UniBond Premier

26th December 2005

Attendance - 386

Team - Escritt, Atkinson, Veart, Farthing, Wilford, Richards, McTiernan(Barber 85), Brumwell(Aziz 90), Brunskill, Raw(Hudson 55), Batchelor.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Striker Danny Brunskill smashed his Whitby scoring duck after 13 scoreless games with a spectacular hat-trick to sink league leaders North Ferriby United in a six-goal Boxing Day thriller at the Turnbull Ground.

The Blues are the first side to defeat Ferriby, who lead the table by seven points, in the league, since third-placed Marine in October.

However, things were far from ideal for manager Dave Logan, who was without suspended skipper Scott Nicholson. Ant Ormerod was out injured, with FA Vase survivors Graham Robinson and David Campbell still not ready to return.

It meant the versatile Phil Brumwell switched to midfield from right-back and took the captain’s armband, Paul Atkinson returned to the defence with young wingers Dave McTiernan and Chris Batchelor also back in the starting line-up as Wayne Aziz and Chris Hudson dropped to the bench.

Whitby’s 3-0 FA Vase final success at Wembley Stadium in 1997 is the only other competitive meeting between the sides, and Ferriby goalkeeper Paul Sharp was the only man on the pitch from either side to have played in that game.

And Sharp was soon reliving his old memories as Whitby won a corner early on. Top-scorer Aron Wilford notched his 13th of the season despite a sixth straight league start in central defence, when he rose highest at the far post to nod home the deep cross, and leave Sharp to pick the ball out of his net after just three minutes.

The visitors were determined to hit back and could well have done but for the head of Danny Farthing. Whitby’s number four was on hand to deflect Ben Morley’s rasping 18-yard volley which seemed destined for the roof of the net after Michael Price’s free-kick was only partially cleared.

United suffered a huge blow on 27 minutes when veteran centre-half Rob Dewhurst limped off the field. The 34-year-old former Blackburn Rovers defender, who was literally talked out of retirement earlier in the season by manager Brian France, netted a spectacular free-kick to seal a 1-0 victory at Telford the previous week. In contrast, young replacement Luke Moulds looked nervous and was to be given a torrid time by the Whitby forwards.

But for now, it was Ferriby on the charge and Escritt saved low down from Morley’s far post header on 37 minutes before the visitors missed a glorious chance to level the scores.

Eight-goal Joel Hartley raced clear as Whitby’s flimsy offside trap was exposed, only for the young winger to poke wide when one on one with Ben Escritt from 12 yards, admittedly after being forced away from goal by the Blues keeper. Moments later, Morley spotted Escritt off his line and chipped inches over the top from 30 yards.

But the Seasiders were to punish Ferriby’s missed chances in first-half injury time, when Karl Richards chipped Atkinson’s half-cleared free-kick back into the box for Brunskill to swivel on the spot and hammer first time past Sharp and into the roof of the net from the edge of the box.

The second half opened with Hartley wasting another clear goal-scoring opportunity when Leon Wainman caught the Blues defence napping, only to unselfishly square across goal for the youngster to poke a weak near-post drive straight at Escritt.

Striker Tom Raw was once again forced to withdraw due to his recurring hamstring problem, despite a two-week rest from competitive football, on 54 minutes- defender Chris Hudson took his place, with Wilford joining Brunskill up front.

Whitby again looked disjointed with Ferriby doubling up on Atkinson down their left just after the hour mark and with the ball flying across goal, Hudson slid the ball away and despite a few seconds of pinball, Atkinson eventually hacked clear.

With the Blues on the ropes, only the linesman’s flag came to their aid when Price’s 40-yard run and Graham Botham’s left-wing cross set up former Hull trainee Joe Lightowler to slot home at the far post.

But Ferriby soon had a goal back in similar fashion when teenager Chris Coupe, who had replaced Wainman moments earlier, crossed from the left and United’s captain Chris Bolder turned and fired past Escritt from eight yards.

Left-back Price found himself in the book on 70 minutes after a late challenge on McTiernan and no-doubt did himself no favours with his exaggerated appeals to the referee at every opportunity, earning the ire of the partisan 386 Boxing Day crowd- Whitby’s joint-highest of the season.

Two minutes later, France mercifully brought Moulds afternoon to an end, the substitute himself replaced by versatile ex-York City wing-man Chris Gowan, after 45 minutes of torture from Batchelor and Wilford down the Whitby left.

But it was to be the hosts who suffered with 12 minutes remaining. Whitby again failed to cope with Coupe who delivered another dangerous low driven cross from the left for Graham Botham to slide in and divert the ball home from close range.

United pushed forward and looked the more likely to claim all three points, but Whitby were not to be denied and quickly regained the lead with nine minutes left.

Superb work from Wilford who left Price on the ground and delivered a teasing right-wing cross that came back off the crossbar and Brunskill somehow reacted on the ground to rifle the ball into the bottom-left corner.

On-loan teenager Mark Barber replaced another youngster, McTiernan on the right with five minutes left. And the Scarborough youth star did his bit, helping Brunskill and Wilford keep the ball in the corner and frustrate the visitors.

Eventually, as the away side desperately threw men forward, Whitby caught them on the break with Wilford striding down the left and calmly squaring for Brunskill to strike clinically first time as Wood slid in low past the despairing Sharp to complete an amazing hat-trick and put the seal on a tremendous victory.