Whitby Town FC - The Seasiders

Season 2001/02

All home match reports from the pen of Bri Murfield....

Boro Kids Give Blues a Penalty Lesson

Whitby Town 3-3 Middlesbrough (aet) Middlesbrough win 4-2 on pens

8th May - North Riding Senior Cup Final - A disappointing end to the season for the Blues after an excellent first half display saw them let slip a two goal lead & eventually lose out on penalties to a Middlesbrough team devoid of any well-known names.
Whitby took the lead on 24 minutes when Graham Robinson muscled his way in front of Agbatar to prod the ball home
from Skelton's pin point left wing cross. A minute later it could have been two when 'Boro keeper Russell made a fine one-footed save to deny Skelton as he stormed in on goal. The second came minutes before the break when some good work on the flanks by Ure, a thorn in the visitor's side all night, set Skelton away on goal. He made no mistake as he slotted the ball underneath the advancing Russell to make it 2-0.
The second half saw Middlesbrough come into the game when Whitby let them play football rather than continue to harass them as they did in the first half. On 51 minutes a long free kick was only half cleared as far as Close who's volley was parried by stand-in keeper Johnson. Somehow though, the ball squirmed loose and ended up in the back of the net to give Boro a lifeline. Just after the hour, they were on level terms when a quick break down the left wing ended with Nordgreen hammering an angled drive goalwards that managed to defeat Johnson at his near post.
Undaunted, Whitby rallied quickly & it was 3-2 two minutes later when Ure set Wilford loose into the Boro area. The defender, excellent on the night until he was strangely substituted, squared the ball into Robinson's path who side-footed home his second goal of the game. With 17 minutes remaining, Boro scored the goal of the game when a silky smooth 4-man move was finished clinically by Storey to send the game into extra time.
Neither team made much of an impression in the 30 minutes that followed so it was all down to penalties.
Gulliver, Smith, Storey & Garbutt all scored for Boro, Logan & Veart kept the score at 2-2 but Dunning had his penalty saved and Skelton was unlucky to see his shot hit the post.
The lack of 'name' players from Middlesbrough was especially disappointing as they had requested Whitby change the date from the previous Monday to Wednesday so they could field a stronger side.
Whitby Town - Johnson, Wilford (Sub Anderson 75) , Logan, Goodchild, Graham, Ure (sub Jewell 105), Dunning, Williams. G, Robinson, Veart, Skelton. Subs not used: Williams,I. Mitchell, Williams.M

Season ends with draw

Bradford Park Avenue 1-1 Whitby Town

3rd May - Unibond Premier Division - report to follow..........

Home Season ends in typical fashion

Whitby Town 0-2 Lancaster City

30th April - Unibond Premier Division - If Saturday's game had the fireworks then tonight was definitely the damp squib as far as performances go for the Blues. Thank heavens we secured the points needed for survival before this game as both sides plodded through the formalities for most of the game. Lancaster deserved their win as they had by far the most possession whereas Whitby struggled to string two passes together & never had any attempt on goal until the final few minutes by which time they were two goals behind.
After a quiet opening quarter of an hour it was Lancaster who went close first when Mayers hit a dipping shot from all of 30 yards over the crossbar. A minute later Brown latched onto a throw from the right & drove the ball across the face of Whitby's goal where Graham did well to scoop the ball clear before it crossed the line. Yates was the next to cause the Blues trouble when he collected a loose ball just outside the Whitby area. He beat two defenders & was unlucky to see his shot skip just wide of the mark.
Whitby's only attempt of the half came on 42 minutes when Dunning chipped the ball over the visitors' defence to find Skelton clear. As keeper Banks came off his line the Whitby forward chanced his luck & lobbed the ball over him but sadly wide of the open goal as well.
The second half dragged it's heels slowly along with Lancaster again the more dominant sided but having little to show for their possession until the 72nd minute. Yates twisted & turned the defence on the right wing before sending over a low cross & it was centre half Kilbane who connected first to toe punt the ball through a crowd of players to give them the lead. Three minutes from time they increased their lead when Dunning lost possession on the half way line allowing Lancaster to break away. Whittaker ran wide to the right of the Whitby area and after drawing Naisbett off his line finished clinically by lobbing the ball into the far corner of the net.
Whitby tried to bounce back in the final minutes but the closest they got was a long range screamer from Veart which flew past the post with Banks well beaten.
A disappointing end to a dismal season of home games for the Blues, one more away game at Bradford Park Avenue then the last game is at home to Middlesbrough next Wednesday in the final of the North Riding Senior cup.

Safety Achieved for Whitby!

Whitby Town 2-1 Accrington Stanley

27th April - Unibond Premier Division - Take a deep breath..... let it out very slowly.... & relax. After a traumatic season, today's 2-1 win against Accrington secured the points to ensure safety for next season in the UniBond Premier division. Unknown to the Blues their closest rivals for the third bottom place, Colwyn Bay, had taken a 5-0 pasting at Bradford Park Avenue which meant Whitby's result was irrelevant at the end of play but a win boosted morale & it was nice to stay up on merit rather than rely on others to do the work for them.
Of the two sides today it was clear Whitby were the most determined for a victory as Accrington only had pride to play for being in mid-table but never the less the points had to be won & Whitby showed on the first half performance that there looked like only one winner despite them handing a late lifeline to Stanley.
The visitors could have taken the lead in the 16th minute when Hart's deep free kick from the left found James unmarked at the far post but the striker's aim was off target as he headed over the bar.
Whitby took the lead in the 19th minute after some excellent work by Williams. The full back tore down the left flank to the byline drawing keeper Speare off his line before pulling the ball across the face of goal where Craig Skelton raced in to side foot home the opening goal. The Blues built on the lead & went further ahead on 29 minutes after Robinson worked his way into the Accrington area. As the forward was about to unleash a shot at goal, visiting defender Halford lunged at him & took him out at the knees. Referee Simpson immediately pointed to the penalty spot & in the absence of Logan, Craig Veart took responsibility. His place kick was parried by Speare but the rebound fell kindly for Veart who gladly hammered the ball back into the roof of the net to make it 2-0.
It was a niggly contest throughout with players from both sides booked but in the 60th minute the Accrington assistant manager fell foul of the referee & after consultation with his assistant referee he sent him from the dug out after showing him a red card.
As the second half wore on it looked more & more like an end of season encounter but after the visitors introduced three substitutes they seemed the more positive side. On 75 minutes Naisbett did well to tip over Proctor's speculative over the shoulder kick to concede the corner. Nerves started to fray with only 7 minutes remaining when a poor header from Rand dropped kindly for Dave Robinson to drive home their goal under the ailing Whitby keeper but the Blues managed to hold on for all three points to ensure safety for the season.

Blues dump Hyde but need to wait for safety

Hyde United 1-1 Whitby Town

22nd April - Unibond League Premier Division - The story of tonights game was could Hyde Unitedbeat Whitby and keep alive their slim hopes of premier league survival or could Whitby condemn them and ensure their own safety.
In the end it was Hyde who were left rueing the outcome of a match in which it only dawned on them what was happening with 5 mnutes to go. The game was marred throughout by some poor decisions by all the officials who seemed like they were scared to be responsible for Hydes ultimate demise, and bottled out of making any serious judgement that might affect the outcome.
The Blues started the game without Lee Ure, Ben Dixon, David Logan and Craig Rand who were all missing through work commitments or injury.
Onto the game itself. The first half wasn't the best game of football that's been played this season and once again it involved Whitby looking for the non existant head of Graham Robinson instead of doing what they do best and play football.
The chances were few and far between, but Hydes keeper was forced to make a great save when Alex Gildea was put through down the left. Apart from the odd long range effort, there wasn't much else to talk about.
The second half saw Whitby take more control of the game whereas Hyde didn't seem to relalise the predicament they were in. Again there wasn't much in the way of action to report except when Hyde broke down the left crossed the ball into the middle where one of the strikers met the ball perfectly but Naisbett in the Blues goal parried the ball onto the bar were in bounced down a la Geoff Hurst and was cleared by Graham on the line.
The game sparked into life in the 75th minute when Whitby were awarded on free kick 25 yards out. Craig Veart stepped up and bent it like Beckham into the bottom lefthand corner of the Hyde net.
There then followed two incidents that will have the opposing fans arguing for evermore. Alex Gildea, who had been subjected to some rather harsh treatment all night on the left stood nose to nose with Hyde's number 5. The Hyde man swung his nutt at Gildea was fell on his backside getting out of the way. Gildea sat there in disbelief before returning to his feet only to see the referee, who hadn't seen the incident or consultedhis linesman who had, brandish the yellow card to him. This was Alex's second of the night and he slowly trudged off clearly upset about the card. One canonly presume that the absence of blood on his face was the only reason the referee made his decision. Hyde's number 5 got away without even a talking to despite the intent. Incidently Gildea's first caution was for reacting to an awful bit of thuggery from the Hyde number 2 who raked his studs down Gildea's calf after the ball had gone. The linesman again saw this incident and Gildea was booked for his protests.
Hyde's top scorer Simon Yeo was stretchered off with facial injuries five minutes later after a bizarre clash with Dave Anderson. Yeo seemed to stumble during a tussle for the ball and Anderson caught him in the face with his boot only 2 feet in the air. Yeo was on the ground for a good 5 minutes before a stretcher was found to take him away. For his part Anderson wasn't even booked, although a free kick was awarded.
Hyde had stepped up a gear after Gildea's sending off and they equalised through wicked deflection, something Whitby seem to have been suffering from all season! A shot from the right of the box which was heading for the right hand corner clipped someone and it spooned into the left hand side with Naisbett wrong footed.
Hyde had a couple of headers that didn't trouble anyone, one from the lardiest substitute in history, Filson I think.
In the last seconds a mix up the home defence saw Graham Williams run through with only the keeper to beat but a Hyde defender did the cynical bit and chopped him down then proceeded to walk straight off without waiting for the referee to seal his fate. The resulting free kick came to nothing, and the referee blew up. Hyde were down, and we weren't quite safe yet.
Why do we always play poorly against poor sides? At least our last three games are against tougher opposition!
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Anderson, Williams G, Graham, Wilford, Dunning, Wood (Williams I), Veart, Robinson (Goodchild), Skelton, Gildea - Sub not used - Key.

Home Blues return for Whitby

Whitby Town 1-2 Vauxhall Motors

20th April - Unibond League Premier Division - Whitby managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again by gifting all 3 points to their high-flying opponents when they really should have secured Premiership soccer next season. Despite the gulf in points between the two sides, Whitby were never in any danger apart from the errors that led to the goals. They got off to a flying start taking the lead after only 90 seconds when Robinson headed Veart's cheeky cross into the bottom of the net leaving keeper Holmes flat footed & looked likely to add to the tally as the first half progressed despite one or two scares. On 6 minutes Naisbett made an excellent save to palm away Cumisky's close range shot & 12 minutes later Haddrell should have done better than poke the ball wide of the target after he found himself unmarked. After this Whitby settled down to play probing attractive football, passing their way forward in search of a second goal. On the half hour, Craig Rand was involved in an incident that left him with concussion & a trip by ambulance to the hospital. This seemed to effect Whitby greatly as from that moment on the team appeared to lose it's shape, giving the visitors more chance to expose any cracks in the until then solid defence.
Just before the half time break Dave Logan was desperately unlucky not to increase Whitby's lead. He took a corner kick from the right & collected the clearance on the corner of the Vauxhall penalty area. His screaming drive had Holmes beaten all ends up & skimmed agonisingly over the bar.
Whitby started the second half nervously, giving the ball away far too often & allowing Vauxhall space to press forward however on 52 minutes Holmes made a crucial reflex save from Wilford to push the ball against the underside of the crossbar. The loose ball fell to Graham who hammered it goalwards only to see the keeper again deny the Blues with a full stretch save. On the stroke of the hour,
Whitby were hit with a sucker punch. After their attack broke down, Vauxhall countered swiftly & a long diagonal ball was lofted towards the Whitby area. Dave Logan tried to sweep the ball clear but as he missed it Rob Lawton pounced to drill the ball under Naisbett for the equaliser. The points were finally lost in the 73rd minute when an innocuous ball was crossed towards Naisbett who allowed it to bounce before catching it. The hard surface caused the ball to loop over his head where a grateful McDermott gleefully ran round the keeper to tap in the simplest of chances.
At this point Whitby's subs Ure & Woods made their appearance but by then it was too little too late. With rivals Blyth Spartans doing Whitby a big favour by beating Colwyn Bay we still need that elusive extra win to ensure survival.
One dreadful note to make from today's game was the appalling abuse given to one of the Assistant referees by a small section of the Whitby 'supporters'. Though the official in question may expect some banter from the local crowd, ( he was from Scarborough after all), the language aimed at him today was totally uncalled for.
Though it's just a personal opinion, I'd hope the club would in future curb the actions of the few foul-mouths bringing down the good name of the club.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Williams.I (sub Ure 75), Logan (sub Wood 73), Graham, Rand (Inj. Sub Anderson 33), Wilford, Dunning, Veart, Robinson, Skelton, Gildea.

Guilford 4 Birmingham 6 - A Travesty!

Runcorn 4-1 Whitby Town

16th April - Unibond League Premier Division - The Blues can look back on this match with a lot of heart after losing their first match in five games against a steady Runcorn side who now play at Widnes Rugby Stadium.
The early exchanges were even between the side with the pitch being bobbly in the centre and fine out wide. Whitby resorted to pumping long balls for Graham Robinson to flick on which seemed strange when for the past two weeks we've matches by out playing the opposition.
In the 8th minute, the Runcorn keeper, McMillan, dealt easily with a Robinson header from Veart's free kick down the right and a minute the Blues were unlucky when a nice move saw Danny Key's finish ruled offside.
Runcorn's first real attempt of note cam in the 16th minute when good work down the right from No3 Carragher saw a rasping 30yarder go flying over Phil Naisbett's bar.
A few minutes later the Blues had a similar effort when Craig Veart's left foot effort from 25 yards just flew wide of the home keppers post.
The home side took the lead though in the 23rd minute when a ball from the left hand side dropped over Rand and Wilford when they should have cleared. The Runcorn Striker Cowley took a superb first touch and hit a shot across goal from 7 yards out. Naisbett got a plam on it but couldn't keep the ball from crossing the line.
The home side settled down and looked the more assured without looking threatening and took a 2 goal lead on 38 minutes. More slack defending saw another speculative cross, this time from the left hand side somehow bounce over the Blues defence and Price weakly headed past Naisbett who again got a hand to the ball.
This set back spurred Whitby into life and they swarmed all over Runcorn for the final minutes of the half. Robinson came close with a flicked back header that eluded everyone from a Veart corner. Runcorn nearly scored an own goal and only a good save by the keeper, tipping a header over saved the defenders embarassment. Skelton was then inches away from connecting with another Williams cross from the right after more good work from Veart.
At half time, Whitby replaced Danny Key, who had taken a couple of knocks in the first half, with Lee Ure. This set Whitby in motion and Ure caused Runcorn problems for the rest of the night. It was Whitby's top scorer who grabbed a goal back in the 51st minute when good movement by Ure found Robinson in the middle. He laid the ball out to the right for Skelton who fed Williams down the flack. The right wing back crossed for Ure to poke the ball home at the near post.
From here on in it was all Whitby, playing great football again, and getting the home fans very edgy. Two minutes after the Blues goal, good work from Alex Gildea down the Left who cut inside, fed Williams in acres of space in the box but his shot well saved by McMillan in the Runcorn net. Whitby had two or three corner's as a result before Aaron Wilford had a header from six yards out tipped over by the keeper.
Runcorn's Morley missed poorly from 10 yards in the 58th, but by this time it was all Whitby who were pushing more and more for an equaliser.
Williams again went close just after the hour with a cross shot from the right again after more good interchanges in the middle then Runcorn somehow managed to avaoid scoring in their own net after a Wilford cross.
Runcorn were now defending in numbers with Whitby looking vunerable on the counter. It was one of these sucker punches that lead to the third home goal. From a corner from the left, the ball seemed to be heading out, but was kept in on the right touchline where in was dragged back for Carragher to hit a shot from 25 yards out. The ball cruellt deflected off someone in a crowd past the stranded Naisbett.
This didn't stop Whitby's attacking intentions and Wilford should have scored in the 80th minute when he broke through and shot from 10 yards only for the ball to take a tiny deflection. Robinson then hit over from 12 yards and Craig Rand also had a long ranger blaze over.
With stoppage time ticking away the Home side broke again and with two away shirts tying to hold off three home breaking substitute Ryan headed past Naisbett who palmed the ball home for the third time on the night and condemn Whitby to a sad defeat.
Craig's comment - We were unlucky despite what the score says! A draw would have been fair enough. The transformation of Whitby Town in the last few weeks has been amazing and the lads shouldn't disheartened by this result. For long periods of the match we completely outplayed a team in 6th place and it was hard to tell who was where in the table. Veart and Wilford played great last night, in fact Wilford has got such equal ability in both feet it's unreal. This team has so much potential it would be a shame if it was thrown away in the last few weeks of the season. I know it won't be!!
Whitby Town - Naisbett, G.Williams, Gildea, Graham, Rand, Wilford, Key (Ure 45), Veart, Robinson, Skelton, Dunning. Subs not used - I.Willaims, Mitchell.

Another great display seals three more points

Whitby Town 3-0 Droylsden

13th April - Unibond League Premier Division - A truly sparkling second half performance by Whitby has all but guaranteed Premier League football at the Turnbull Ground for next season when they struck all three goals past their opponents from Droylsden. It was an excellent all-round performance from the team who seem totally transformed from the side of a few weeks back when they were looking doomed to relegation. The defence looked solid with the central trio of Rand, Wilford & Graham dealing with everything thrown at them, the midfield had the bite of Key & Veart and up front another excellent display from Skelton was accompanied by Wood & Gildea. Phil Naisbett made a couple of crucial saves to deny the visitors a way back into the game & also appeared to make more headed clearances from defence than the centre backs.
The game started brightly with both teams playing attacking flowing football in the glorious Whitby sunshine. After some early efforts from both sides that sailed over the crossbar it was Whitby who had the first clear cut chance on 15 minutes when they were awarded a free kick inside the area when Williams was obstructed. Logan & Veart contrived the kick with the latter hitting a strong deflected drive through the wall where keeper Philips made a great save at the foot of his post. Five minutes later Wood made a good run to the byline where he pulled the ball back to Skelton who miss hit his drive allowing Phillips to block. The ball ended up on the edge of his area where Logan reacted quickly to drive it back at goal but his effort was off target. Both Whitby's Wilford & Droylsden's Porter went close before the interval with long range shots but it was the second half when Whitby kicked into gear. On 51 minutes, Logan's throw found Alex Gildea in the midst of a crowd of players. He reacted first as the ball bobbled about & struck his shot out of the reach of Phillips into the far corner of the net to give the Blues the lead. Two minutes later the Bloods fought back & only a good save from Naisbett denied Evans an equaliser. Capitalising on their fortune Whitby increased their lead on 54 minutes with a brilliant goal from Skelton, surely one of the main reasons for Whitby's revitalisation. He gathered the ball on the corner of the area, looked up & curled a superb shot over the despairing keeper into the opposite top corner of the goal. On the hour Naisbett again came to the rescue when he made an excellent full stretch save from Porter's 20 yard free kick over a static Whitby wall.
With 16 minutes remaining the game was put out of Droylsden's reach when Danny Wood raced through from the half way line, dazzled two defenders & then rifled a shot past Phillips to make it 3-0 to the Blues. The Bloods had a chance of a consolation goal in the 83rd minute after a rare mistake by Naisbett. Evans managed to flick the ball away from him but saw it rebound off the post. Just as it seemed he could stroke the ball home he slipped at the crucial moment allowing for a Whitby clearance. Phillips pulled out another smart save in the final minute when Veart's free kick almost sneaked into the corner of the goal but for his quick reaction to tip it to safety.
Although Hyde, Colwyn Bay & Bishop Auckland all won this could be the one win Whitby need for survival.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Williams.G, Logan (sub Anderson 88), Graham, Rand, Wilford, Key (sub Robinson 57), Veart, Wood, Skelton (sub Ure 80), Gildea.

Super Sub Lee grabs the points for Whitby

Emley 0-2 Whitby Town

8th April - Unibond League Premier Division - After beating a weakened Emley side at the Turnbull Ground last week Whitby travelled to Wakefield for tonight UPL game expecting a tough time.
It was Whitby, however, who stole the show with a great display against an equally good to watch Emley side, in fact this match was a great advert for the Unibond league with both sides playing a fluent passing game throughout.
Whitby started brightly with Danny Wood and Craig Skelton playing up front and it was Wood who made the first chance for the Blues after 5 minutes. A surging run down the left flank saw him cut the ball back inside, as Emley tried to clear Craig Rand slotted the ball through for Skelton who shot from the left hand edge of the area just over the bar.
Five minutes later Emley first effort came from a corner, but it was easily dealt with by the Blues defence.
Whitby continued to play good football and went close again inthe 16th minute when Richard Dunning put Skelton in and his shot forced the keeper to save at the second attempt.
Three minutes later Emley had an 18 yard drive saved low down by Phil Naisbett low down to his right.
The Blues looked like they were about to take the lead in the 23rd minute when Skelton's cross shot from the right hand side hit a defender and looped over the bar. From the resulting corner, Emley cleared theor lines but Dunning fed Alex Gildea down the left and his rasping shot again flew over from the edge of the box.
Gildea was then booked in the 40th minute when he clumsily challenged the Emley no10 on the Whitby left but the home side couldn't make anything of the resulting free kick.
The second half started with Aaron Wilford replacing Ben Dixon at half time. Dixon had earlier passed a fitness test prior to the game starting.
Straight from the kick off Emley had their best chance when the no9 jumped on the left hand side and powered a header past Naisbetts left hand post from a free kick.
Whitby's first attack of the second half saw the home keeper fumble a 20yard Gildea effort and he was forced to gather at the second attempt with Sketon closing in.The home side then had no3 Crossley booked for trip on Skelton.
Lee Ure replaced the hard working Danny Wood in the 62nd minute.
Whitby's best effort so far came in the 63rd minute when great work from Danny Key on the edge of the Emley box saw Skelton break free and his delicate chip from 16 yards out had the keeper scrambling backwards and he was forced to make a great fingertip save.
Emley were also playing some good football but their defence pushed out too far forward in the 72nd minute when a great ball from the centre from Craig Veart found Skelton in space on the left hand side. He looked up to find the on rushing Gildea who played a great through ball to Lee Ure who ran through into the area to slot past the home keeper to make it 1-0 to Whitby.
Two minutes later Emley had Crossley sent off for an unnecessary second bookable offence when he clattered into Lee Ure.
From the free kick awarded the ball was cleared to Richard Dunning 25yards from goal and his stinging drive flew inches past the post.
The crucial goal came with 2minutes to go when a long punt out of defence saw Lee Ure outpace the Emley back line and with his first touch an 25 yards out his proceeded to chip the keeper and send the travelling Whitby fans delerious!
The ref blew up five minutes later and Whitby had won a wonderful victory!
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Williams.G, Gildea, Graham, Dixon (Wilford 45), Rand, Key, Veart, Wood (Ure 62), Skelton, Dunning. Subs not used - Goodchild.

Whitby scrape with Ure stike

Whitby Town 2-1 Marine

6th April - Unibond Premier Division -A towering leap from the smallest player on the pitch grabbed three more vital points for Whitby in their battle against the drop. The home side were forced to make two changes from the team that destroyed Emley in midweek with Ian Williams suspended & Rennison injuring his neck heading a ball during the pre-match warm-up.
After the excellent last home result everyone hoped they'd continue in similar fashion but it was quite the opposite with the visitors on the attack right from the start. They took an 8th minute lead thanks in the main to more poor defending by Whitby from place kicks, their downfall so many times this season. A deep corner from the left was only cleared as far as the edge of their area where John Morgan dispatched a crashing volley past the stranded Naisbett.
It took almost half an hour before Whitby began to threaten the Marine goal. Dave Logan's corner kick was met at the far post by the ever-improving Wilford who's header flew over the bar with keeper Clarke well beaten. Minutes later the keeper was forced into an excellent diving save at the foot of the post when Skelton found himself on the end of a long free kick. Had the striker's downward header been a little stronger Clarke would have had no chance of the save but luck was on his side. On 40 minutes Clarke came to their rescue again as a defensive error let Robinson in. He squared the ball into Dunning's path but his rasping shot was acrobatically turned around the post by Clarke. He was powerless to save them a minute later however as a free kick from the half way line was chested by Wilford to Skelton running in on goal. Before anyone had time to react he'd nodded the ball inside the near post to level the scores at 1-1.
Marine began the second half the more positive of the two teams but failed to trouble Naisbett. In the 55th minute it was Clarke to the rescue again as Whitby broke away upfield. Robinson's flick to Dunning ended in a goalbound shot but Clarke's outstretched boot saved his side when a certain goal was on the cards. It wasn't until the last 10 minutes that the game picked up once more. Whitby's most senior player, Logan sent over yet another one of his pin-point corner kicks which fooled Clarke & dropped behind the stranded keeper where substitute Lee Ure defied the odds to leap between two defenders to crash home the Blues' second goal. Whitby could have sewn up the game on 88 minutes when yet another corner kick found the head of defender Craig Rand. Sadly for Blues he didn't quite get under the ball & it looped over the bar.
With both Colwyn Bay & Bishop Auckland losing today it gives Whitby a little breathing space but they have to keep battling like this for the remaining games to make sure of Premier League survival this season.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Rand, Logan, Wilford, Graham, Williams.G (Sub Wood 68),Dunning, Veart, Robinson, Skelton (sub Ure 75), Gildea Sub not used: Key

Amazing stuff as Blues find some form!

Whitby Town 4-1 Emley

3rd April - Unibond Premier Division - After Monday's diabolical display at Bishop Auckland where the Blues never troubled the home keeper, Whitby needed to pull something out of the hat against a strong Emley side who are always difficult opponents. After 23 minutes Whitby had blitzed them into submission with four goals without reply.
Straight from the kick off Whitby showed the purpose & resolve that has been so sadly lacking of late & were handed a 3rd minute lead courtesy of Emley's 17 year old keeper making his debut. His indecision was vital in that it gave Craig Skelton the time & opportunity to latch onto a long through ball & cheekily nod the ball into the net over the stranded McLachlan. Four minutes later Veart's curling free kick from the right wing was met with the most delicate of glances by Robinson who was unlucky to see his effort graze past the foot of the post. A minute later however Whitby charged forward again & Gildea found himself in the clear. He tried to slot the ball past the keeper but it was partially blocked however he was alert enough to keep running & get a second chance which he accepted & stroked the ball home. McLachlan was again left wanting in the 13th minute when a looping ball was met by Robinson who outclimbed two defenders to head the ball over the stranded keeper to make it 3-0.
Whitby kept up the pressure & 2 minutes later Robinson's flick on from a Veart corner was met by Wilford who would have scored but for an excellent reaction save from the keeper to regain some of his shattered confidence. The fourth & best goal came on 23 minutes from Richard Dunning who had an excellent game throughout. He collected the ball on the right corner of the area & lashed a swerving shot high into the top corner of the net giving the keeper little chance. Ten minutes before the break Emley pulled a goal back when Mies Thorpe was left unmarked at the far post & had the simplest of tasks to nod in what turned out to be a consolation goal. They could have reduced the arrears even more on the stroke of half time when Naisbett had to pull off a flying save from a 25 yard piledriver from Thorpe.
The second half began well for the Blues & but for another great stop from McLachlan, Skelton would have added to the tally. Emley came more into the game as it went on but Whitby defended resolutely with Naisbett having a reasonably quiet time. In the closing minutes Whitby should have gone further ahead with two glorious chances going begging in the 84th & 86th minutes. Dunning did well to pull the ball back from the byline only to see Ian Williams strike a tame shot at the keeper then Lee Ure did wonderfully well to jink his way to a similar position before rolling the ball into Robinson's path. With the goal at his mercy & simple side foot would have got the goal but he went for glory instead & blazed the ball out of the ground from 6 yards.
The midfield trio of Dunning, Veart & Skelton had a marvellous game & the entire Whitby team harried, tackled & battled their way to victory over the full 90 minutes to win 3 vital points.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Williams.I, Rennison, Wilford, Graham, Williams. G, Dunning, Veart, Robinson, Skelton (sub Ure 80), Gildea Subs not used: Key, Jewell

Whitby give up trying at Bishops

Bishop Auckland 1-0 Whitby Town

1st April - Unibond Premier Division - Forget staying up Blues fans, we're going down. I'm sorry, but One win Nine games is not acceptable. Its a disgrace. Have any of the players got any pasion for the club?? Somehow I very much doubt it.

Skelton saves point for Whitby

Whitby Town 2-2 Hucknall Town

30th March - Unibond Premier Division - A double substitution after 56 minutes sparked a fight back in which the Blues rallied from 0-2 down to scrape a creditable draw against a revived Hucknall Town. Despite a dreadful first half in which they never troubled the highly organised visitors, the spirited play after the introduction of ex-Blue Skelton & new signing from Sheffield Wednesday, Danny Wood was a credit to them in a far more passionate second half performance.
After a dull first 20 minutes Hucknall almost took the lead when Phil Starbuck hammered a left wing free kick goalbound & over keeper Naisbett. But for the superb header off the line by Whitby's Aaron Wilford, the visitors would have been one up. They didn't have to wait too long to take the lead. On 29 minutes Hucknall won a right wing corner that was only cleared as far as the edge of the Whitby area where skipper Paul Mitchell struck a thunderous drive which flew into the back of the Whitby goal through a crowd of players.
The second period began in similar lacklustre fashion for the Blues & they went further behind on 52 minutes. Ian Williams lost the ball in a tussle with Burke & the striker went ahead towards goal. Naisbett dived at full stretch to make the save but Burke stumbled, went on a couple more steps before falling over & referee Mr West pointed to the penalty spot. Naisbett escaped with a booking but was unable to stop Starbuck scoring.
Three minutes later the double substitution was made & had an immediate effect. Before the introduction Whitby were going nowhere against the competent visitors but after that they went forward with more conviction & endeavour. On the stroke of the hour Logan's corner kick was headed goalwards by Robinson only to be denied a goal by the hand of full back Wright. The defender wasn't as lucky as Naisbett as he was shown the red card as he was deemed to have stopped a certain goal. Logan strode up to take the penalty & dispatched it in familiar fashion.
With a man advantage, Whitby kept up the pressure looking for an equaliser & got their reward in the 74th minute with a superb goal from Skelton. Naisbett's goalkick was headed on by Robinson to Ian Williams who in turn flicked it to Skelton making a run towards the Hucknall goal. As the keeper advanced, Skelton chipped the ball over him in clinical fashion to level the scores. Whitby kept up the pressure to the final whistle but the visitors held firm to deny the home side two more crucial points.

Seven Up for Blues

Whitby Town 7-1 Bedale Athletic

26th March - North Riding Senior Cup Semi Final -Playing opposition from around 4 leagues below often causes major upsets but Whitby brushed aside the Teesside Leaguers by 7 goals to 1 in the North Riding Senior Cup Semi-final tonight.
Despite picking up even more injuries from the Burton game previously, Whitby turned in a polished display against the plucky Bedale side.
Whitby showed what was to come as early as the second minute when Lee Ure crashed a drive against the legs of keeper Leng from close range but then had to wait until the 16th minute for the first goal. A five man move was crisply finished by Robinson after Gildea had weaved his way past two defenders before pulling the ball back from the byline. Robinson got his second 12 minutes later when he cleverly chipped the keeper after a run down the right flank despite Leng getting a hand to the ball. The Whitby payer turned provider in the 35th minute when his deep cross from the left was headed into the bottom corner of the goal by club physio Paul Watts. The finish was superbly executed as he headed home through a crowd of players from 12 yards out.
The classiest goal of the night came on 42 minutes when Alex Gildea collected the ball on the edge of the Bedale penalty area. He flicked the ball up, juggled it a couple of times before striking a crisp volley past Leng giving the keeper no chance.
Whitby were denied a fifth goal when Lee Ure broke free. Ian Williams was in acres of space on his left waiting to tap the ball home but was denied by the intervention of the half time whistle. Maybe Premiership referee Messias took pity on the visitors as it appeared a minute less of the half had been played.
The second half began in similar fashion but Bedale defended well & held firm for a while. They even pulled a goal back in the 57th minute after Ian Williams handled the ball to concede a penalty. Mike Robinson dispatched the ball confidently to make it 4-1.
Robinson finally got his hat-trick in fortuitous circumstances on 71 minutes when the ball was hoofed high into the air & dropped menacingly below the crossbar. Keeper Leng fumbled & the loose ball was gleefully poked home by the Whitby skipper. It was 6-1 on 83 minutes when Kevin Graham slid the ball into the net after good work by Rennison & Ross Foreman but a minute later Bedale's Robinson found himself awarded another penalty but this time blazed the kick high over the Whitby bar. The rout was completed on 88 minutes with a thoroughly deserved goal from Lee Ure who calmly slotted the ball past Leng.
Before the final at home to Middlesbrough, Whitby have a long & arduous league survival battle ahead. Hopefully this game may have sparked a scoring revival.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Watts, Gildea (sub Magaryef 45), Graham, Rennison, Wilford, Williams.G, Veart, Robinson (sub Foreman 79), Ure, Williams,I

Punch Drunk Blues beaten at Burton

Burton Albion 5-1 Whitby Town

23rd March - Unibond Premier Division - The Blues travelled to Burton Albion today for a return game after the brewers drew 1-1 in the last minute at the Turnbull a few weeks back.
The first half of the game was a pretty even affair, even if Burton did look more likely to score than Whitby. Dave Anderson was substituted after 7 minutes after clash of heads, and Robinson headed over from a Logan free kick. Lee Ure nearly connected with a Dunning cross late on but that was as good as it got for the Blues.
Burton look the lead in first half injury time when a mix up at the back allowed Evans to steal the ball and he crossed for Kavanagh to slot home.
The second half started with the home side nearly doubling their advantage when a snat shot went inches wide.
Remarkably, Whitby were handed a lifeline in the 53rd minute when Alex Gildea was needlessly tripped in the box and Dave Logan stepped up to convert the resultant penalty.
The crucial incident which turned the game on its head happened with 15 minutes to go when Phil Naisbett collected a cross from the left but was barged by a Burton player. Naisbett dropped the ball and Blount fired home. Amazingly the ref allowed the goal much to the annoyance of the Blues defence.
Naisbett was forced to leave the fray due to the resulting injury after gainfully trying to carry on, and with Goochy off the field dur to injury, Kevin Graham was forced to go between the posts.
Whitby's frustration with the ref boiled over shortly after he awarded a penalty to the home side in the final minute. Ian Williams was booked for complaining. Graham was lucky to have stayed on the field for the challenge and Burton made it 3-1. Ian Williams then booted the ball away in frustration and the ref sent him off. Thanks Mr Ref.
Burton then proceeded to score two more goals in stoppage time to give the scoreline a rather harsh look to it.
In all a very disappointing result for Whitby, but one that was expected.
I met two burton fans in a pub later on, and couldn't believe the blinkeredness of their views! Timewasting, dirty, don't play football, play acting. Blimey, I see games through rose tinted speactacles but that was ridiculous.
Put in our shoes, fourth bottom and with 15 minutes to go 1-1 against a team who've beaten everyone this season, what would you do? Play fancy dan football to please the paying public at Eton Park, or try and do what you can to get a point?
Burton fans, get a reality check please. You may be bigger, better and richer than us, but we don't need you Man U attitude.
Overall though, I had a great day out, which is how it should be shouldn't it?
Whitby Town - Phil Naisbett, Ian Williams, David Logan, David Goodchild, Graham Williams, Craig Rand, Lee Ure, Danny Key, Graham Robinson, David Anderson, Alex Gildea. Substitutes: Richard Dunning (for Anderson, 7), Aaron Wilford (for Naisbett, 85), Kevin Graham (for Goodchild, 72)

Blues snatch late late point

20th March - Unibond Premier Division -A dramatic 88th minute equaliser from Lee Ure let the Blues sneak a point from a game where their rivals from Blyth were for most of the game in full control. On a night of heavy rain showers & playing on a slippery surface, it was the visitors who looked more at ease with them being a good yard faster than Whitby. Only a late rally saved them from another awful home result with points worth their weight in gold.
Blyth started the better of the two teams & took a 16th minute lead after a Whitby attack broke down. The quick counter saw ex-Blue Craig Perry react fastest to the loose ball a few yards out after the shot was only partly blocked by Naisbett. Blyth could have been 3-0 ahead in the following 5 minutes after Pepper's 30 yard shot thudded against the bar & then Hutton's drive skidded off the outside of the post.
Whitby got their first equaliser right on the stroke of half time when Ure's corner was headed backwards by Goodchild at the near post to Marchant at the back. The striker slotted the ball home from close range to the relief of the home fans.
Blyth regained the lead on the hour in very sloppy manner when a corner was missed by everyone & the ball rebounded out of the goal off the post. Unfortunately for Whitby, Blyth's john Forster was on hand to nod the ball into the net. Whitby rallied briefly when Rand's long range effort dipped late & cashed against the top of the crossbar but it was a turning point when Manager Harry Dunn finally brought on substitutes late on in the game as legs began to flag. Whitby got their second crucial goal with only a couple of minutes remaining. A long ball was drifted into the Blyth area where Ure did wonderfully to control the ball before turning to shoot past Gilmore to make it 2-2.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Rand, Leighton (Allen 81), Goodchild, Williams.G, Williams.I, Ure, Anderson (Dunning 81), Marchant (Wilford 85), Robinson, Gildea.

More home woe for Whitby

Whitby Town 1-2 Hyde United

16th March - Unibond Premier Division - Whatever Manager Harry Dunn said to the players at the interval certainly had a dramatic effect. From holding a 1-0 half time lead & looking to add to the tally without any real threat from the bottom of the league visitors, they ended up second best and losing 2-1 into the deal. Bishop Auckland, without a game today, must have thought Xmas had come early as yet another game in hand ghosts away into oblivion.
Whitby started so brightly too with Lee Ure tearing the defence apart at will & the Blues surging forward with real purpose and looking to take the 3 points they so desperately need. Hyde keeper Felgate was forced into an excellent save in the 6th minute when Ure met a deep cross with a crisp header which brought the best from the visiting keeper. Time & again Whitby pushed forward creating chances on both wings but as has been their problem all season, there was no-one to apply the finishing touch. The goal came in the 14th minute from a Logan corner kick. His deep curling dead ball kick looped over the keeper & was well over the goal line despite Taylor's attempt to head clear.
Hyde's only threat in the first half came on 27 minutes when centre half Ashwell had a golden opportunity to head home the equaliser from 3 yards out but amazingly he put the ball over the bar.
Hyde began the second half in a more determined fashion & caught Whitby cold with a 47th minute goal which was snapped up by skipper Peter Band. A goalmouth scramble occurred & Naisbett only managed to get a palm on the ball which wasn't enough as the burly skipper hooked the ball past defenders on the line. More bad defending 9 minutes later was enough to let Hyde glean the points when Naisbett came to claim a long throw from the right wing but unfortunately was never going to get there first. The ball was headed over him where full back Madin was on hand to side foot the ball into the net.
Whitby had a chance to level the scores on 63 minutes when the ball ran loose to Robinson who blazed the ball high & wide from close range. The dying minutes saw another chance for the visitors when Naisbett was forced into a fine save, tipping a long range free kick over the bar from Chris Young.
Ragiab Mohammed el Magaryef was brought into the fray with a mere 8 minutes left but while he was on the field he at least showed some promising touches & livened up the stale Whitby attack. A case of too little too late by that time.
Though Hyde may well be favourites for the drop, on this showing Whitby could well be pushing them for the other remaining place.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Williams.I, Logan (Sub Windross 45), Graham, Rand, Anderson (Sub Magaryef 82), Dunning, Robinson, Marchment (Sub Key 78) Ure, Gildea.

Whitby Crash to Bottom Boys

Bamber Bridge 3-0 Whitby Town

12th March - Unibond Premier Division - Whitby's depleted squad travelled to Bamber Bridge tonight for a Unibond Premier League game minus the injured Dave Logan and Lee Ure, although car accident victim Graham Robinson returned as did Craig Rand and David Anderson with Graham Rennison returning to the sub's bench. Libyan Ragib El Mogaryes also made his first appearance as substitute.
Ben Dixon was captain in Dave Logans' absence. Whitby started brightly and looked to have scored in the 7th minute with their first goal scoring opportunity when from Alex Gildea's deep cross Dave Anderson's far post header appeared to be over the line before it was headed clear by Hankinson.
Whitby retained possession without threatening teh home goal indeed it was the visitors who presented Bamber with their first goal scoring opportunity when Phil Naisbett dropped the seemingly high cross from Smith but Bray's 16 yard shot was defelcted over the visitors cross bar.
Whitby had not learn't their lesson and another harmless right wing cross once again from Smith on the right wing saw the ball fly around in Whitby's penalty area like a ping pong ball before Ryan forced the ball home for a very disappointing goal from the Blues perspective.
This set abck seemed to undermine the visitors confidence and 1 minute later the home team could have scored again when yet another loose ball in the whitby penalty area saw Smith drive his 17 yard shot against the cross bar and up over into the crowd.
Whitby's injury worries continued when in the 50th minute Ben Dixon was carried off being replaced by Andrew Windross and Ragib El Mogaryes also came on for his debut replacing Ross Marchant.
Whitby continued in the acendancy without looking dangerous but it was all to no avail because in the 63rd minute it was that man Ryan again but this time his hopeful cross come shot out on the right hand side flew accross the face of the Whitby goal, hit he far post and entered the net in the home sides first attack on goal in the second half.
This misfortune seemed to drain the visitors who although they kept the home team pended back in their own half did not look like scoring and in the 75th minute Bamber Bridge broke again from defence when Bray ran from the half way line and althogh the Whitby defence appeared to have the situation under control his 15 yard shot was deflected off Craig Rand and into the corner of the net, giving Naisbett no chance.
The game continued in the same vein with Whitby pressing and Bamber content to wait for the counter attack, and this ploy appeared to have worked in the 80th minute when a speculative lob from Dickinson appeared detsined for the visitors net but this time Naisbett had time to recover and tipped the ball for a corner.
It was not until the 88th minute when good work by Ian Williams down the right hand side resulted in a cross which was just missed by the onrushing Ragib.
Although dominating the game for long periods Whitby lacked the fire power up front although to be fiar fate seemed to be against the Blues whenever the home side attacked.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, I.Willaims, Gildea, Graham, Dixon, Rand, Key, Anderson, Robinson, Marchant, Dunning subs - Windross, Rennison, Ragib.

Blues so near but so far

Whitby Town 1-1 Burton Albion

9th March - The difference between being top of the league & struggling at the foot was highlighted this afternoon at the Turnbull. Despite playing with 10 men for almost 85 minutes (including the added time) & having no substitutes to call on, Whitby were bravely hanging on to a slender 1-0 lead from a Logan free kick midway through the second half. As the time ebbed away & the Blues fans wondered where the 8 extra minutes had come from, Burton full back Paul Talbot crashed the equaliser into the goal from 25 yards to steal a point.
The kick off was delayed until 3.30pm due to the dreadful condition of the pitch & to give Whitby players stuck in snow on the Yorkshire Moors a chance to make the game. How the game ever got the go-ahead in the first place was questionable but credit to the two teams for playing & giving a creditable performance in what turned out to be a lottery. At the kick off, Whitby had only eleven players so it was always going to be a test of strength and character but the Blues should really have been 2-0 up at the interval.
Ross Merchant's header scraped the outside of the post in the 13th minute & on the half hour, Ben Dixon thumped his header against the crossbar when both should have scored. In between the efforts, Lee Ure was stretchered off the field when he was clattered from behind but referee A. Dale gave nothing against the offending player. With 5 minutes of the half remaining, Gildea brought a fine full stretch save from Burton keeper Duke who did well to make the save. Burton made their man advantage pay in the second half as Whitby legs grew tired & on 53 mins Stride had his 30 yard strike saved by Naisbett. Five minutes later in a rare Whitby attack, Logan was fouled on the edge of the Burton area & took the subsequent free kick. His strike took a slight deflection which was enough to fool Duke & gave them the lead.
Burton continued to press forward but the Blues held firm. Logan headed a deflected shot off the line on 80 minutes but apart from that Whitby looked solid. With added time mounting & fans whistling in the ground to urge the referee to blow for full time, Burton surged forward again. Although one effort was cleared, full back Talbot latched onto the loose ball outside Whitby's area & crashed home an unstoppable shot to rob the home side of the extra 2 points.
Reflecting on the amount of pressure Burton had during the second half, a point may have been fair but to play so long with a man disadvantage then suffer a late strike 8 minutes into injury time was a cruel blow.
Whitby Town Naisbett, Williams.I, Logan, Rennison,Dixon, Dunning, Ure, Merchant, Gildea, Key, Graham. Sub: Nautilus, Conqueror & Mr J. Cousteau

Dunning seals the points

Whitby Town 2-0 Bishop Auckland

5th March - Unibond League Premier Division - The game was billed as a six-pointer, vital to both team's survival in the UniBond Premier but it was Whitby who scooped the points on a cold windy night.
Familiar faces in the Bishops team included Campbell in goal, Middleton, Chillingsworth & Skedd, the latter making a point of upending any blue shirted player within striking distance.
It was Skedd who had the opening attempt on goal in the 8th minute with a tame 30 yard strike which failed to trouble Naisbett, however as far as opportunities went, that was it until the opening goal. Lee Ure, a constant target for Bishops players throughout the game, set up the goal with a deft through ball into the path of Ross Merchant making his home debut. Weaving out to the right hand side of the Bishops he drew Campbell off his line before lashing a swerving drive past him into the far corner of the goal. Whitby kept up the pressure after this & almost increased their lead minutes later when Robinson's blocked shot fell to Ure who's rasping shot flew inches past the upright.
Against the run of play & with the first half well into time added on, Bishops almost levelled the scores when confusion arose in the Whitby area. A looping ball was goalbound before being headed clear off the line at the last second despite appeals from the away team that it had crossed the line.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Williams.I, Leadbitter (sub Dunning 25m), Goodchild, Dixon, Williams.G, Anderson (Sub Windross 85m), Robinson, Merchant, Ure, Gildea. Sub not used: Key
Bishops began the second half in a much more positive manner & attacked the Blues from the off. Despite all their possession they never posed a threat to the Whitby goal. Gildea had a snap shot well saved at the foot of the post by Campbell in the 55th minute & Merchant went close again 10 minutes later when his shot went wide of the mark with Dunning unmarked at the far post. Bishops captain Mark Salmon made an acrobatic headed clearance off the line in the 79th minute to deny Ure a goal but it was soon afterwards that the Blues sealed the win when yet again, Ure was cruelly hacked on the edge of the area. The resulting free kick saw Richard Dunning loop the ball over the defensive wall into the unguarded side of Campbell's goal. With the minutes ebbing away, Salmon received his marching orders after a second yellow card which effectively ended their hopes of pulling back the lead.

Gildea strike not enough

Colwyn Bay 1-1 Whitby Town

2nd March - Unibond League Premier Division - The Blues made the long journey to North Wales on Saturday without stars Dave Goodchild and Graham Robinson, who were both unavailable due to work commitments. Boss Harry Dunn drafted in newcomer Ross Merchant, who is on loan from Sunderland and Craig Rand who had been released by Nationwide League Sheffield Wednesday who played in the heart of defence.
The home side started like an express train and in the second minute, ex-Manchester United player Deiniol Graham went close when firing wide from 20 yards. Three minutes later, Jones' right-wing cross was met by skipper Graham Roberts, whose 20-yard shot from the edge of the area was well saved by Blues keeper Phil Naisbett.
But Whitby began to get their game together and should have scored on 10 minutes when Lee Ure broke into the left-hand side of the peanlty box one-on-one with keeper Paul Smith, who managed to block the shot with his legs. On 16 minutes, Whitby's skipper Dave Logan fired a 20-yard free-kick just wide after Alex Gildea had been fouled.
But the game continued in end to end fashion when six minutes later, a Deiniol Graham cross was met by McIlvogue but his header was well saved by Naisbett. Eight minutes later, the Blues had another chance to take the lead when Graeme Williams played newcomer Ross Merchanty completely in the clear, once again with only the keeper to beat, only for Smith to block again with his legs.
The second half started in a more subdued manner after the excitement of the first 45 minutes, with Lee Ure heading wide for Whitby on 58 minutes. But Whitby took the lead eight minutes later when a speculative shot 25 yards out from Alex Gildea surprised keeper Smith, who who could only palm the ball into the net.
Whitby did not have time to consolidate their lead as three minutes later, Alun Evans jinked into the visitors' penalty area and a seemingly innocuous challenge by David Anderson, which was totally unnecessary, resulted in a spot-kick. Deiniol Graham converted the penalty for his 11th goal of the season. On 81 minutes, Anderson almost made amends when a short corner was played by Lee Ure to David Logan and his cross to the far post was met by Anderson who shot just over the crossbar.
Three minutes into injury time, Colwyn Bay should have won the game when Naisbett failed to hold Evans' free-kick but McIlvogue shot over the crossbar. It was yet another solid away performance by Whitby, who should easily escape relegation if they show the same sort of form at home.
Whitby Town: Naisbett, I Williams, Logan (Dunning 86), G Williams, Dixon, Anderson, Leadbitter, Rand, Merchant (Windross 79), Ure, Gildea (Key 90).

Another great away win for Whitby

Vauxhall Motors 0-2 Whitby Town

23rd February - Unibond League Premier Division - The Blues travelled across the pennines for a NPL clash with high flyers Vauxhall Motors and came home with a deserved victory after another fine away performance.
Motors almost snatched a lead after two minutes, but Phil Naisbett made two fine saves to deny them. This was Vauxhall's best period of the game and they lost their way. Graham Robinson went close with header for Whitby but then Alex Gildea opened the scoring. He found hmself in space outside the box and unleashed a right foot which flew into the goal via a post.
Motors went close on the half hour mark when top scorer Fearns hit his effort narrowly wide with Naisbett beaten.
It was Whitby who snatched the all important next goal when Anderson's drive went under the body of Motor's keeper Homes.
After this it was a stroll for Whitby, and despite the best efforts of the home side they were never threatened again.
A great win for the Blues who have one of the best away records in the league. If our home record, which is the worst, was half as good, this season would have been a stroll for us.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, I.Williams, Logan, Goodchild, Dixon, Leadbitter, G.Williams, Anderson, Robinson, Ure, Gildea - Subs Windross, Dunning, Whatt.

Burscough too much for awful Blues

Whitby Town 1-3 Burscough

16th February - Unibond League Premier Division - A disastrous start & a totally ineffective first half handed the game on a plate to the visitors from Burscough today as Whitby went in search of a third home league victory.
With only seconds on the clock Whitby went behind to a Lee Furlong header as he was left unmarked right in front of goal to nod home a left wing cross & give Naisbett no chance. It was yet another case of the Blues defence being caught cold from the off, immediately handing the opposition a head start. More schoolboy errors followed & by the interval the game was all but over. On 21 minutes the defence again fell asleep allowing Ryan Bowen the chance to get into the area & drill home from the narrowest of angles to make it 2-0. Ten minutes before the interval came the third goal when the usually reliable Naisbett jumped to collect a simple cross from the right wing. His dropping the ball fell invitingly into the path of Dave Douglas who gleefully pounced to stab the ball over the line.
Just before the break, Lee Ure did well to pull the ball back into Robinson's path but he blazed the ball high over the crossbar. After Windross left the field injured, the appearance of Logan seemed to settle the Blues down yet they still failed to trouble Burscough's keeper Taylor.
The second half was mainly uneventful as the visitors sat on their lead. Whitby worked hard to make headway against them but time & again the hard work was ruined for the lack of a striker. On 75 minutes Whitby were handed a fortunate lifeline when local referee Mark Tilling (former teacher at Whitby Community College) awarded them a penalty. Logan's throw in on the left wing was heading towards Robinson when he lunged forward to the ground with Knowles pleading his innocence.
The penalty was dispatched with Logan's usual power & accuracy to bring Whitby back into the game. Finally Whitby were pushing forward with commitment & causing some concern in the heart of the Burscough defence. Two minutes after the penalty Whitby should have been right back in the game after Robinson's back header from Dunning's throw fell to the feet of Goodchild. Four yards out he went for glory & power when a simple side foot may have proved more accurate in bringing a second goal. Burscough broke up Whitby's resurgence with continuous time wasting, going to ground as soon as a blue shirt came within 5 yards of them & finally seeing out the rest of the game without too much concern.
Lee Ure had another fine game yet lacked support but Richard Dunning was outstanding once more covering the whole of the pitch. Without any strikers Whitby will continue to be "Toothless Tigers" & the struggle to avoid relegation looks set to continue for a long time to come.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Williams.G, Leadbitter, Goodchild, Dixon, Dunning, Ure, Anderson, Windross( Logan 43 m), Robinson, Gildea. Subs not used: Williams.I, Graham.

Blues cruise

Whitby Town 1-0 Bamber Bridge

9th February - Unibond League Premier Division - A vital home league win, only the second of the season, gave the Blues 3 points breathing space over their closest rivals in the basement of the UniBond Premier. The game was a 6-pointer in terms of league position but crucial for the lads' moral with the hectic games coming up. Despite total domination of the game, lack of finishing from Whitby meant Bamber were always in with a shout during the game though it wasn't until the dying minutes that the visitors showed any danger.
Whitby were without Graham Robinson & Dave Logan but Dunning & Leadbitter filled their places admirably with the latter having an excellent game.
The Blues should have taken an early lead when Lee Ure's cross was poorly headed away but dropped nicely for Gildea. His first-time volley skidded just past the keeper's right post in the 5th minute. Nine minutes later Whitby had an even better chance when Lee Ure broke through into Bridge's area to find himself one on one with Sharrock. The keeper managed to smother the ball as Ure waited a fraction too long to shoot. Soon afterwards, Ben Dixon got in on the act when he had a blistering drive sail past the post, causing the keeper concern. It was all one-way traffic with the Blues storming forward time after time against a very poor Bamber side but for all their possession & pressure they never threatened Sharrock again that half.
The second half was the same story with Whitby pushing forward at every opportunity but there was always the fear that Bamber might break away & score against the run of play as has been seen so many times before. Ian Williams found himself in a great position when he latched onto the ball inside the visitor's area but he was denied a goal by Sharrock who punched clear to concede a corner.
The breakthrough came in the 68th minute when Dunning, a constant threat, surged down the left wing, eased past a defender into the area & tried to lob Sharrock. The keeper's flailing punch looped high towards safety until Lee Ure pounced to head the ball into the empty net. It was no less than the Blues deserved & it would have been cruel for them not to take maximum points from this game considering the lacklustre play from Bamber.
Keeper Sharrock has to be applauded for keeping the Whitby fans entertained throughout the game with his Bartez-type goalkeeping.... wandering from his net, trying to dribble the ball away when a swift kick was needed, etc. Even his playful threats to take the entire crowd "outside" went down well, bless him.
Whitby took the points & deservedly so but the lack of firepower has to be a major concern to the management especially if the likes of Ure & Dunning get injured.

Wahey! what a great win!

Lancaster City 2-3 Whitby Town

2nd February - Unibond League Premier Division - Whitby Town travelled across the pennines to Sunny Lancashire to play an NPL game against high flying and desperate to get promoted Lancaster City. The game was given the go ahead early on after a pitch inspection.
The match started brightly and Lancaster took the lead in the 15th minute when a cross found Lancaster's new signing Michael Yates who failed to make a good contact and as their player Graham was about to follow up he was fouled and the ref pointed to the spot after some help from his lino. Yates stepped up to fire past Phil Naisbett to make it 1-0 to the home side.
Whitby got the break they need in the 22nd minute when a Blues corner was headed into the net by Lancaster defender Kilbane after Ben Dixon had flicked on.
Whitby took the lead in the 44th minute when Alex Gildea was fouled in the box and Logie stepped up to fire the ball in the net from the spot.
The home side equalised in the 49th minute when a dep cross from the right found Yates who hit a right footed volley into the net.
Town then went back in front when Lee Ure intercepted a poor back pass from a Lancaster defender and he rounded Thornley in the home goal to give the Blues the lead.
Lancaster couldn't do any more, and once again a fine away performance from Whitby grabbed three vital away points. All this was marred by the fact that both Bamber Bridge and Hucknall won games they should have been pumelled in.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Williams, Logan, Williams, Dixon, Dunning, Anderson, Ure, Windross, Robinson, Gildea. Subs - Key, Leadbitter, Graham.

Penalty joy for Whitby

Whitby Town 3-3 Scarborough (Whitby win 4-1 on penalties)

29th January - North Riding Senior Cup - The saying "Football's a funny old game" applied tonight as long as you were a Whitby fan. From being 0-2 down with 75 minutes gone & missing a hatful of chances they managed to haul themselves to extra time, take the lead then see it end 3-3 after 120 minutes. The unlikely hero of the game being stand-in keeper Dave Goodchild who saved the first 2 Scarborough penalties take to the pressure off his team-mates who then went on to win 4-1. Robinson should have put Whitby ahead in the first minute when he burst through from his own half, race clear of defenders & find himself 10 yards from goal. To his embarrassment he blazed the ball high & wide of the mark. Scarborough went ahead in the 10th minute against the run of play when Dean Shields scored with a well taken goal from a narrow angle. Both sides had chances aplenty to hit the back of the net but the finishing touches were either not good enough or not there at all in Whitby's case. Before half time both Windross & Anderson had good opportunities miss the target against a Scarborough side made up of numerous reserve players.The visitors went further ahead on 50 minutes Connell found himself all alone in front of goal with time to pick his spot & score.On 64 minutes, Whitby keeper Naisbett was injured as he dived for the ball to concede a corner. He left the pitch to be replaced by reserve keeper Mike Williams. From the corner, the ball was swung under the Blues' crossbar where Williams collapsed in a heap under pressure from Scarborough forwards. Within seconds, he too had to leave the pitch with what turned out to be the loss of two front teeth after a disagreement with an opposition elbow. Step forward David Goodchild into the breach. Maybe this was the spur Whitby needed as at 0-2 down they looked to be out of the competition.
It seemed that way as in the 76th minute Windross headed home a Logan corner to give them a fighting chance. With only a minute or so remaining, Ian Williams swung over an inch perfect cross for Alex Gildea to head home & take the game to extra time. At the end of 90 minutes both managers spoke to the referee, trying to get him to take the game straight to penalties but the rules state that an extra 30 minutes have to be played. After a goalless first 15 minutes, Whitby took the lead straight from the restart when from Gildea's cross, Robinson had hit shot blocked. The rebounding ball looped perfectly for substitute Roy Allen to head home the third goal. The game was taken to penalties when Henderson latched onto a loose ball to hammer it past Goodchild from a tight angle. Whitby's record in penalty shoot-outs is dreadful to say the least but this time good fortune favoured the Blues as Goodchild made 2 magnificent saves from Jordan & Connell with Logan, Ian Williams & Allen putting them 3-0 ahead. Swales scored for Scarborough leaving Graeme Williams to tuck away Whitby's 4th goal to take the tie.
Whitby Town - Naisbett (Williams.M 64_{), Williams.G, Logan, Goodchild, Rennison, Dunning, Ure, Anderson, Windross (Allen 82), Robinson, Gildea.
Subs not used: Key, Watt

More Misery for Sorry Blues
Blyth Spartans 2-1 Whitby Town

22nd January - Unibond League Premier Division - a 100% bias report from the Blyth Spartans website follows

This evening Blyth were looking for their first win in 2002. Whitby having lost their last four games were looking for three points also. Blyth having already beaten Whitby 2-1 in the F.A. Trophy, were favourites to win.

Blyth started the game kicking from left to right towards the Social Club end. The first chance fell to Blyth as early as the 2nd minute, a Forster free-kick found Robson on the edge of the box, but his effort was just wide. Blyth had the lions share of posession in the early stages, Robson went close on 12 minutes after more good work from Skelton.

Whitby`s first real chance came in the 13th minute, a free kick floated into the Blyth area was headed tamely to Gilmore by Gildea for Whitby.

Skelton and Robson were working well together up front, but the next chance fell to Stewart in the 18th minute, Whitby keeper Naisbett took a superb low cross from Radigan low down, just before Stewart could connect. 2 minutes later Whitby striker Windross was almost through with his sights on goal, but an excellent challenge form Justin Keegan denied him his chance. On 25 good work upfront from Blyth ended with the ball dropping to Graham Pepper, his shot was deflected for a corner.

Whitby had another chance in the 28th minute, a cross come shot from Lee Ure hit Gilmore`s bar. On 33, Ure seemed almost certain to score for Whitby, but his shot from 12 yards was well blocked by Paul Gilmore.

Blyth took the lead in the 39th minute, a good move involving Carl Pepper, Radigan and Robson, set Andy Martin away down the left wing, his accurate cross was headed home into the bottom left hand corner of the net by Glen Robson for his first goal since November 3rd . Blyth 1 Whitby 0.

Blyth continued to press, with Steve Stewart going on one of his runs down the left wing, crossed from the bi-line, but Whitby keeper Naisbett cut out the cross. Just before half-time Graham Pepper had a shot on target from 20 yards, but unfortunately it was straight into the arms of Naisbett. Half-time Blyth 1 Whitby 0

Whitby started the second half. After 47 minutes Robson went close, his shot going for a corner, Radigan took the corner on the left, it was headed down by Glen Robson for Skelton to poke home. 48 minutes on the clock, Blyth 2 Whitby 0.

In the 54th minute a good move with the ball down the left by Stewart, he crossed, but the ball just drifted over the bar. A minute later, good exchanges between Skelton, Innes and Carl Pepper set up Skelton, but his shot was straight at Naisbett in the Whitby goal.

Whitby pulled a goal back in the 57th minute. The ball seemed to pass the entire Blyth defence, Whitby number7 Williams from about 10 yards out couldn't believe his luck, and lashed the ball past a helpless Gilmore. Blyth 2 Whitby 1

Blyth came forward and Robson won a free kick on the edge of the Whitby area. Radigan blasted the free kick but the Whitby wall stood firm.

Paul Gilmore had to receive treatment for an injury he received during a challenge by Windross, but continued with what looked like a very sore right arm.

Robson had another good chance on 70 minutes, but fired just wide of Naisbett`s near post. A minute later, it looked as if Whitby had equalised. A good cross from ure was turned the wrong side of the post and into the side-netting by Gildea for Whitby.

John Charlton made a few changes in the 75th minute with Perry coming on for Innes and Williams coming on moments later for Skelton. Blyth continued carving out chances, but the finishing shots were straight at the Whitby keeper. Morton replaced Stewart in the 79th minute; Leadbitter also replaced Gildea for Whitby. In the 89th minute a Neil Radigan shot just dipped over the bar. That was Blyth`s last real chance. Whitby was still trying to equalise in time added on, but their attempts were all too high or too wide.

Blyth ended the game worthy winners, with the final score, Blyth 2 Whitby 1

Alty steal the points
Whitby Town 2-3 Altrincham

19th January - Unibond League Premier Division - A last gasp goal deprived the Blues of a desperately needed point today, emphasising how things go against a team struggling at the wrong end of the table. After fighting back from 0-2 down and matching their high-flying opponents for almost ninety they deserved at least a draw from the encounter on a bitterly cold & windy afternoon.

Altrincham took the lead with their first attack from a corner in only the 2nd minute when the total lack of marking allowed full back Taylor to head home the opening goal from close range. Whitby rallied well and forced several corners with Kevin Graham unlucky to see his header fly over the bar in the 11th minute but despite their good approach work, Whitby never looked threatening where it mattered, in front of goal. On the quarter-hour they went further behind when the visitors broke away & made it to the by-line. The ball was pulled back across goal where Ian Craney hooked his leg around the ball to squeeze it past Naisbett.

To their credit, Whitby kept on battling but were showing frustration with the lack of any target men up front. Lee Ure's surges up the left wing often ending with crosses into the area but no-one was there to finish them off. The only time Whitby looked threatening was from dead ball situations & they managed to pull a goal back in the 26th minute from one such position. Logan's deep corner was misjudged by the Altrincham keeper, Coburn, & it ended up in a bunch of players surging in at the far post. The ball crossed the line sure enough but who got the final touch is in doubt. Goodchild, as usual, claimed the goal but it could easily have been debutant Anderson or indeed an own goal. The goal was given, that was all that counts.
Whitby's new boy Anderson was showing some excellent touches combined with grit & determination before he was injured & replaced by Craig Veart in the 43rd minute. The Blues' most impressive player on the day as of most of the season so far, Lee Ure, went close in the 33rd minute with a long range drive that skidded past the post. The same player snatched a deserved equaliser on the stroke of half time when he pounced on a poor back pass by Taylor, rounded Coburn & managed to guide the ball into the net despite a lunging dive from Maddox.

Whitby began the second half the brighter side yet still their lack of a striker cost them dearly. Lee Ure went close once more when denied by Coburn diving at his feet but apart from that the keeper had little else to do. All Whitby's possession & approach play came to nothing time & again for the want of a forward. Altrincham came back into the game with 20 minutes remaining & only desperate defending kept the scores level. Substitute Lee Poland had two very good chances to put Alty ahead when he glanced a corner over the bar then forced a superb save from Naisbett with 9 minutes remaining. With the game looking like it would end in a welcome point for the Blues, disaster struck. The ball came down the right wing into the Blues area where it looked to be a simple task to clear it out of harm's way but as a Whitby defender, possibly Graham or Goodchild (hard to say) slipped, the ball was free to be crossed across the face of goal for Craney to poach his second goal of the game & kill off any chance of a point for Whitby.

The lack of firepower yet again cost the Blues dearly & despite having games in hand on the rest of the strugglers it's hard to see where the goals are going to come from. Jamie Burt's opening goal in Chesterfield's 2-1 win at Colchester highlights the change in fortune for the Blues but the question has to be asked... "Where do we find another Jamie Burt?"

Whitby Town - Naisbett, Williams.G, Logan, Goodchild, Dixon, Graham, Key ( Williams.I 14m) Anderson ( Veart 43m) Robinson, Ure, Dunning
Sub not used: Gildea

Seasiders plopped on by Bluebirds
Barrow 2-0 Whitby Town

12th January - Unibond League Premier Division - The Blues lost away at Barrow today. A goal in each half sealing the points for the high flyers.

In truth, Barrow never had to do much to take the points from a lacklustre Whitby side. Danny Key came closest to scoring for the Blues when his fine run and shot hit the post and rebounded into former Whitby keeper Simon Bishop's arms in the home goal. Two minutes later, Barrow took the lead through Lee Ellison.

Ellison nearly made it 2-0 before half time but his shot hit the post.

Despite a couple of Graham Rennison efforts that flew over, Barrow took a two goal cushion when Ellison again scored, firing home from 15 yards.

Whitby Town - Naisbett, Rennison, Logan, Goodchild, Dixon, Dunning, Key, Williams, Robinson, Ure, Veart - subs - Graham, Gildea, Williams.

Ure breaks Blues home duck at last!!
Whitby Town 1-0 Colwyn Bay

15th December - Unibond League Premier Division - Ask any Whitby fan this season where they thought the first home league win was going to come from & they'd have had to admit it would be easier to find Osama Bin Laden! The home performances have left so much to desire so far & for 80 minutes today the same could be said of this encounter with their Welsh visitors.

The goal was a rare opportunity for the home fans to keep warm on a cold, drizzly, bitterly cold afternoon although referee Mr Wilman & his cohorts running the touchline kept the vocal chords well exercised. Mr Wilman entered into the festive season by giving out many of his own special brand of Christmas cards, all yellow & mainly 'gifted' to the Whitby players for minor infringements.

Whitby's Mr Consistent, Lee Ure again proved to be the bright star shining in the gloom over the Turnbull by not only scoring the treasured goal but being a constant thorn in Colwyn's side. Though Lee scored the goal, Phil Naisbett deserves equal praise for keeping a clean sheet & yet again making several excellent & timely saves to make sure the three points stayed safely in Whitby.

Ure went close on 10 minutes after some good work on the right wing when he drove an angled shot that beat keeper Smith but Hogg saved his blushes by clearing the ball off his own goalline.

The visitors went closer still three minutes later when Naisbett made his first great save my parrying a shot from Williams & then again from McInogue who's follow up shot was tipped over the bar. For the rest of the first half both teams battled hard but failed to make any headway, however 3 minutes into the second period Colwyn Bay won a corner that was only cleared as far as Scheuber on the edge of the Whitby penalty area. His first time half volley was heading goalbound until the outstretched palm of Naisbett again thwarted the attack. Minutes later he foiled another raid when he again flicked a 30 yard drive from Williams to safety over his crossbar.

Dave Goodchild then had two very good chances to give the Blues the lead. In the 55th minute only a superb flying save from Smith denied him a goal after his header seemed a certain goal then ten minutes later he somehow managed to mis-hit a close range shot straight at Smith after good work from Danny Key.

With time running out and a welcome point looking the likely outcome, Whitby put together their best move of the match. Dave Logan's long throw from the left wing was backheaded by Robinson to Ure at the far post. With Smith homing in on him, he turned & hooked the ball into the net from a couple of yards out.

With time running out Colwyn Bay tried to muster a last ditch effort & almost snatched a point when Dean Williams slipped the ball into the path of his namesake Craig. The striker struck the ball well & was unlucky to see the ball cannon off the top of the crossbar.

With 4 months of the season gone it was wondered if the words "Whitby", "League", "Win" & "home" would ever be seen in the same sentence ever again but today was finally the day.... Let's hope it's the first of the many needed to get the Blues out of the relegation battle.

Whitby Town - Naisbett, Rennison ( I. Williams 73m), Logan ( Burn 88m), Goodchild, Dixon, Key, G. Williams, Veart, Robinson, Ure, White.

Sub not used: Graham

Whitby lose again.... We're now in trouble
Burscough 3-1 Whitby Town

8th December - Unibond League Premier Division - Whitby Town lost another Unibond league at home to plunge them further into the relegation mire. Full report to follow...

Spartans BOOT Blues out of Trophy
Whitby Town 1-2 Blyth Spartans

1st December - FA Trophy 2nd Round - Whitby were bundled out of the second cup competition in a week when visitors Blyth Spartans, aided and abetted by an extremely weak referee in Mr Bennett, came away with a 2-1 win at the Turnbull Ground.

It was always expected to be a physical encounter as games between the two rivals always are but some of the challenges let go without punishment were hard to believe.

The Blues started brightly & in the 2nd minute they looked to have a certain penalty when Lee Ure raced into the Spartans area only to be scythed down by Stewart but the referee waved play-on to the astonishment of the home fans.

Blyth tested Whitby keeper in the 5th minute when they counter attacked after Jamie Burt had been floored in their half of the field. This time Stewart was a danger in the Blues penalty area when he shot towards goal but Naisbett was equal to it.

The opening goal came in the 10th minute from a huge place kick from Spartans keeper Gilmore. The ball was headed out to the right wing where it was crossed back catching the home defence napping. Again it was Stewart in the right place & his first time shot gave Naisbett no chance of making the save. Blyth kept up the pressure and on the quarter hour it was Hutton's turn to test Naisbett. Yet another long goal kick was flicked into his path but the keeper saved at full stretch to keep the score down.

Whitby finally got their game together soon afterwards & in the 25th minute a Logan free kick from just outside the Blyth area was curled over the defensive wall & heading towards the top corner of the goal. Gilmore somehow managed to make a flying fingertip save to dent the Whitby skipper the equaliser. Almost straight away, the Spartans were going close once more & a long drifting cross from Stewart sailed over Naisbett but before it could cross the line, Goodchild was there to head over to concede the corner.

On 34 minutes, the visitors extended the lead in clinical fashion when 39 year old ex-Hartlepool player Paul Baker (drafted in purely for this game) latched onto an awesome crossfield ball to strike a crisp half volley past Naisbett from outside the Whitby area.
Three minutes before half time Whitby clawed their way back into the game when who else but Jamie Burt popped up to score a cracker of a goal from 18 yards when he turned to curl the ball past the stranded Gilmore.

The Blues could have levelled the scores 2 minutes into the second half but for a brave save by Gilmore. The keeper was in the right place to block a close range header from Robinson after Logan crossed from the byline. On the hour Whitby broke away through Burt who's pacy run took him to the edge of the Blyth box but then passed to Adam Marsh who's shot went straight at Gilmore.

Whitby conceded a penalty in bizarre fashion in the 75th minute when Logan facing his own goal with the ball was adjudged to somehow commit a foul on a Spartans player. Referee Bennett pointed to the spot & Robson strode up to take the kick. Naisbett guessed which way to dive & managed to smother the ball.

The second half was getting evermore physical with yellow cards being brandished casually by the referee & it came as no surprise when in the 88th minute Robson was dismissed for a dangerous lunge at Graham.

Yet another sparkling performance, especially the first half, from Jamie Burt. One wonders how much longer we can keep hold of him. Phil Naisbett too had another impressive game with no chance for him to save the 2 goals conceded.

Whitby Town - Naisbett, Rennison, Logan, Goodchild(Graham 72 min), Dixon, Robinson, Key, Williams.G (Whitby 63min), Marsh ( Allen 78 min), Burt, Ure. - Subs not used: Mohan & Anderson

10 man Plymouth too good for plucky Blues
Plymouth Argyle 3-2 Whitby Town

27th November - FA Cup 1st Round Replay - In the end Plymouth Argyle showed the gulf between the the Unibond and the top of Div 3, but not before Whitby Town had shown that they wouldn't lie down and be walked on!

Plymouth took control of the game from the first minutes when Stonebridges header went the wrong side of Phil Naisbetts post. The Third Division leaders were starting to pass Whitby into oblivion and it was no suprise when they went ahead in the 16th minute.

A one-two between Stonebridge and Bent saw Bent run clear of the Blues defence to fire into the net from the right of the area.

Whitby replied a minute later when Jamie Burt was put through down the right and his fierce left footed shot was well saved by Larrieu in the home goal.

Again the Blues came close in the 18th minute when David Logan's 30 yard free kick was juggled by the home keeper.

Whitby then struggled to come to terms with Plymouth who started to play some good football, passing, moving and finding space.

The game took a controversial twist in the 35th minute when Plymouth striker Mickey Evans was deservedly sent off for a second bookable offence, after an off the ball altercation with David Goodchild.

Argyle responded to this set back by scoring a second three minutes later. A left wing cross found the head of Hodges who laid the ball down to Stonebridge who fired home from 12 yards.

The lead was increased to three goals in the 43rd minute when a counter attack by the Devon side saw Frio put Bent through. He was stopped in his tracks by Naisbett, but unluckily the ball fell to Martin Phillips who fired the ball into the Blues net.

The second half saw Whitby show more fight and they had a couple of decent efforts on goal. Firstly Graham Williams shot drifted wide of Larrieu's post then Jamie Burt had a crack in the 55th minute but it flew well over.

Naisbett was keeping the score at the other end making fine saves from Friio and Stonebridge.

In the 70th minute, the referee, Paul Durkin, awarded a free kick to the Blues down the left hand side. The ball was swung over but headed clear by the Plymouth defence. It fell into the path of JAMIE BURT who fired the ball in from 12 yards out to give the Blues slim hope.

Two minutes later it was pandemonium as again the Argyle defence failed to clear and GRAHAM ROBINSON hammered an unstoppable shot from the edge of the area. 3-2 was the score and Whitby were back in the game!!

Despite trying hard Whitby just couldn't get that all important equaliser. The good possession that the Blues had for the remainder of the game was easily dealt with by a professional Plymouth side.

The final act of the game cam in the 87th minute when substitute Alan Anderson headed the ball onto the roof of the net after another fine Logie cross.

The whistle blew and the Whitby side were warmly applauded by the home side and their fans. An excellent crowd of 5,914 saw the game and helped to swell the cup run coffers!

The only downer seems to be the reemergence of Jamie Burt. He has impressed everyone who has watched him over these last two games and is reported to have been watched by a number of Third Division clubs, and it's reckoned that Whitby would make exactly nowt if he leaves. Typical.

Thanks ought to go to the Plymouth Argyle fans for their support for us over the past few weeks! You knew you were going to win but i like the way you were determined to make it a big banana skin!

Also a massive thank you to Peter Ridsdale and Leeds United for their immense generosity in helping Whitby Town out for this cup game, I for one will not forget this (despite being a toon fan it looks like i'll have to get my 1974 Leeds strip out!)

Whitby Town - hero's all - Naisbett, Rennison, Dixon, Goodchild, Logan, Key, Willaims, Gildea (Roy Allen? 51), Ure(Anderson 77), Burt, Robinson.

Home draw hampers Whitby
Whitby Town 2-2 Runcorn

24th November - Unibond League Premier division - The Kick off was delayed until 4pm thanks to the Runcorn coach breaking down en route to Whitby.
Just as it seemed Whitby were going to gain their first home league win of the season, a lapse in concentration saw two points fly away at the Turnbull today.

It was an awful first half performance from the Blues who could possibly have had their thoughts on Tuesday's game rather than today's equally important league game. The Plymouth game means more glory & a further cash injection but if they don't begin collecting league points soon, they could well find themselves struggling to avoid the drop in the months to come. Today's dropped points could be vital come next May.

Whitby had a golden opportunity to take a first minute lead when Jamie Burt's excellent work on the right wing created the opening for Graham Robinson. Burt's low hard cross fell invitingly for Robinson who seemed to dither for a split second allowing Winstanley to block his close range shot when it appeared he'd score. After that early scare the Runcorn keeper had the remainder of the half to be a spectator, he had so little to do.

The visitors took the lead in the 15th minute thanks again to Whitby's non-existent marking from right wing crosses. Time & again this season they've failed to close down opposing strikers and paid a heavy price. Today it was Dominic Morely who took advantage of the Blues' generosity when he found himself all alone a few yards out from goal where he nodded home a right wing cross despite Naisbett getting a full hand on the ball.

They could have increased their lead 6 minutes later when Baines ran half the length of the pitch to set up McNally with a shooting chance on the edge of the Whitby penalty area but the striker saw his shot curl the wrong side of the post. A counter attack a minute later could have brought the Whitby equaliser when Burt again sent over a pin point cross only to see Price head the ball off his own goal line as Robinson was set to pounce.

From the way Whitby began the second half, it seemed they had a "pep talk" from the manager in the dressing room as they set out a far more determined side. Runcorn until then never looked in much trouble & were by far the more organised of the two sides yet once Whitby finally got their act together, the visitors resorted to a far more physical game.

Ten minutes into the second period Whitby almost levelled the scores after a quickly taken free kick by Logan allowed Burt to race unchallenged into the Runcorn box. As he neared the goal his shot was well saved by Winstanley with an excellent save. Despite more Whitby pressure, the visitors were extremely dangerous on the breakaway. One such attack was launched with lightning pace by full back Steve Caragher who caused the Blues problems all afternoon on the right flank. He raced into the Whitby area but his shot from the narrowest of angles was well saved by Naisbett at the foot of the post.

Whitby finally achieved the breakthrough on 69 minutes with a slick 3-man move that saw Robinson feed the ball to Burt who drew Winstanley from his goal line before coolly slotting the ball into the net. The Blues at last looked threatening & applied more pressure to the visitors goal but it was Runcorn who broke clear in the 79th minute to gain a penalty. Liam
Watson managed to get into the Whitby area where Naisbett's sliding tackle brought him down to concede the penalty. Fortunately for him, the referee decided a yellow card was punishment enough & he survived to continue in goal. Watson took the responsibility of taking the spot kick but it was Naisbett who guessed correctly & saved the kick when he dived to his left. The keeper's quick thinking set up a Whitby counter attack & but for the superb reactions of Winstanley, Burt would have had a second goal.

With 6 minutes remaining Whitby won a corner taken by Logan. His long kick to the far post was headed back by Goodchild into the crowded area where it appeared Adam Marsh stuck out a leg to usher the ball into the net to give Whitby a much needed lead. With the Blues still in the throes of ecstasy, Runcorn resumed the game & surged straight at the Whitby goal where Chris Price struck from the edge of the box. His dipping drive beat Naisbett & dropped beneath the crossbar to level the scores at 2-2. Whitby could even have lost the game in the last minutes when a poor defensive header by Logan dropped nicely for Price but his shot flew over the bar much to Whitby's relief.

Whitby Town - Naisbett, Rennison, Logan, Goodchild, Dixon, Williams.G, Robinson, Key(Ure 45m), Marsh.A (Adam on load from Darlington. (Debut)), Burt, Gildea(White 35 min). - Subs;
Ure, White, (Karl from Peterlee Newtown Debut on Tues Vs Farsley Celtic), Graham.

Blues lose in cheesy cup
Whitby Town 0-2 Farsley Celtic
20th November - Unibond League Cup - We lost again at home, this time in the Unibond League cup that Harry doesn't seem too bothered about. We have currently lost 2 and drawn 1 in this competition and are due to play one more game against Bradford Park Avenue at their place sometime. Like we really care about it now. Don't know what the team was as i wasn't there, i'm back in Israel again - craig

Super Seasiders denied a shock!
Whitby Town 1-1 Plymouth Argyle

17th November - FA Cup 1st round - by Bri Murfield, What an occasion! A ground almost filled to capacity, a carnival atmosphere, cameras from National TV and newspapers and a game to grace any event. Today's FA Cup tie had it all.
On paper Plymouth should have been far too powerful as they were all professionals & sitting proudly at the top of Division Three. On paper they should have had skill in abundance with some to spare against a team with a poor home record & two divisions below them. Whitby don't play on paper, they play on grass.... lumpy, bumpy grass with a tight pitch surrounded by baying fans all intent on giving as much support as they can. For 71 minutes they had the biggest upset of the round in their sights but by the end of the game it was all square which on reflection was about right.

Whitby began the game in nervous fashion with their opponents stroking the ball around & finding players with consummate ease. Everything at the start was going according to the script yet as the game progressed, Whitby settled down & realised
that they were playing 11 men on *their* pitch with *their* fans urging them on. Plymouth could easily have taken the lead ion the very first minute when a beautiful passing move ended with Friio one on one with Whitby keeper Naisbett but with the goal at his mercy he rolled the ball past the far post. This served as a warning & the Blues rapidly closed ranks to block further holes. Naisbett made the first of many fine saves on 12 minutes when a long crossfield ball found Phillips in space. He jinked past 2 defenders before his shot was tipped over by the keeper.
Whitby's first attack on goal came 4 minutes later when a good four-man move ended with Robinson's shot being blocked by the long legs of Carrieu in the Pilgrims' goal.

The first half play was even yet the better chances had all gone to the visitors. One of those chances went begging on 32 minutes when Evans had a point blank header punched away for a corner by Naisbett. From Coughlan's corner, skipper Wotton headed just over the bar.

The Whitby goal came on 42 minutes & came from a good piece of refereeing from Premier League ref' Neil Barry. Friio skipped past Goodchild but dived dramatically in front of the ref who promptly booked him. From the quickly taken free kick, Whitby broke upfield, crossed through the crowded goalmouth where Alex Gidea was ready to pounce at the far post to blast the ball high into the Plymouth goal from close range sending the home fans delirious with excitement.

The second half began just the way everyone thought with the away side intent on upping the pressure to save face & stay in the competition. Only resolute defending & some marvellous saves from Naisbett kept the Pilgrims at bay as long as they did. On 51 minutes a long goal kick from Carrieu was knocked on by Phillips to Stonebridge who's shot was blocked by Naibett. The rebound was hammered goalwards through a group of players but cannoned against the Whitby post & away to safety. Five minutes later Whitby had another let-off when Beswetherick tricked 2 Blues defenders before shooting towards the goal. His deflected shot looped over the keeper but bounced off the top of the crossbar. By now Plymouth were pouring forward & for Whitby it was "backs to the wall" time. On 68 minutes Evans headed wide from close range then a minute later the ball was back in the Plymouth half where Beswetherick seemed to be under no pressure to knock the ball back to his keeper. However the pitch played it's part & he wildly mis-hit the ball back to Carrieu. With the ball heading over the keeper's head into the goal he did well to palm it away yet the referee gave no free kick. A strange decision indeed.

That could well have been the turning point as 3 minutes later the away team levelled the scores. Beswetherick's shot from Stonebridge's pass was kept out by Naisbett's legs but the rebound was greedily snapped up by Phillips who hammered home to save his team's blushes.

With the minutes fast ticking away, all Whitby could hope for was to hold on for the replay and another pay-day. With 10 minutes left they could have been out of the competition when Hodges header found the grateful arms of Naisbett in the right place at the right time.

Graham Williams had a last gasp pot at goal in the dying minutes but his effort sailed over the bar.

All in all an excellent display from the Blues with another chance to upset the high-flying Pilgrims on the 27th.

Each player today was a hero for the Town but Burt, Ure & Rennison shone through.

Well done lads!!

Whitby Town

Naisbett, Rennison, Logan, Goodchild, Dixon, Gildea (Veart 72),Williams.I, Williams.G, Robinson, Burt (Key 88), Ure (Ingram 90)

Subs not used Graham & Mohan

From the Plymouth Argyle web site - Argyle Get Out Of Jail

Buster Phillip’s vital strike on 72 minutes kept Argyle’s cup hopes alive in a difficult tie at Whitby Town.

Gildair’s 42nd minute goal had given the Unibond side the lead and made it an up hill battle for the Pilgrims as the second half saw the home team encamp within their area and Argyle dominate possession hitting the post and bar before eventually gaining the breakthrough.

Whitby put up a spunky performance and made the first quarter very nervy for Argyle. Twice they achieved a breakthrough only to be denied by Larrieu. Argyle rocked and made little headway

As the 20 minutes turned though Argyle began to play more measured football and hence gained more opportunities to score. Shots from Adams and Friio went wide and Evans and Stonebridge threatened with headers.

David Friio looked to have nutmegged his opponent but then was adjudged to have dived as he broke free. A scuffle ensued as Whitby were awarded a free kick and Friio was cautioned.

The ball was sent forward down the left and the player sent in a low cross past Wotton. Gildair met the ball perfectly to hammer into the roof of the net.

With only minutes until the break Argyle twice went close in an effort to level, Adams twice went close,

The second half saw two good efforts by Whitby, both blocked and then Argyle took over.

Phillips weaved his magic on the right and played the ball into Stonebridge, who only had the keeper to beat, he hit the keeper! The ball rebounded to Adams who drove low and hard but saw his shot come of the foot of the post.

Minutes later Beswetherick jinked into the area and shot, it took a deflection and hit the bar, going behind for a corner.

It looked as if it wasn’t going to be Argyle’s day.

They kept on going and eventually got their reward when an excellent run from Beswetherick again saw the left back drive hard and low from the left. His shot was saved but sprang back into the area where Phillips drove home.

Argyle continued to dominate but never really got a clear cut chance again and all their industry came to naught.

There was a danger that Argyle could be caught on the break but generally they battled out in defence when pressed. They did seem the more likely to score but Whitby held on and deserved their day of glory.

The replay will be at Home Park on November 27th.

Great stuff from Blues gives Cup a booster
Marine 0-3 Whitby Town

10th November - Unibond Premier Division -
Whitby travelled across the Pennines once again this weekend for a Unibond Premier division clash with Merseysiders Marine. The Mariners have been having a tough time of this season just like Whitby, so it was a good chance for the Seasiders to snatch a moral boosting away win before next weeks cup clash with Plymouth. And did they get it!

It all started for the Blues on 15 minutes when a mistake in the Marine defence let Lee Ure run on goal. The Blues striker finished immaculately to give Whitby a 1-0 lead.

Marine had a couple of decent efforts saved well by Phil Naisbett in the Blues goal and then went two up after 24 minutes.

Playing on the counter attack, Whitby broke upfield after a successfully defending a Marine corner and Graeme Wiliams tapped the ball home.

Whitby were the better side in the second half and had chances to increase their lead but had to wait until the fianl minute when Jock got his second of the match with a 25 yard screamer!.

The Blues gained another valuable three points away from home, and it makes you wonder how well we'd be doing if we'd only got 3 wins form our home games instead of one draw!

All eyes are on next weeks FA Cup tie with Plymouth Argyle, and the Blues will be hoping that Richard Dunning and Craig Veart are fit to take their places at the heart of Whitby's midfield.

Whitby Town - Naisbett, G.Williams, Logan, Goodchild, Dixon, Rennison, I.Williams, Key, Burt, Ure, Gildea. Subs - Ingram, Graham, Mohan.

Blues through
Whitby Town 2-0 Stocksbridge Park Steels

6th November - FA Trophy 1st Round Replay - After Saturday's disappointing draw away at Stocksbridge, Whitby welcomed the struggling division one outfit to the Turnbull ground.

The Blues won the game through Graeme Williams and Jamie Burt goals, and also had many chances to extend their lead.

sorry about this reprt as well! an improvement will follow!

WHITBY TOWN - 1 Phil Naisbett.2 Ian Williams.3 David Logan.4 David Goodchild.5 Ben Dixon.6 Graham Rennison.7 Graeme Williams.8 Danny Key.9 Graham Robinson.10 Lee Ure.11 Jamie Burt.
Subs used Stuart Ingram on for Key. Alan Anderson on for Ure.

Blues blow it
Stocksbridge Park Steels 1-1 Whitby Town

3rd November - FA Trophy 1st Round - Whitby travelled to south yorkshire for their trophy tie today and left with a 1-1 draw after taking the lead through Lee Ure in the 55th minute. The steels equalised two minutes later.
Replay on Tuesday. Bad news for Whitby was the injurys to both Richard Dunning and Craig Veart.Sorry about the report!

Gainsborough Travesty
Gainsborough Trinity 2-0 Whitby Town

30th October - Unibond Premier Division - Whitby travelled to Lincolnshire for tonight Unibond league encounter with Gainsborough Trinity looking to exact some revenge for a 4-0 drubbing at the Turnbull a couple of weeks back.

Whitby started the game with Lee Ure on the bench and Jamie Burt up front. Gainsborough looked to play some neat football on lovely surface, but were matched by Whitby blow for blow. The Seasiders had a good opportunity when Burt couldn't connect with a header at the far post and Richard Dunning shot just over from 20 yards out.

Trinity took the lead on 22 minutes with a stunning free kick from 25 yards out after their striker had taken a lovely dive.

They also managed to squandered a one on one with Naisbett in the Whitby goal just before half time.

Whitby looked comfortable in the second half and had three or four opportunities to equalise. The first time the ball was heading for the top corner from the Impressive Craig Veart, the second was an unbelievablly lucky goal line clearance, the third Burt got in the way of a Goal bound effort.

Typically Trinity went up the other end and scored in the 75th minute. A corner found the head of the number 4 in the box and his header looped over Naisbett.

Naisbett had earlier made two outstanding saves from Trinty efforts.

The whistle blew and Whitby had lost again. But they deserved somethiing for their efforts.

Whitby Town - Naisbett, G.Williams, Logan, Goodchild, Rennison, I.Williams, Veart, Dunning, Robinson, Burt, Gildea - Subs. Ure, Key.

Oh yes! Oh yes! Away Lads!
Whitby Town 3-1 Scarborough

27th October - FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round - They did it!! The dream tie all Whitby fans wanted took place & kicked off
15 minutes late due to crowd congestion but the wait was well worth it in
the end as 1862 fans roared their teams on at the Turnbull Ground. The Blues
had a rude awakening after 8 minutes but once they levelled the scores they
were every bit as good & mostly better than their Conference League
visitors.

The game was played at breakneck pace throughout with no quarter given by
either side.

Scarborough took an early lead to send their fans wild on 8 minutes when
Blunt's cross was met by the unmarked Darryn Stamp at the far post who rose
to nod home the opener. To their credit, Whitby battled back defiantly & it
wasn't long before they were back on level terms. Man-of-the-match Lee Ure
broke free down the left flank where he tortured the Scarborough defenders
all afternoon until he left the field injured ate on 81 minutes. His
crossfield ball dropped nicely to Ian Williams at the far right corner of
the visitors penalty area. With a defender closing in on him, the Whitby
midfielder's shot deflected off a boot & looped over Woods into the back of
the net.

From then on it was Whitby who proved the more dangerous of the two teams
with Scarborough struggling to put any good football together. Goodchild
went close three minutes later when Logan's corner kick went over Woods' but
the defender's header skimmed over the bar. On the half hour, an Ian
Williams breakaway was thwarted by a brave diving save at the Whitby
player's feet to stop them taking the lead. Woods was again brought into
action just before the break when he did well to save a long range shot from
Dunning who's shot was sneaking into the bottom corner.

Straight from the restart, Whitby continued to push forward & the home fans
thought they'd taken the lead in the 46th minute when Goodchild again went
close from Logan's free kick. The 57th minute saw Whitby take the lead they
deserved when Lee Ure again broke the Scarborough fans hearts as he raced
down the left flank, drew the keeper out of his goal before coolly slotting
the ball home to send the Whitby fans into rapture!

Realising the trouble they were facing, Scarborough tried pressing forward
more but time & again the Blues defence swallowed up any pressure to
threaten their lead. With 5 minutes of normal time remaining Scarborough
should have made it 2-2. Substitute Fitzsimmons was guilty of a dreadful
miss from only 10 yards out with just Naisbett to beat but to his horror &

Whitby fans' jubilation, he shot well wide of the target.
Scarborough continued to throw everything they could at the Blues defence in
sheer desperation towards the end & had some assistance from referee Mr
Bannister who somehow managed to allot an extra 10 minutes to the game. In
the 9th of those 10 minutes, Naisbett became the hero with a superb reflex
save from a close range header to concede a late corner. Scarborough keeper
Woods even ran up to act as an extra forward but it was all in vein as
Whitby cleared the ball leaving the Scarborough goal exposed. The ball was
drifted out to the right wing where Whitby substitute & ex-Scarborough
player Jamie Burt collected it, ran into their half and slid the ball into
the goal to make the final score 3-1 to Whitby.

The good aspects of the game were Whitby's display after the early set
back... the 1862 crowd.... & at the end of the game there didn't appear to
be any trouble from either set of supporters. All fans were a credit to
their respective clubs.
The reward for Whitby was a winners cheque of £20,000 & a home tie against
current leaders of the Third Division, Plymouth Argyle during the weekend of
November 17th - 18th.

Away boost for Blues
Droylsden 2-3 Whitby Town

20th October - Unibond Premier Division -The Blues travelled to the Manchester suburb of Droylsden for today's Unibond League game.

It was the home side who took the lead through Holmes in the 10th minute. Holmes ten extended Droylsden's lead in th 37th minute. Whitby managed to hit back on the stroke of half time when Ben Dixon scored his 2nd goal of the season.

The Blues had to wait until the 83rd minute when Graham Robinson score to level things, and four minutes later the Three points were heading back across the pennines when Lee Ure slotted home. A great win for Whitby in Manchester again! Now it's Scarbrough next week in the Cup. And how did they get on this weekend? Lost 6-0 at Hereford to send them to the bottom of the Conference!!

More home agony for sorry Whitby
Whitby Town 0-4 Gainsborough Trinity

16th October - Unibond Premier Division - Scarborough 'spy' Ray McHale must have left the Turnbull in fits of laughter & already counting the £20,000 prize money from the FA Cup 4th Q Rd on October 27th after this abysmal display by Whitby. Totally out-played, out-thought & out-run, the well organised visitors strolled through to take all 3 points with their keeper not forced into making a save until the 59th minute by which time the game was well & truly over.
Gainsborough took the lead in the 32nd minute when Gore took the ball to the edge of the area before passing square to Watts who calmly shot home into the corner of the net. Two minutes later they doubled their lead when Lee Ellington unleashed an unstoppable shot from all of 25 yards past the despairing Whitby keeper. They should have made it 3-0 minutes later when McNamara only had the keeper to beat but his lobbed shot pooped just over the bar.
Within seconds of the second half beginning, the third goal came in farcical manner when Mohan & Liddle got into a tangle with each other allowing the ball to roll loose into the path of McNamara who this time made no mistake by tapping the ball into the empty goal. The fourth goal came a minute later when McNamara headed the ball against the crossbar but Ellington was on hand to slot home the rebound.
Looking totally bereft of any ideas whatsoever, Whitby failed to bother the Trinity defence during the game, with the central pairing of Allison & Gore mopping up everything thrown at them. With two games to go before the FA Cup tie, Harry Dunn has his work cut out to knock the Blues into some sort of fighting outfit or else only humiliation will follow at the hands of our fiercest rivals.

Whitby Town- Mohan, Rennison (Burt 45m), Veart, Goodchild, Dixon, Liddle, Williams G, Dunning, Ingram, Ure (Williams I), Robinson.
Sub not used: Gildea

Ten Man Blues storm through
Whitby Town 3-0 Spennymoor United

13th October - FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round - Whitby marched through to the 4th Qualifying round of the FA Cup in confident fashion at the Turnbull Ground in a game that had virtually everything. After taking the lead midway through the first half after the visitors had gone close on several occasions, Whitby left it until the closing minutes to finally dispatch Spennymoor.

The closing 15 minutes were fraught with tension after Stuart Ingram was sent off for a two-footed challenge on Beasley but the 10 men battled hard to ensure the win & £10,000 prize for progressing in the competition.

The opening 25 minutes began at a breathtaking pace with both sides going close to scoring. On 8 minutes Dave Goodchild's diving header from a Logan free kick was saved at full stretch by former Blues keeper Stuart Dawson. Ten minutes later the Moors should have taken the lead when Kasonali's free kick was flicked only inches past the Whitby post by Beasley. Soon afterwards they went close again when Steve Pickering's angled drive flew wide. Whitby opened their account on 25 minutes when Ian Williams' low drive from the corner of the box was only parried by Dawson. The ball was loose & fell into the path of Stuart Ingram to side foot it into the goal. Ten minutes later Dawson pulled off a superb save from Liddle's close range back header to keep his side in the game with an acrobatic save tipping the ball over the crossbar. Suddick almost levelled the scores just before half time but Mohan in the Whitby goal was equal to his effort.

The second half saw Whitby increase their hold on the game though the visitors still proved a threat when they broke away & could easilly have scored an equaliser. With tackles becomming evermore dangerous & tempers fraying by the second, it was just a matter of time before something happened & in the 75th minute a late diving lunge from goalscorer Ingram resulted in him being sent off by referee Cooper. Had the official shown greater control in the first half, the game may not have fallen into the state it did but that's beside the point.

In the 79th minute, Williams broke away down the centre of the field catching the Moors defence flat-footed. His pass into the path of Ure should have been rewarded with a goal but Dawson managed to keep his composure & save at the striker's feet. The killer goal came in the 84th minute when Dawson marred an otherwise excellent display. The race was on between him & Ure to clear a long ball out of the Whitby defence & the keeper won. His effort to clear the ball resulted in him missing it totally, allowing Ure the simple task of running through to tap the ball into the empty goal. A minute later & it was 3-0. Substitute Jamie Burt on his home debut found himself unmarked at the edge of the 6 yard box & drew Dawson towards him before curling the ball into the far corner of the net.

As if 2 goals in the dying minutes wasn't drama enough, there was more to follow in the 89th minute when play was suspended while a STREAKER ran onto the pitch. Resembling "Mr Blobby", the man can be assumed to have been a frustrated Spennymoor fan as he ran onto the field from their fans. Wherever he came from, he was eventually ejected from the ground after a brief struggle with the stewards & the cheers of the fans. Should this become a regular event, perhaps the female fans in the ground would like to participate? Applications on a postcard to......................

Whitby Town-
Mohan, Rennison, Logan ( Veart 81 m), Goodchild, Dixon, Liddle, Williams.G, Dunning (Burt 82 m), Ingram, Ure, Robinson.
Subs not used : Gildea, Wiiliams,I. Naisbett

First League Cup point
Harrogate Town 1-1 Whitby Town
10th September - Unibond League Cup - We drew at Harrogate. Great.

It's there! We win at home!

Whitby Town 5-2 Ramsbottom United
30th September - FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round -Whitby finally had their first home win of the 2001-2002 season against Ramsbottom United in the FA Cup today. Despite racing to a 4-0 lead just after the interval, Whitby almost managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory when they let the visitors back into the game with two goals in six nervous minutes.

As Ramsbottom were effective two leagues below Whitby it was expected to be a home victory, however on present form there was always the possibility of a shock.

The visitors began the brighter side with Yorke-Robinson heading narrowly wide after 10 minutes. They could even have taken the lead after 32 minutes when a mix up in the Whitby defence saw Rennison hack the ball off the line at the last second. A minute later the striker went close yet again as his long range drive was deflected inches past the Whitby post.

Whitby finally got their act together in the 36th minute when Logan's corner kick eventually found it's way to Richard Dunning prowling around the edge of the area. His quick thinking & deft chip left Ramsbottom's keeper Neilis rooted to the spot as the ball nestled just beneath the crossbar to give the Blues the lead. Whitby increased their lead a minute before the interval with an excellent move starting with Logan's defence-splitting pass to Ian Williams. He reached the by-line before crossing low into the area where Lee Ure thumped home the ball from close range.

No sooner had the second half begun & Whitby were 3-0 up after Logan's corner was met at the near post by Rennison who's glancing header squeezed into the goal to cap a fine performance from the defender.

Richard Dunning scored his second goal on 64 minutes when he intercepted a poor clearance from Neilis. He collected the ball, strode into the area & slotted it into the goal from an acute angle. At 4-0 up, Whitby were cruising & it appeared a forgone conclusion that they'd wrap up the game with even more goals... Ramsbottom had other ideas & did well to fight back with two goals in six minutes to give their hosts a scare. First O'Shaunessy managed to prod home their first goal on 69 minutes after a scramble in the Whitby area, then a mistake by Graham Williams missing the ball completely allowed Yorke-Robinson the chance to skip past him & hammer the ball past Mohan.

It took a while for the Blues to settle their nerves and it wasn't until the last minute when Lee Ure scored his second goal before Whitby were assured victory. He latched onto the ball inside the Ramsbottom area, drew the keeper out before calmly sliding the ball under him into the goal from close range

Whitby Town

Mohan, Dawson, Logan, Liddle, Rennison, Williams.G, Dunning, Veart, Goodchild, Ure, Williams.I.
Subs: Key (Veart 33m), Graham ( Goodchild 55m) Haddon ( Dawson 77m) Gildea & Naisbett not used.

Even Guiseley Win at the Turnbull!
Whitby Town 1-2 Guiseley
25th September - Whitby played Guiseley last night in the much maligned Unibond League cup. Played in a group format, with the top teams progressing to the next rounds, the cup has come in for much critisism from managers and fans alike.

This season, the Blues are playing in a Yorkshire section, as opposed to an ex-Northern League section. The visitors tonight were Guiseley, relegated to Division One two seasons ago.

Whitby took the lead as early as the 4th minute through Lee Ure, but our West Yorkshire rivals pulled the rabbit out of the hat with two goals to leave the sorry seasiders still looking for their first home win of the season, and giving a boost to Saturdays FA Cup visitors, Ramsbottom United.

Whitby Town - Mohan, Dawson, Williams.I (Captain), Liddle, Rennison, Dunning, Jones, Key, Sankey, Ure, Gildear, Subs: Goodchild, Williams.G, Haddon.

It's a WIN!!! AT LAST!!
Accrington Stanley 2-3 Whitby Town
22nd September - Unibond Premier Division - Whitby Town travelled across the pennines to take on a resurgent Accrington Stanley. And believe it or not we WON!! Two up at half time through new signing Dunning and Ian Williams. Report to follow when I can find one as i'm back in Israel.....

Here's a report from the Accrington Stanley Website, written by Mr Rob (Sorry for the daylight robbery!). Hope you enjoy it
Stanley's mixed run of results continued today as they lost 2-3 at the hands
of league strugglers Whitby Town. The Reds started the game well and looked
impressive with Paul Mullin almost giving Stanley an early lead in the
second minute. Unfortunately it was the visitors that scored the first goal,
a momentary lapse allowed Richard Dunning to evade the Stanley defence and
easily slot the ball past Jamie Speare after only ten minutes. Three minutes
later Whitby doubled thier lead when Ian Williams hit a shot that caught a
wicked deflection and left Jamie Speare rooted to the spot as it hit the
back of the net.

Stanley were forced to play the ball forward in the air

Whitby were clearly happy with an unexpected two goal lead and then set
about defending it by wasting time at every opportunity, despite the fact
that there were seventy seven minutes left to play! Every goal kick was
taken from the furthest corner of the goal area, every throw in took the
best part of a minute to take and the visitors players went down needing
attention from the physio at least once every five minutes. Stanley did not
allow thier heads to drop and continued to push forward, however Whitby were
now defending in numbers and the Reds had to resort to playing long balls
into the box in order to create chances. Paul Mullin saw a goalbound header
cleared by a defender on 18 minutes and Lutel James followed a great run
with an accurate cross that captain Jay Flannery could only head straight
into the arms of the Whitby goalkeeper in the 25th minute.

Stanley struggle to cut through the packed Whitby defence

The Reds came out attacking again in the second half with Paul Mullin
heading inches wide within a few minutes of the restart. Stanley hopes were
dashed six minute}