UniBond Premier

10th December 2005

Attendance - 232

Team - Campbell(Brumwell 73), Atkinson, Veart, Nicholson, Wilford, Aziz, McTiernan, Ormerod, Raw(Richards 45), Brunskill, Batchelor. Sub not used: Barber.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Despite an injury to goalkeeper David Campbell which forced defender Scott Nicholson into net for the last 20 minutes, Whitby came within a whisker of ending third-placed Marine’s eleven match unbeaten run in the league at the Turnbull Ground on Saturday. Blues skipper Nicholson’s 17th minute strike had put Dave Logan’s side ahead, but Aaron Rey’s seventh goal in ten starts stole a point for the visitors.

Logan made one change from the side that held fifth-placed Witton Albion 0-0 in Cheshire last week. Defender Danny Farthing’s trip to New York meant Nicholson, who had been playing midfield, to partner Aron Wilford at the back, with new signing Wayne Aziz from Scarborough League Edgehill to debut in the middle of the park.

Within five minutes, Ant Ormerod cut in from the left and fired a rasping drive across goal narrowly wide of Andy Ralph’s left-hand post. At the other end, Danny Byrne’s low drive was tipped to his left by Campbell, and with no Marine player following up, the Blues were able to work the ball clear.

This characterised the Whitby side, preferring to play the ball away from danger and play football at every opportunity despite a heavy surface thanks to the recent rainfall blighting the Yorkshire coast. It wasn’t long before the home side had a reward for their neat football, though it was to arrive through a familiar direct route. Striker Danny Brunskill made space before powering a goalbound effort from the edge of the box that Ralph did well to tip over at full-stretch. However from the resulting Craig Veart corner, the visitors’ defence went to sleep and Nicholson had the freedom of Upgang Lane to heads home emphatically after arriving unmarked at the far post.

This seemed to galvanise the hosts and moments later they had the ball in the Marine net again. Another Brunskill effort was sidefooted off his own line by defender Adam Falley, with the former Spennymoor hitman heading home the subsequent corner, but referee Mr Carter had already blown his whistle after spotting a foul in the crowded area.

The away defence were to be kept busy and it wasn’t long before the man on the line was called into play, this time skipper James Connolly was on hand to nod Wilford’s header clear, from another Veart corner.

In a rare breakaway, the lively Bryne should’ve done much better when he caught the Whitby defence napping, but with just Campbell to beat, the former Witton youngster drove well wide from 12 yards.

The Blues quickly countered, and Dave McTiernan, following up from his impressive showing the week before, raced at the visitors defence before unleashing a powerful 20 yard drive that Ralph did well to push clear.

Whitby suffered a blow at half-time with Tom Raw again struggling with a persistent hamstring problem and left-sided midfielder Karl Richards taking his place for the second half- Ormerod joined Brunskill in attack.

After a low key start after the break from both sides, it took 20 minutes before the first real action took place, but it was to be the away side’s equaliser.

It seemed to come out of nowhere as Carl Nesbitt’s flick header picked out the previously anonymous Rey, who nodded neatly over Campbell and into the roof of the Whitby net from the edge of the box.

Then within seconds, it was Rey after his eighth goal of the season that poked innocuously for goal, and the ball lobbed over Campbell again, but this time the crossbar came to Whitby’s aid.

But just as the hosts were beginning to think their luck was back in again, Campbell was to go down and stay down in the six yard box after thwarting another away attack. The Blues keeper, who celebrated his 300th appearance in a Whitby shirt the week before, was carried off the field with what looked a severe ankle injury. Without a recognised goalie on the bench, after a team meeting on the pitch involving Logan and goalkeeping coach Dennis Wheeler, Nicholson was donned the gloves and Phil Brumwell came off the bench to fill in at centre-half.

Despite this huge setback, the tiring home side to their credit, continued to push forward at every opportunity. With eight minutes remaining, Ormerod sprinted down the left flank beating one man before looping over a neat cross for McTiernan to volley goalwards from 20 yards. But the former Middlesbrough Youth star became the third Whitby player to have a goal by a defender on the line who deflected the ball wide. Teenage left-winger Chris Batchelor then raced down the wing before firing into the side netting.

At the other end, Byrne, who was having a bit of a nightmare in front of goal, sent a speculative effort wide of the mark. However, with two minutes left, the Liverpudlians could have stolen all three points with a succession of shots on goal being charged down, with the final one somehow flicked over his own bar with his ankle by Aziz.

Then right at the death, a perfect touch from a long ball by Brunskill took the big forward into the Marine box, but a combination of the Turnbull mud and defender Ian Latham’s outstretched leg, enabled Ralph to bravely cling on amidst the flailing boots inside the visitors’ six yard box.