UniBond Premier Division

21st August 2004

Attendance - 155

Team - Whitby Town: Escritt, Atkinson, Lynch, Obern, Nicholson, Williams, Farthing, A Gildea, Ormerod(McTiernan 86), Robinson(Jackson 79), L Gildea(Yale 72).

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but Whitby have echoed last season’s start with a 1-0 victory in their opening fixture. In August 2003 it was Craig Veart who netted a last minute penalty to see off Radcliffe Borough, who were to eventually deny the Blues promotion, this time skipper Graham Robinson was on target to overcome Lincoln on Saturday. Cagy Whitby started brightly enough with Hawley having to head off his own line within two minutes but it was to be two minutes from the break, before the Blues threatened again. Harry Dunn laid down the gauntlet with three strikers on show: Robinson, Liam Gildea and Anthony Ormerod all started- there were also league debuts for defenders Chris Lynch and Danny Farthing, as well as 20-year-old goalkeeper Ben Escritt.
Alex Gildea clashed with defenders Ben Brown and Brendon McDaid in the opening exchanges with Whitby seizing the reins early on. Eventually though, it was the hosts who started to create chances, however most were speculative efforts from distance and aimless headers. Lincoln appealed frantically for a penalty on 21 minutes as Scott Nicholson upended Charlie Trout on the very cusp of the Whitby area, though referee Mr Lindsay decided the infringement was outside the box.
Ian Wilkins rifled the resulting free-kick straight across goal but well wide of the target. Spectators then suffered a tepid midfield battle for much of the first minute before the game burst into action at the Lincoln end on 44 minutes. Former Premiership star Ormerod’s outstretched boot slid the ball goalwards from a tight angle, with keeper Nick Conroy doing well to smother the ball. And moments later, a favourable bounce saw Ormerod beat Wilkins down the left and put in a testing cross that Robinson, arriving on the edge of the box, nodded just over. The final minute of the half saw full-back Paul Atkinson’s impressive solo run culminate in a drilled 25 yard effort, again finishing just over the top.
The second period began with the Blues immediately on the attack with left wing-back Lynch seeing his header clutched safely by Conroy two minutes after the restart.
Ever improving Liam Gildea then worked hard to make space for brother Alex to shoot inches wide from 20 yards, moments later. Robinson then seized the limelight with the breakthrough just before the hour, with Liam Gildea again involved. The bustling forward’s through ball released the pacey South African who made no mistake, coolly slotting past the on-rushing Conroy from 16 yards.
However, this seemed to sting Lincoln into life and two minutes later, Gary Bull somehow beat Nicholson and Obern inside the Whitby six yard box, only for Atkinson to pile in and hook clear.
At the other end, Ormerod spurned a good chance to double the visitors’ lead on 70 minutes after exploiting Lincoln’s flimsy attempted offside trap. None of the hosts backline picked up Ormerod on the left edge of the box, but the 25-year-old lashed a tame effort well wide of the Lincoln net, yawning in front of him.
Moments later, another debutant David Yale replaced Liam Gildea as Harry Dunn tried to control the midfield. Exasperated midfielder Alex Gildea later talked himself into the book, appealing too pointedly for referee Mr Lindsay’s liking at a wayward decision. However his volatile temper didn’t stop the born-again former Scarborough man’s creative flair and on 76 minutes his instinctive through ball was millimetres away from picking Robinson out for a sure second goal. That was to be Robinson’s last act of the opening fixture after a collision with Brown saw the Blues captain limp off the field- replacement Neil Jackson became Whitby’s fifth Unibond League debutee.
Atkinson then went on another superb forward run, only for his beautifully struck angled drive to cannon back off Conroy’s far post with the keeper beaten. Gildea then had two efforts blocked, with Conroy doing well to collect a powerful snapshot at the second attempt. But the former Boston United keeper may have been lucky to still be on the pitch at that stage after handling outside his box under pressure from Ormerod moments earlier- Mr Lindsay failed to sight the incident.
The announcement of four minutes injury time at the end of the 90 minutes must’ve unsettled the visitors, but after a flurry of corners, Lincoln’s best effort saw Jamie Clarke head wide from point blank range.
Overall, it was vital for Whitby’s promotion ambitions to make a winning start, but the Seasiders will have to improve communication in their newly-formed backline and take their chances at the end if they’re to turn over any of the league’s top sides.