UniBond Premier

14th January 2006

Attendance - 291

Team - Whitby were this afternoon: Escritt, Brumwell, Richards, Farthing, Wilford, Barber, McTiernan, Nicholson, Ormerod(Veart 87), Brunskill, Eccles(Batchelor 45). Sub not used: Atkinson.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Defender Danny Farthing’s second goal in as many games kept Whitby in the promotion shake up, despite having Karl Richards sent off with over 15 minutes remaining on Saturday at the Turnbull Ground.

Whitby manager David Logan kept faith with the side that reached the Unibond Cup Quarter finals at Guiseley the week before and the new 3-5-2 ‘wing-back’ formation.

The referee’s early kick off nearly caught up with the Blues but former Boston United forward Gary Walters hammered across goal but wide of Ben Escritt’s far post inside the opening eight minutes.

At the other end, Whitby’s right wing-back Dave McTiernan fired a cross-cum-shot across the face of goal but also wide of the target.

It looked as if the Seasiders had opened the scoring with 15 minutes on the clock through who else but in-form six goals in three matches striker Danny ‘Bruno’ Brunskill. The former Spennymoor striker, matched last week’s opening strike at Guiseley producing a shot on goal from nothing 20 yards from goal that slammed against the underside of the Lincoln crossbar and Farthing headed the rebound goalwards, only for the United defence to clear off the line.

Just after the half hour, the Blues former Middlesbrough striker Ant Ormerod played a splendid reverse ball for new on-loan winger Mark Eccles to race onto, but the man from Scottish League promotion chasers Gretna, fired an angled drive past Lincoln keeper Jones’ far post.

But the Blues’ left wing-back made up for his miss, when skipper Scott Nicholson crossed low from the right and Eccles confidently placed the ball inside the far corner for the opener, to put Whitby ahead four minutes from the half-time break.

Just before the interval, Gilbert miss-kicked well off target for Lincoln, and Ormerod saw his tentative poke goalwards charged down.

Town were forced into a change at the break, with on-loan Eccles looking a little off the pace and making way for local teenager, and another loanee, Chris Batchelor.

Four minutes into the second period, and Richards cut in from the left wing and struck a fierce shot headed for the near post, but Jones got down well to parry.

At the other end, a Lincoln free-kick was headed off his own line by Farthing, and in a unique irony, within seconds Whitby counter-attacked, winning a corner with Brunskill unselfishly squaring for Farthing to sidefoot home and open up a two goal cushion for the promotion-chasing hosts.

However, it’s never been in the Blues’ make-up to give the fans an easy ride as Lincoln swept forward from the kick-off and top-scorer Matt Roche was left to despatch his eighth goal of the season from close range to make it 2-1 with over half an hour remaining.

United set about the task of levelling the scores impressively and only a fine save from Ben Escritt denied Roche his ninth of the season and Lincoln an equaliser- Wilford reacted quickest to poke the loose ball to safety.

On 62 minutes, Escritt- who is still battling with Dave Campbell for Whitby’s number one shirt- parried another Roche drive and collected the ball under the pressure, at the second attempt.

The Seasiders were placed further on the back foot with 16 minutes left, when Richards was shown his second yellow card for an awkward midfield lunge and the home side were reduced to ten men.

As expected, the men in white laid siege to the Whitby goal, roaming toward the North Sea End like a fleet of demented Vikings. On 80 minutes, two almighty goalmouth scrambles saw the Blues just about clear their lines.

With three minutes left, Ormerod made way for the experienced Craig Veart, and the scene seemed set for the 34-year-old with McTiernan winning a free-kick just outside the box, but the left-back fired a curling effort straight at Jones, who caught comfortably.

There was still time for United to threaten once again, but on 88 minutes, the ever-improving Escritt plucked a weak header out of the air with ease and that was all she wrote. Hardly a vintage performance, put it was three more points for the Seasiders who now lie just two points from sixth place in eleventh, and just five points from a lucrative play-off spot and a chance to avenge last season’s disappointment.