UniBond Premier

1st March 2008

Attendance - 254

Team - Campbell, Lyth, Tobin, Claisse, Forster, Ormerod(Rhodes 90), Burton, Brumwell, T Raw(Gildea 86), Brunskill, Charlton. Sub not used: Garvie.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Local lad Tom Raw's first-half goal on his fairytale league return ended Whitby Town's six-match losing streak, at the Turnbull Ground on Saturday, but the Blues remain in the Unibond Premier relegation zone going into Tuesday's six-pointer at second-bottom Leek.

Raw, making his first Premier Division start of the season following a horrific double leg break in July, was crucially joined up front by Town's 23-goal top scorer Danny Brunskill, who passed a late fitness test on a rib injury.

Within three minutes, the Blues' leading marksman made his presence felt, setting up Karl Charlton who went down in the Hednesford penalty area, but referee Mr Madley from Ossett, waved away any claims for a spot kick.

At the other end, towering youngster Ross Dyer was upended in a dangerous position, but Liam McDonald's free-kick was fired wastefully into the Whitby wall. But after a favourable rebound, McDonald found Rory May, who recieved no second chances as Blues' keeper Dave Campbell reacted quickly to dive in at the striker's feet and snatch the loose ball.

Dyer then turned villain following through late on Campbell after Whitby's number one won the chase for a through pass. Mr Madley perhaps lived up to the first syllable of his name after deciding to take no further action against Hednesford's big number ten.

Andy Burton lashed over for Whitby, before the visitors created the best chance so far when a dangerous driven cross from the left was missed by the onrushing McDonald from point blank range.

The 23rd minute saw the lively Sam Hall break down the right, and pick out May, who could only head wide from a decent position.

On the half hour, after a good spell of Whitby passing involving wing-backs Burton and Charlton, 20-year-old opposition skipper Tom Marshall's cynical foul with Whitby swarming forward somehow only drew another stern lecture from the man in the middle. Charlton's resulting free-kick picked out Tom Claisse at the far post, but the former Bradford City youngster's searching cross flew narrowly over the heads of the massed Whitby ranks in the visitors' box.

As play drifted to either end in the breezy conditions, Hall and May again combined with an identical result as the on-loan Burton Albion full-back's right-wing ball was nodded past the near post.

It was Whitby's turn to press two minutes before the break, and when the returning duo linked up like old times, the deadlock was duly broken. A long throw was held up by Brunskill, whose neat lay off picked out Raw nearby, and the 22-year-old instinctively sidefooted past Ben Scott from the edge of the area and inside the bottom left corner of the net.

The half-time whistle was greeted with cheers from the more-vocal Whitby supporters, responding to pre-match calls in the local press by joint manager Phil Brumwell for a return to the noisier days at the Blues' HQ.

Perhaps buoyed by this enthusiasm on the sidelines, Whitby threatened first playing against a strong wind in the second half. Raw turning provider to set up Charlton, who should have done better after firing over the crossbar first time from 12 yards.

The referee finally located the cards in his pocket when he handed Wayne Dyer, the executor of more than one robust challenge in the first half, a deserved yellow card after a poorly-timed lunge on Ashley Lyth.

And Mr Madley certainly threw caution to the wind with just over 20 minutes remaining. Keeper Scott raced from his goal and flew in on Raw near the left touchline. With Whitby's number nine laid out ominously on the turf, the referee had no hesitation in producing a straight red card. Scott then took an age to leave the field, having to be restrained by team-mates as he confronted a group of angry Whitby players.

Hall, Hednesford's clear man of the match then tested Campbell on 75 minutes with a 30-yard effort from nothing that the veteran stopper had to push wide at the last second.

Former England Schoolboy international Hall called Campbell into action for the final time in the 90th minute with a free-kick that the 37-year-old custodian, laying to rest his crucial error in midweek, rose highest to take comfortably.

Madley then shortnened Whitby fingernails around the ground when he lengthened the game by five added stoppage time minutes. However, it was the Blues who came closest to scoring when subsitute Alex Rhodes' goalbound drive was kept out by the save of the match from centre-half turned goalkeeper Marshall.