UniBond Premier Division

20th November 2004

Attendance - 371

Team - D Campbell, Atkinson, Veart, Farthing, Linighan, Nicholson, Ormerod, Scaife, Johnson, L Gildea(McTiernan 88), Bishop. Subs not used: P Campbell, Williams.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Whitby raced into a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes, before an equaliser four minutes from time ensured points were shared in the Unibond's top-of-the-table clash on Saturday. Third-placed Hyde United, unbeaten in league action all season, were without leading scorer, experienced York City striker Neil Tolson, while Whitby manager Dave Logan, also unbeaten since taking charge, recalled goalkeeper Dave Campbell, defender Brian Linighan and forward Ant Ormerod from Wednesday's 1-0 win over Blyth. The nethering Cheshire chill was apparent right from the start, with Hyde's Greater Manchester neighbours Stalybridge seeing their match postponed due to a frozen pitch just a few miles away. However, things kicked off as normal at Ewen Fields, and the temperature was more than a little frosty in the ground when the visitors led with their first attack on eight minutes. Craig Veart's low cross caused confusion in the Tigers' box as full-back Nicky Hill and keeper Tim Mullock missed a loose ball, allowing Steve Johnson to ghost in and stab home his fifth of the season from close range. The hardy travelling support then burst into euphoric song as Whitby grabbed a shock second six minutes later. As the hosts argued over a crunching Bishop challenge on Dale Johnson- Whitby broke, with Ormerod beating Gaynor down the right and putting over a pinpoint cross for Liam Gildea, under little pressure, to nod sweetly into the top left corner of the net. It was no more than Whitby, who had bossed the game up to then with some excellent football, deserved. However, this stunned the home side into action with Dale Johnson controlling well on the edge of the box, only to see Danny Farthing hurl himself in front of the ball, to block a dangerous on-target drive struck with power. Within seconds, former Manchester United and Everton star John O'Kane lashed well over from similar distance. Four minutes later, and more Hyde pressure saw versatile centre-half Chris Lynch, signed from Championship high-fliers Wigan Athletic earlier in the season, head a glorious chance straight at Campbell from close range. Both sides had gilt-edged chances to affect the half-time team talks, in the final seven minutes. Good work from overlapping full-back John Gaynor, mysteriously wearing the number nine shirt saw Johnson again pick out Campbell with another wasted close-range header. At the other end, the Blues could've opened up an unthinkable three-goal lead on 39 minutes. Liam Gildea's trickery on the edge of the Hyde box beat two defenders before his low drive was finally charged down, and Ormerod's angled 12-yard drive from the rebound was well parried by Mullock. The Hyde PA system belted out the theme from Jurassic Park, perhaps as a dig to the mature visiting support at half-time, but the second-half showed Hyde were not about to retire just yet. The Tigers showed some bite four minutes in, when Hyde's Dale Johnson turned well inside the Whitby box but drove into the side netting from an acute angle. It was then Andy Waine's turn to rise highest in the Blues box only to head straight at Campbell with 54 minutes gone. At the other end, Scott Nicholson slid in to help Steve Johnson turn O'Kane down the left and race clear, only for referee Mr Unsworth from Bolton to blow for a questionable foul, much to the visitors' chagrin. Hyde continued to have the better of play as they pushed forward to try and snatch a goal back. On 64 minutes, 6'3 striker Matty McNeil somehow popped up at the far post and slid Neil Salt's deflected shot just wide. Whitby failed to heed the warning, and with fifteen minutes remaining, the same combination put Hyde right back into the match. Good shielding on the edge of the box from Salt teed up McNeil to run in alongside and fire home a 20-yard bullet past the unsighted Campbell and into the roof of the net. As expected, this inspired the home side to lay siege for the last quarter of an hour, with the Blues trapped critically on the back foot. On a rare forray forward, impressive right-back Paul Atkinson would've surely claimed all three points for the visitors, with a scintillating trademark drive from 25 yards, only for Mullock to tip over at full-stretch. Former Leigh RMI boss Steve Waywell now in charge of Hyde's promotion challenge, introduced winger Wayne Dean and crucially midfielder Craig Buckley for the hosts' final assault. The Blues held firm until the 86th minute when another overlapping run saw Gaynor provide a perfect driven cross for Buckley to slide home from point-blank range, via two cruel deflections past the wrong-footed Campbell. To their credit, both sides refused to settle for a share of the spoils in the frantic finale. Action spilled to either end, with Whitby coming the closest inside the final minute with the introduction of livewire forward Dave McTiernan for Gildea late on. First, Nick Scaife battled well only to drive well wide from the edge of the box, but the Lancastrian referee was to infuriate the visiting side choosing to blow the final whistle as a neat move released Steve Johnson with just two men between him and goal. But anger quickly turned to pride as the two sides left the field, with warm applause for the exhausted players- Dave Logan's side having given everything they had in a pulsating encounter that was a sparkling effort for Unibond League football. Though with leaders Workington also held, both sides will look upon this as two points dropped rather than one gained leaving this exciting championship race a long way from decided.