UniBond Premier Division

28th March 2005

Attendance - 255

Team - Campbell, Williams, Veart, Farthing, Linighan, Gildea.A, McTiernan, Nicholson, Ormerod, Gildea.L, Richards (Obern 85) - Subs not used Atkinson, Escritt

Report - from www.whitbytoday.co.uk The Seasiders completed a successful Easter double with a 1-0 win at Stainton Park, hot on the heels of Good Friday's 2-1 home win over Guiseley to make it six points from six, moving them up to third in the table.

David Logan's boys were made to work hard for the win, frustrating an enterprising Radcliffe outfit by restricting them to only a handful and chances before taking From the first whistle Town set out to close Borough down in midfield and to a large extent succeeded, but this meant there were only able to create a few scoring chances themselves.

Skipper Scott Nicholson's shot cannoned of a defender in the second minute, and eight minutes later Anthony Ormerod controlled the ball well but then shot tamely on the turn, giving Borough stand-in 'keeper Andy Johnston an easy save to make.

Borough tried to mix their approach but whenever they tried 'route one' both Brian Linighan and Danny Farthing used their height to clear the potential danger.

On 15 minutes Ormerod, feeding off the scraps created in large by Liam Gildea, held off two would-be tacklers but then mishit his shot wide.

Gildea proved a thorn in the side of the Borough defence throughout, his bustling, terrier-like tenacity forcing Borough's defenders into hurried clearances while also creating openings, in addition to winning free kicks.

However, the best chance of the first half fell to the home team when centreback Darren Royle's huge downfield header on 34 minutes bounced off the unfortunate Linighan and fell kindly for the league's leading scorer, Steve Foster, but his stinging shot was well saved by Dave Campbell. Three minutes later Royle met a corner with another powerful header, but Karl Richards, back defending, stuck a foot out to turn the ball away to safety.

A minute into time added on at the end of the first half, Richards again had to be alert to the danger posed this time by Borough striker Ciaran Kilheeney, getting his body fully behind the striker's shot.

Liam Gildea's running battle with Borough centreback Simon Kelly continued when play restarted, the Town forward neither giving nor expecting any quarter, as he bruised his way through another half of no-holds-barred football.

As both sides fought to gain the upper hand the game's only goal arrived on 56 minutes, when Town's speed of thought caught Borough napping.

A quickly taken throw-in out on the right caught the home side at sixes and sevens and the resultant low cross into the Borough six-yard box was snapped up by an alert Ormerod, who beat Kelly to tuck the ball just inside the left-hand post. The goal visibly lifted Town's confidence and they began to approach matters in a more positive frame of mind, while Borough began to look anxious.

Within minutes Nicholson saw his shot blocked and Richards, who began to find more room on the left, flashed a shot across the face of goal before beating two markers only to blast high and wide. On 77 minutes Royle, now pushed up front as a target man by Borough, saw his header fly into Campbell's arms before Foster fired wide.

Royle had another header cleared away as the home side sought to get something out of the game. Two minutes into time added on Campbell made a superb diving fingertip save to push Scott Wilson's fiercely struck volley over the bar.

It proved to be the final effort on goal and Town left the North Manchester suburbs with three more points and revenge for that 2-0 home defeat to Borough at the end of January.