UniBond Premier Division

4th February 2006

Attendance - 395

Team - Campbell Atkinson Veart Farthing Wilford Nicholson Barber(Brumwell) Ormerod McTiernan(Robinson) Brunskill Eccles(Batchelor)

Report - Whitby lost ground in the play-off race after being held 0-0 by Nigel Jemson’s Ilkeston Town in Derbyshire on Saturday.

The Blues are still five points off fifth place but Burscough, Matlock, Blyth and Farsley all won to keep Whitby in tenth spot despite a third straight clean sheet.

David Logan’s side were dealt a blow before they even got into Derbyshire when goalkeeper Ben Escritt was badly ill and understudy Dave Campbell had to be called up at very short notice.

The home side had goalkeeping problems of their own with first choice Ben Scott laid low with a groin injury in training and 17-year-old Nottingham Forest Academy keeper Shane Redmond drafted in at the eleventh hour on loan.

Numbers were further depleted when Whitby’s Dave McTiernan, who got similar treatment in last season’s League Cup Quarter Final clash between the two sides, was poleaxed by the far touchline within the opening 20 minutes. Graham Robinson came on to make a welcome return since his heart problems last November.

The first real chance fell Whitby’s way on 22 minutes when David Jervis was beaten by an awkward bounce and Scott Nicholson stole in to hammer just over from 20 yards.

However seconds later at the other end, Ilkeston were inches away from grabbing the lead when the diving Ryan Ludlam headed against the foot of Campbell’s right-hand post from Glenn Kirkwood’s pin-point left-wing cross.

Another opportunity fell Nicholson’s way just after the half hour mark after a scramble in the Robins’ box resulted in the Whitby captain firing over the top when well placed just inside the area.

Full-back Ludlam again looked dangerous going forward for the home side but poked well wide from close range.

Mark Barber, whose long throws had looked Whitby’s best chance of breaking the deadlock, came close with his feet five minutes before the break with a rasping 30-yard effort that caught a home defender before floating just wide.

The second half saw local youngster Chris Batchelor replace Mark Eccles on the left, and on 51 minutes Nicholson was again in the action but his turn and shot was comfortable gathered by Redmond.

It seemed both sides were indebted to just one man when going forward as Ilkeston’s Ludlam assisted by former Macclesfield and Lincoln City star Martin Carruthers fed Ludlam whose cross somehow evaded everyone on its way across the Whitby six yard box and drifted out of play.

As Whitby then flew towards the Clock End at the New Manor Ground, former Middlesbrough forward Ant Ormerod had a shot acrobatically tipped over by Redmond from another dangerous long throw from Barber, the ex-England International then had a further effort easily collected by the youngster.

Ormerod had an awkward skidding drive well saved by the Forest loanee, before John Burns had the last effort of note two minutes from time, with Campbell doing well to save from the midfielder’s aerial volley,