UniBond Premier Division

8th September 2004

Attendance - 209

Team - Escritt, Williams, Lynch, Obern, Farthing, A.Gildea, McTiernan, P.Campbell, Ormerod, Robinson, Nicholson - Subs L.Gildea Veart, Bishop

Report: Duncan Atkins (Whitby Gazette 10-09-04) - Whitby kicked off a new era under caretaker boss Dave Logan on Wednesday night with three welcome points and a much-improved display over a young Gateshead side.
Alex Gildea was the hero, banging in a great hat-trick as the Blues started with a new-found vibrancy.

Gildea started the fun in less than 60 seconds when he poked home from close range after Scott Nicholson's shot was blocked.

The Blues poured forward early on, with Dave McTiernan testing the keeper from distance and Graham Robinson also going close.

But it was Gildea again who doubled the lead on nine minutes with an emphatic first-time drive which crashed in off the underside of the bar from 30 yards out.

Blues fans had arguably seen more excitement from their team in the first 10 minutes of this game than they had in entire games at times this season.

The visitors took 23 minutes to muster any sort of attack and that ended with a low shot hit straight at Ben Escritt in the home goal.

The game temporarily went off the boil but Nicholson thundered forward and drew an alert save from the keeper with a shot from 20 yards.

Robinson almost got the second half off to a perfect start when a visiting defender slipped in dangerous territory but the South African's shot was pushed over and the corner came to nothing.

But Gildea made it a hat-trick on the hour with a neat goal.

The lively McTiernan sent in a beautifully clipped cross from the right and the youngster headed home confidently from close in.

The tireless Robinson was unlucky not to have got on the scoresheet on 66 minutes when he lobbed the onrush-ing keeper only for a covering defender to hack the ball off the line.

Although the Blues seemed to be cruising effortlessly towards three points, alarm bells started to jangle when the visitors pulled one back with Alex Benjamin nodding home a deep cross.

And the same man was on target on 78 minutes when he slammed home a left-foot shot off the far post after Escritt had reacted well to stop an earlier shot.

Whitby deservedly held on for a win their performance richly deserved, despite a nervy three minutes of injury time being added.