with the home side having the advantage of a slight breeze in the second half.

Within two minutes of the restart, Bradshaw found himself yards clear of nearest defender Richard Ward, but the feared forward once again wasted the chance and Reid saved easily from the striker's weak left-foot drive.

At the other end, a loose ball in the United area was poked goalwards by Thomas, but Pecora was able to clutch as the former Darlington midfielder's touch lacked power.

Within seconds, the home side broke the deadlock with a strike straight out of the blue. It was 18-year-old ex-Bradford City striker Nicky Smith who rifled a superb 25-yard drive into the bottom-right corner of the net, giving Reid, and Whitby, no chance.

Whitby should've levelled matters two minutes later, when Brunskill took advantage of some poor defending, getting in behind Ferriby and laying off for Ormerod to hammer over the top from close range.

Bradshaw headed tamely straight at Reid from a left-wing cross, before Nogan went for broke with a double change on the hour. Defensive wing-backs Brumwell and Janes made way for out and out wide men Karl Richards and Dave McTiernan.

Within five minutes, the two newcomers combined, Richards curling left-wing cross looked to have swung out of play amid loud protests, but McTiernan got a touch and it took defender Ben Morley to clear off his own line.

Seconds later, an identical Richards centre was headed back across goal by Ormerod for McTiernan to see his follow-up deflected wide. On 74 minutes, fine hold-up play from Brunskill, set up Tom Raw on the edge of the Ferriby area, but Andy Thompson got back to execute a fine slide tackle.

Pecora then nearly got his own back on Reid, when more mad bounce from a goal kick saw the Whitby keeper forced to tip over his own crossbar as Bradshaw went down as he clashed with Ward.

Bradshaw then left Ward for dead, collecting Hartley's pass with an embarassing of time on the byline to pick out Michael Price at the far post, who rifled home the killer second goal from close range.

Bradshaw was finding it hard to stay out of the match and a comedy of errors resulted in Reid being penalised for a WWE-style pin on the Ferriby striker. But the ex-Newcastle United junior bizarrely chipped his quickly-taken free-kick straight into the arms of Reid just two yards away.

Leon Wainman and Chris Gowen replaced Hartley and Bradshaw late on, but it was Whitby on the attack three minutes from time, when McTiernan appeared to be held as he controlled in the box, only for referee Chester, to eventually signal a free-kick in the direction of the hosts.

Wainman sprinted clear on the break with two minutes left and forced a good save with his legs by Reid. At the end a succession of Whitby corners brought nothing, but the Blues were to have one last chance.

Two minutes into injury time, more fine control from Brunskill, saw Raw played into a good position, only for Pecora to sum up Whitby's day- using his legs to block the resulting goalbound effort.