UniBond Premier Division

12th December 2009

Attendance - 182

Team - D Campbell, Leeson, A Gildea, Hassan, Burgess, Hanson, Dalton, Hackworth(c), A Campbell, Beadle, Scott. Subs (not used): Ingram, Yale, Exley, L Gildea, Charlton.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - The Blues rose to 11th place after this victory, breaking a barren run of one win in six at bogey club Ossett Town on Saturday.

Manager Harry Dunn was forced into making one change from the side that drew 2-2 with FC United of Manchester 7 days earlier- Ashley Lyth needed 14 stitches in a leg wound and was replaced by veteran Christian Hanson, with Andy Leeson moving from the centre of defence to Lyth's old right wing position. Left-sided midfielder David Yale, signed from Billingham Synthonia in midweek, started on the bench.

On a heavy pitch, flowing football was at a premium, but the ball was mainly at the Ossett end of the field and after a handful of near misses, the Seasiders eventually broke the deadlock inside 12 minutes. Hanson's attempted shot from the edge of the box found it's way to Alex Gildea, whose tame low drive skidded under goalkeeper Liam Sutcliffe, and Andy Campbell arrived at the far post to make sure. It marked the fifth league game in succession, including the abandoned half at Marine, where the former Middlesbrough star has found the net.

However, it took just six minutes for the hosts to draw level. Leon Scott had little chance of getting out of the way of a point-blank shot, but referee Mr Bell pointed straight to the penalty spot after the ball struck the on-loan Harrogate midfielder's hand. Former Worksop and Bradford Park Avenue playmaker Andy Lee was coollness personified as he stroked the ball past Dave Campbell from 12 yards.

Blues' skipper Tony Hackworth drove weakly well wide on the turn in the only other effort of note in the first half. Notably, at the interval, recently-apppointed Ossett boss Peter Daniel, in charge of his first home league match, replaced volatile midfielder James Fradgley who wound up Gildea with an extended WWE-style pin after the pair slid into each other a few yards inside the home half.

Eight minutes into the restart and Whitby threatened first as Hanson's looping ball to the far post was nodded straight at Sutcliffe by Hackworth. At the other end, Lee crucially failed to replicate his earlier calmness in front of goal, slicing well wide when one on one with Campbell.

The lively Dalton then combined well with Hackworth, before drilling a dangerous ball across the face of the six yard box, with Andy Campbell only able to fire wide from an acute angle after again popping up at the far post. Just after the hour though, Whitby regained the lead. The Blues had frustrated some of their travelling fans by favouring quickly-taken short corners, but this time, Scott flighted an inswinging set piece that was met firmly by the head of Leeson, who crowned a fine performance with his first-ever Whitby goal.

This seemed to relax the North Yorkshiremen who nearly made it three when a typically fearsome 25-yard Jimmy Beadle free-kick was touched wide impressively by Sutcliffe as it fizzed along the ground and toward the bottom left corner of the net. But with 15 minutes remaining, the result was put beyond doubt despite the Ossett keeper's best efforts.

Sutcliffe parried Scott's header from Leeson's right-wing cross, then reacted brilliantly to block the loan star's follow-up, only for Dalton to make it third time lucky, moving quickly to turn home his second goal of the season and Whitby's third of the day.

Hackworth then drove narrowly wide of the target before a rare home breakaway two minutes from time saw substitute Ryan Laight fire through Kev Burgess' legs but find the rarely-tested Dave Campbell, still able to snap into action and clutch the ball low to his right.

The final whistle brought jubilant scenes from young Whitby followers, still two weeks from Christmas but giving it several choruses of Jingle Bells with "oh what fun it is to see the Whitby win away" cunningly tacked on the end. Indeed, supporters could be forgiven for thinking the giving season has arrived early, with the Blues now six games unbeaten and just six points from the play-off positions. The imminent removal of folded club Kings Lynn will also send Town into the top-half of the table.

Speaking after the game, Harry Dunn was happy with his side's display especially in the second half even adding: "I think if our passing had been better we could have won four or five, but it was a good three points against difficult opposition."

The Seasiders' supremo was disappointed with the spot kick award however, reflecting: "I thought Leon had no chance really, he was virtually on top of the lad when he shot from the edge of the box, so it was a poor decision and it does knock your rhythm a little bit. But the lads knuckled down and to be perfectly honest I can't remember Cammy having many stops to make, while their lad pulled out three good saves."

Dunn admitted on-loan duo Leon Scott and Andy Campbell, who are both at the Turnbull Ground until January, have been influential and he is hoping they'll stick around, before adding: "The majority of the lads are playing well, and we're playing some decent football at the moment. We said before the game we wanted to get to 30 points. With 30 points going into the new year it's all up for grabs."

Three points from that target, The Seasiders face clubs from both ends of the table in their two remaining Unibond Premier clashes of the decade, both at home. Third-placed ex-professional outfit Boston United, who held the Blues 0-0 in front of a four-figure crowd this past September, visit the Turnbull on Saturday, with former Northern League foes Durham City, without a point to their name so far, travelling down on Boxing Day.