UniBond Premier

8th March 2008

Attendance - 261

Team - Campbell, Tobin, Janes(T Raw 44), Appleby, Lyth, Claisse, Burton, Brumwell, Ormerod, Brunskill, Newby(Garvie 74). Sub not used: Gildea.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - The Blues dropped back into the bottom three after losing this scrappy battle of the coastal towns at the Turnbull Ground on Saturday. Whitby's joint managers Phil Brumwell and Graham Clark made three changes from the side that drew 3-3 at Leek Town in midweek. Dan Newby and Alex Janes returned from hamstring and ankle problems respectively, with Anthony Ormerod available again after missing out with work commitments. Richard Forster missed out after picking up a knock, Karl Charlton served a one-match suspension, and Tom Raw, just back after a broken leg, was rested on the bench. The hosts started brightly and came close on six minutes when Anthony Ormerod's flick on was uncharacteristically miscontrolled on his chest by the Seasiders' top scorer Danny Brunskill. A minute later, at the other end, the visitors were up in arms when Jamie Milligan went down under Steve Tobin's slide challenge inside the Blues' box, but the Whitby defender was adjudged to have taken the ball by referee Mr Sharp. On a breezy day, a freak gust of wind in the 12th minutes caught an attempted cross. Fleetwood goalkeeper Danny Hurst allowed the ball to bounce in front of him but was then forced to tip over at full stretch. The Lancashire side began to take charge late in the half, and almost led five minutes before half-time when Andy Bell's shot from a seemingly impossible angle squirmed under home goalkeeper Dave Campbell's body and straight along the Whitby goal line. Whitby were forced to cut short Raw's rest a minute from the interval when Janes suffered a reoccurence of his injury and trotted off- Brumwell himself dropped into defence with Ormerod going into midfield so Raw could join strike partner Brunskill. However, the breakthrough came for the visitors at the other end. Deep in stoppage time, Tobin appeared to handle two or three yards inside his own penalty area, but Mr Sharp left the Fleetwood forwards incredulous by only giving a free-kick right on the edge of the box. Though, they will surely think justice was done as Milligan strode up and fired the resulting set piece over the wall and into the roof of the net. The second half was a turgid affair with heavy, driving rain accompanying the strong gales. With 16 minutes remaining, young winger Sam Garvie, signed from New Marske a week ago, got his first run out in the royal blue when replacing the out-of-sorts Newby on the left. But it was Fleetwood who had a goal ruled out for offside, before Whitby had their best chance of an equaliser two minutes from time. Local lad Ashley Lyth rising highest at the near post, only to head Matty Appleby's inswinging corner over the crossbar, two minutes from time. Campbell then pulled off a flying save to keep out a curling 20-yard Kieran Walmsley free-kick. The conditions hardly lent themselves to flowing football but Whitby worked hard in the third of their 13 cup finals. All eyes will now turn to Wednesday night's six pointer at fellow strugglers Ilkeston Town, as the matches gain in importance for the Blues.