UniBond Premier League

October 28th 2006

Attendance - 345

Team - Campbell Reid Brumwell Appleby Farthing Wilford McTiernan(Richards) Claisse Raw Brunskill Ormerod. Subs not used Nicholson Wilkinson

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Aron Wilford's first of the season and further goals from Dave McTiernan and Tom Raw were enough to seal what was eventually a comfortable victory over bottom club Grantham Town, at the Turnbull Ground on Saturday.

Town manager Lee Nogan welcomed back fit-again Wilford and Tom Claisse who netted last week after coming off the bench- injured midfield duo James Drinkall and Graham Robinson made way.

The Blues signalled their intentions straight from the kick-off when captain Matty Appleby's lob from the half-way line landed on the roof of keeper Gary Ingham's net.

Whitby kept up the barrage and backed by their second highest league gate of the season, grabbed the lead inside seven minutes. Top scorer Danny Brunskill turned provider, muscling his way down the right wing and crossing for Wilford to power an unstoppable header across goal and inside the top right corner of the net from 12 yards.

Eight minutes later and 42-year-old Ingham had to be on top form to cling onto Tom Raw's powerful drive from the edge of the box. Opposite number Dave Campbell was then called into action and also saved from Grantham's own number nine Brett Lovell- doing well to gather a drilled 20-yard free-kick at the second attempt.

But just as Gary Marrow's side were starting to get a foothold in the game, Town booted them in the ribs with a second goal. Brunskill was again involved, this time running from deep to supply Ant Ormerod on the left who centered for McTiernan to poke home at the far post.

Grantham went straight up the other end, but John Douglas failed to trouble Campbell with an optimistic 30 yard effort. Tom Reid's reckless lunge saw him join Grantham's Jermaine Palmer in the referee's notebook, before McTiernan tried a left-foot drive from the edge of the box that sailed well over the visitors' crossbar.

Palmer then hooked over the top from distance on 35 minutes, and at the other end, Appleby's drilled 20-yard free-kick was millimetres away from the end of Raw's outstretched boot before Ingham collected.

A decent move from the former Southern League outfit down the left flank then culminated in ex-Scarborough midfielder Sean McClare firing an angled drive into the side-netting.

But five minutes before the half-time interval, Whitby could and should've sewn things up when good work from Raw left Ormerod one on one with Ingham, but the ex-Middlesbrough forward sidefooted high over the bar from close range.

Two minutes into the second half and Michael Simpkins' long ball over the top picked out Lovell who crossed for Douglas to head wide from close range under pressure from Reid. Play then swept to the other end where Brunskill found himself in a prime position after winning the ball on the halfway line, but tried to take on one man too many and was dispossessed.

McTiernan suffered a similar fate minutes later- beating two men as he cut in from the right but in an effort to get the ball onto his left foot, delayed too long and saw an 18-yard drive deflected wide.

Within seconds, the pacey youngster was involved again, chipping a neat ball into the Grantham area from the edge, with the awkward bounce somehow narrowly eluding both Raw and Wilford with a relieved Ingham able to collect.

McTiernan's third contribution in as many minutes saw the ex-Middlesbrough winger release Raw down the right, but when the local lad went to ground under Simpkins' slide challenge, referee Mr Beswick signalled for nothing other than Raw to get up.

The versatile McTiernan just couldn't keep out of the game, but this time nearly cost his side a goal after losing the ball on halfway. A perfectly-weighted through ball saw Lovell in acres of space, but the towering forward somehow conspired to shin wide from six yards out with the goal yawning in front of him.

Ormerod showed why it's now eight games without a goal for the former England Youth international, hammering Raw's left-wing pull back over the bar- the ball more of a danger to the Upgang Lane motorists than keeper Ingham.

Some smooth interplay between Raw and Brunskill then concluded with Raw's right-wing cross headed over the top by his 12-goal strike partner.

McTiernan will probably count himself unlucky to be subsituted on the hour mark, with Karl Richards making his second appearance from the bench following his return from a knee injury.

But Richards teammates' were soon on the defensive as their Lincolnshire visitors pulled a goal back from nothing within seconds of the change. A slow build-up down the left ended with Douglas curling a tremendous effort inside the top-right corner from 25 yards to give Campbell no chance and dramatically fire his side back into the game.

Former Tamworth forward Douglas then fired into the side netting from 12 yards with 20 minutes remaining on the clock. However, this was to be the last breathless moment for Whitby's long-suffering supporters as they put the result beyond doubt on 79 minutes.

Town won a free-kick 20-yards from goal, just left of centre following a foul on Ormerod. Skipper Appleby stepped up to fire a ferocious effort, parried by Ingham but straight onto Raw's boot and into the back of the net from spitting distance.

As the Blues relaxed and the game opened up, Whitby won another free-kick, this time 25 yards out, with Appleby bending another amazing effort round the wall but inches wide of Ingham's right-hand post.

Campbell was then called into action during a rare Grantham breakaway, and pulled off a superb point-blank reflex save, with Reid doing well again to deflect Lovell's goalbound drive wide to avoid any late jitters with three minutes remaining.

The Gingerbreads continued to provide food for thought in their best spell of the match, Tom Manship, signed from Conference North Hinckley at the start of the campaign, fired a 30-yard free-kick narrowly over the top via the lid of the crossbar.

But that was to be all she wrote for Marrow's men as the Seasiders dominated injury time. Firstly, Richards cut inside after a bright move down the left, but his weak effort on the turn was easily gathered by Ingham. Then four minutes into the added allotment, Raw followed up the perfect first touch with a near-perfect lob that Ingham backpedalled desperately to push wide at full stretch. From the resulting corner, Ormerod summed up his afternoon with a turn and shot over the bar from the edge of the area.

However, Whitby's collective afternoon was a bright one, with Guiseley's shock 3-0 defeat at Ashton United lifting Nogan's side into third spot. And after celebrating a sixth straight league win at the Turnbull, it's now down to the Seasiders to do themselves justice on the road with three successive away trips coming up in the next fortnight.