UniBond Premier Division

22nd August 2006

Attendance -235

Team - Campbell Brumwell Atkinson Farthing Wilford Appleby Claisse Ormerod Brunskill Raw Richards. Subs Scaife Hughes Parkin

Report - from Barney C53 - After looking comfortable in the lead mid-way through the second half, Whitby conspired to throw away all 3 points with two defensive lapses late in the game.

As early as the 3rd minute Whitby took the lead when a poor clearance from Frickley keeper, Ingham, landed at the feet of Tom Raw. When he attempted to take it round him, Ingham brought him crashing in the box. Whilst Brunskill converted the resulting penalty, Frickley must have breathed a sigh of relief, Ingham, was inexplicably, only awarded a yellow card for his offence.

Whitby joy was short lived however, as immediately from the restart Frickley went straight upfield and equalised through the excellent right winger Alex Callery who latched onto a loose ball and lashed it low and hard into the left hand corner of Campbells net.

For the next 15 to 20, minutes play went back and forth but Frickley looked the more dangerous with Callery, Woolford and Ward repeatedley unsettling the Whitby defence who looked at sixes and sevens at this point, unusually.

It was Whitby who regained the lead in 25 mins however. Claisse won the ball in midfield and sent Brunskill away. Avoiding two defenders tackles, he switched it out to the left wing for Richards to float in a cross to the far post for the onrushing Raw to head past the helpless Ingham.

This seemed to settle Whitby and although play continued, end to end, neither goalkeeper was really troubled up to the interval.

The second half resumed as the first had ended and although Frickley pressed for an equaliser, Whitby looked comfortable with the slender lead and even created a few half chances themselves.

In the 70th minute however, following a spate of niggly free-kicks from both sides, Frickley were awarded a free kick in their own half. It came to Pugh, who not being closed down, unleashed a thunderbolt from 25 yards. Campbell got down to his left, to block it, but spilled it out to the incoming Woolford who slipped it inside the right hand post to equalise.

This spurred Frickley on in search of a winner, but in their eagerness to attack they began to leave large gaps in defence. Richards was sent clear on the left for Whitby but shot low past the far post when Raw, unmarked in the box, was the better option. Raw himself also had a chance but his shot came back off the bar and rebounded over the head of substitute Hughes to be cleared by the Frickley defence.

With time running out a draw looked to be a fair result, but, fate, dealt Whitby a cruel and undeserved blow, right on the stroke of time. With a minute left on the clock, Frickley were awarded a soft free-kick on the left edge of the box. Callery floated it in, straight toward the head of Whitby defender Brumwell, who for some reason, ducked underneath it. The ball took one bounce and nestled inside the far post with Campbell stranded at the nearside.

Whitby did attempt to throw everything at Frickley to retrieve the game but it was too late in the day to do anything about it.

All in all this is a game Whitby had for the taking, and although Frickley are an excellent side going forward, Whitby players will be kicking themselves for losing this one.