UniBond Premier

1st April 2009

Attendance - 227

Team - Liversedge, Burgess, Bishop, Janes (Garvie 63), Beadle, Lyth, Burton, Scott, Raw (Ross 51), Thompson (Nogan 63), Charlton Subs not used: Forster, James.

Report - by Andy Baxter - As expected, the Midlands visitors, Hednesford Town, went straight on the offensive, as they needed 3 points as much to consolidate their play off chances as Whitby Town needed 3 points to avoid deeper relegation fears. Whitby had recent recruit Andy Thompson playing up front and former midfielder, Andy Burton, made a surprise return to help Whitby.

Hednesford looked extremely confident and stroked the ball around the field with ease, particularly when coming forward, forcing Whitby onto the back foot and also stopping the home side from venturing into their half, thanks to their solid back four. For many, it looked difficult to see how Whitby were going to score against such strong opposition, but they did raise the crowds hopes when after 28 mins, Karl Charlton struck an effort narrowly over the bar.

For Hednesford, powerful strikers Tyrone Barnett and Ross Dyer looked threatening every time they got the ball but both were frustrated early on by the Whitby tactic of the offside trap which continued to thwart the attacking duo.

But their continual forward play was rewarded in the 39th minute when a long over the top ball did beat the Whitby defence and the powerful Ross Dyer out ran his marker to neatly slot the ball in the bottom right hand corner of the net past Nick Liversedge.

Whitby made an early second half substitution with Tommy Raw being replaced by Sean Ross and it was Ross who created Whitby’s best chance when he received the ball 2 yards out on his knee but couldn’t control it enough to force his shot past keeper Brock.

Shortly after, an untimely challenge on the edge of the Whitby area by Jimmy Beadle saw him receive a yellow card and Hednesford a free kick. Defender Tom Marshall played a quick one two with Durrell and smashed his shot towards goal, gratefully seeing it take a wicked deflection off a Whitby player and past Liversedge, who had no chance of saving it.

Whitby then made a double substitution with Sam Garvie and Lee Nogan coming on for Alex Janes and Andy Thompson, with Whitby then playing Ross and Nogan as their two strikers.

On 70 mins, Whitby again came close when Kev Burgess struck a lovely 25 yard effort low and hard which forced a superb save from keeper, Brock.

Hednesford could have then made it 3 when the ball was squared to the unmarked Barnett who somehow scooped his shot from 2 yards out over the bar when it was easier to score. But in the last minute, he made amends by stretching out his leg to a through ball and chipping over keeper Liversedge into the Whitby net.

Once again, frustration at the final whistle as Whitby failed to take any much needed points from a side who, many commented afterwards, were the best footballing side to appear at the Turnbull this season and deserved to be at the top of the table. To Whitby’s credit, they battled against superior opposition with a weakened side, but it was no good looking through rose coloured spectacles and saying Whitby were unlucky, because in truth, they were well beaten on the night.

Hopefully, they can manage to take something from Saturday’s game when they return to Hednesford.