Whitby Town FC - The Seasiders

Season 2002/03

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

Burscough 0-2 Whitby Town

21st April - Unibond Premier - Whitby secured their third successive away win in dynamic fashion at Burscough on Easter Monday. The visitors were under strength but even the might of Shaun Teale and co would have struggled against the crisp passing display the Seasiders put on. Victory Saturday will all but guarantee a record equalling seventh place finish for Harry Dunn’s boys.
The Blues were without the injured Michael Laws and Aron Wilford, with Alex Gildea suspended and Martin Reed unavailable. Craig Skelton made another return to the side, with skipper Graham Robinson also back after missing out on Saturday.
Burscough were missing the injured Shaun Teale, who may miss out on his fairytale Trophy final at Villa Park.
Whitby were almost in the lead in the first minute when Mark Swales struck the crossbar. Two minutes later, the hosts should have done better but after a period of head tennis, McHale headed over the top from close range.
Burscough forced a few corners early on but Campbell and his makeshift defence were always in control. And they reinforced this on 23 minutes when a superb Skelton run left Bluck on his backside and gave the Whitby striker time to square for Robinson to tap home from point blank range for 1-0.
Three minutes later, the Blues really got into their stride. A beautiful passing move started right from their own goal line saw Robinson fire home clinically from the edge of the box low into the bottom right corner of Maguire’s net.
Whitby were putting on some exhibition football now with the sort of movement that terrifies defences. On 37 minutes, Robinson’s flick on was just gathered by Maguire as Skelton prepared to pull the trigger.
Seven minutes later, Dunning’s superbly weighted through ball released Skelton whose goalbound finish past Maguire was somehow cleared off the line by Bowen.
The Whitby supporters coach needed a fresh tyre after a sustaining puncture during the long Bank Holiday trip, however, the wheels certainly weren’t coming off on the pitch. Three minutes into the second half, Lee Ure drilled a ferocious 25 yard drive into the side netting as the Seasiders threatened to run riot.
The Linnets introduced Hyland and McAvley but despite several efforts, failed to trouble Campbell and a very well organised rearguard. On 70 minutes, a long ball freed Hyland but the youngster’s tame attempted lob fell well short and Campbell collected easily.
Whitby should have extended their lead on 80 minutes when Mark Swales right wing cross was headed inches wide by the unmarked Ben Dixon. Four minutes later, Tom Reid’s unexpected 30 yard lob landed just past Maguire’s far post.
In the slightly unnerving four minutes injury time, McAvley fired over when well place as the men in Green seemed resigned to their fate.
In the end, Whitby got their reward for some superb passing play, they appeared full of confidence with stars all over the pitch. Skelton did especially well considering his all too infrequent appearances for the club. Williams, Robinson and Swales were also outstanding.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Williams, Dixon, S Swales, M Swales, Robinson, Skelton, Ure, Veart. Subs not used: Windross, D Gildea, Lowe.

Whitby Town 2-3 Lancaster City

19th April - Unibond Premier - With a two goal interval lead, playing good football and working as a unit, Whitby & the fans were looking forward to more of the same in the second half. Until centre back Laws left the field injured with a suspected broken hand, the Blues never looked under threat but a final flurry in the last 15 minutes took all three points back over to Lancaster in angry end to the game.
Whitby started the game in confident mood after the midweek win against Gateshead but had a wake-up call on 11 minutes when a left wing cross was met with a header from Mercer that struck the underside of the bar & dropped into Campbell's hands. Ten minutes later the opposite crossbar was duly rattled after a patient build up by Whitby resulted in Ure's pass to Wilford being thumped against the bar before being headed clear by Fensome.
Continued pressure paid off in the 23rd minute when Mark Swales crossed from the right wing to the middle of the area. Wilford hung in the air for what seemed ages before heading goalwards only to be blocked by keeper Thornley. The loose ball bobbled free but Lee Ure was in a good position to pounce & slot the ball inside the post to make it 1-0.
Four minutes before the break Wilford again caused the Lancastrians problems when he curled a shot from the edge of the area towards the corner of the goal. Thornley did well to dive full length across his goal to get a hand on it but Mark Swales was on hand to side foot the ball home to double the lead. It was just reward for Swales who had worked hard & created some good opportunities for his team mates.
The Blues began the second half well, restricting the visitors to the occasional push upfield but never looked unduly troubled. In one such attack Sewell almost caught Campbell napping when his snap shot from 30 yards fizzed inches wide of the post.
On the hour, Laws was involved in a tackle which seemed innocuous enough but after treatment on the field had to be replaced by Martin Reed. Twenty minutes passed & the comfortable lead was reduced to a single goal when Lancaster were awarded a free kick out on the left flank. Michael Yates stepped up to take the kick & floated the ball deep into the Whitby penalty area. Players went towards the ball & it evaded all of them before nestling into the far corner of the goal though there may have been a slight touch on the way in.
With the clock ticking down & only a minute of normal time remaining, Lancaster were on level terms. A cross from the left wing dropped perfectly for left back Haddon to nod the ball home completely unchallenged. The irony being that having already been booked earlier he must have regarded himself extremely fortunate to still have been on the field after one or two incidents prior to the goal.
Three minutes into time added on by referee Hughes, the points were snatched from Whitby's grasp by centre forward Jimmy Love when again unmarked he sneaked in to score at the death.
After such a positive first half the result was particularly disappointing and extended the Blues run since a last home league win back to eight games. The last league victory at the Turnbull being the 5-2 win against Droylsden on January 11th.
Whitby Town - Campbell. Reid, Dunning, Laws (sub Reed 59m), Dixon, Williams, Swales.M, Swales.S, Wilford, Ure, Veart. Subs not used: Lowe, Windross.

Gateshead 1-3 Whitby Town

16th April - Unibond Premier - Until I get anything else read this from the excellent www.gatesheadfc.co.uk website.
Graham Robinson came back to face Gateshead as Whitby's captain and put a damper on the Tynesiders spirits leading his team to victory after going behind in the first half.
To be fair Gateshead never really looked like they wanted to play this game and if it wasn't for the good saves by Graeme Waind they would have been three nil down after 23 minutes.
On 15 minutes another former Tynesider, Craig Veart, took a corner from the right which found Ben Dixon who shot forcing Waind to make his first save palming the ball over the bar from low down.
Another corner, taken from the other side by Veart on 19 minutes saw the Whitby captain head towards goal himself and Kenny Cramman had to clear off the line.
On 22 minutes Gateshead came into the game for the first time as Michael Chilton broke free in the box and curved a shot to Dave Colvin who could do no better than to pass to Michael Dickinson who was unlucky to shoot wide.
A minute later and Aaron Wilford, Whitby's top scorer was put through one on one with Waind who made a huge save with his legs.
On 28 minutes Gateshead got a fairly undeserved but joyful goal. After 47 appearances Steve Harrison finally scored a well-deserved goal deceiving yet another former Tynesider, Dave Campbell by making him dive 5 seconds before the ball trickled past him and into the net.
On 32 minutes Gateshead were unlucky not to take a two-goal lead. Gareth McAlindon surprised everyone by swinging a corner against the crossbar, which was scrambled clear.
However Whitby stayed alive and on 40 minutes a long run by Lee Ure finally saw him reach the ball and cross in to Wilford who shot at close range but blasted over.
The killer goal before half time came into existence on 43 minutes as Wilford found the net lobbing over Waind.
In injury time Robinson almost ruined Derek Bell and Harry Dunn's half time talk by heading towards goal from a free kick taken by Dixon but Waind caught easily.
In the second half Whitby didn't hang around for Gateshead to catch up and on 48 minutes Ure had a shot saved by Waind with a good flick to carry the ball up and over the bar.
On 52 minutes Gateshead held their heads in their hands as referee Curry made his only mistake of the match by not seeing the clear hand ball which led to Whitby's second and winning goal. Dixon held the ball and quickly let it drop to the ground before playing out to the right for Mark Swales to cross Ure who headed the ball over Waind.
Gateshead hit the crossbar for a second time on 53 minutes as a McAlindon cross was met by the volley of Michael Chilton, which rose up, hit the bar and went out of play.
It was game over on 75 minutes as Michael Laws put the ball in the net from a Veart corner from the left.
Whitby Town - Dave Campbell, Thomas Reid, Richard Dunning, Michael Laws, Ben Dixon, Steve Swales, Mark Swales, Graham Robinson, Aaron Wilford, Lee Ure, Craig Veart. Subs Not Used: Daniel Lowe, Andrew Windross, Martin Reed.

Whitby Town 0-1 Worksop Town

12th April - Unibond Premier - The game was preceded by a minute's silence for the passing of club stalwart Geoff Swales with both teams & the club Committee in the centre circle.
On a day where the fans possibly weren't too concerned about the result after the tragic events of the week that had passed, the game itself was as sombre as the atmosphere. Neither team impressed nor took hold of the game, play was scrappy & fragmented throughout with chances very few and far between. It was always going to be decided by a single goal but how sad it had to come from a handling error rather than some inspirational play.
Worksop, resurgent after the appointment of their new manager, were first to show any menace when Darren Roberts glanced his header just over the bar in the 5th minute of play. A lively opening but alas that was all they had to show for the remainder of the half by way of attacking play. Whitby were no better though with their best chance coming on 16 minutes. Craig Veart's outswinging free kick from the right was met with a sweet header from Laws but Tigers' keeper Dave McCarthy brought off an acrobatic save to flip the ball over the crossbar.
With the interval only 3 minutes away the visitors were given the lead. An innocuous right wing cross was swung to the far post where Campbell rose to pluck the ball out of the air. Unfortunately for the Blues the ball squirmed from his grasp to drop behind him where Mark Barnard nodded the ball goalwards. Despite a brave attempt to clear by Williams, the ball was in the back of the net to give the Tigers what turned out to be the winning goal.
Whitby rallied as the half time whistle was about to blow & Graham Robinson went close with a glancing header from Steve Swales' cross but was a foot off target.
It was hoped & expected by the home fans that the Blues would step up the tempo in search of goals during the second half but they were soon to realise it was to be more of the same, possibly even less of a threat than the first 45 minutes. During the first period Whitby looked quite good passing the ball around & moving into good positions even if the final ball was lacking. Tactics seemed to change for the second half with them relying more on the long ball over the top which against central defenders who towered over Lee Ure and co. This as expected wasn't too successful.
Worksop made a couple of attempts on the Whitby goal during the half, notably from Darren Roberts, but nothing was on target.
Whitby perked up a little when Danny Lowe entered the fray out on the right flank but that wasn't enough to spark a revival & grab a goal.
This is the seventh home game without a win & three in a row where we've not troubled the visiting keeper. We have to look back to January 11th for the last home league win & as a result the Blues are slipping down into mid-table obscurity.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Williams, Swales.S, Swales.M, Robinson, Wilford (sub Lowe 61) Ure, Veart (sub Reed 77) Sub not used: Gildea,D

Whitby Town 0-3 Accrington Stanley

6th April - Unibond Premier - Playing a fixture on a Sunday certainly didn't agree with Whitby as champions-elect Accrington gave them a lesson in finishing in front of their highest home attendance of the season. A high proportion of the crowd were made up of happy Accrington fans, some who'd been in town most of the day sampling the various ales but were very good humoured at the game.
The first half was a fairly even affair however the second period saw the visitors turn on style with some neat play & clinical finishing. Whitby by contrast failed to trouble Jamie Spear the entire match.
Accrington made their intentions clear in the first minute when danger man Lutel James made space for himself to turn & stroke the ball just over Campbell's crossbar from 20 yards. It took time for the Blues to settle into their stride with the busy visitors organisation proving difficult to cope with. With 15 minutes gone Whitby almost went a goal down when they conceded a free kick on the edge of the penalty area. Before they had chance to form a defensive wall Andy Gouck thumped the ball towards Campbell's right hand corner but the keeper pulled out a top drawer save to palm the ball round the post. Ten minutes later winger Steve Flitcroft (brother of Blackburn Rovers' skipper) swung over a right wing cross that curled away from Campbell to be met at the far post by Prendergast who headed wide from close range. Time and again it was the deep crosses from the wingers that caused Whitby trouble, especially the deep ones to the opposite far posts.
Whitby's first chance came on the half hour when Dunning's free kick sailed past the far post but Laws did well to volley the ball back from the byline only to strike the side netting. Speare's only save of note in the game came 7 minutes later when he blocked Wilford's angled drive to concede a corner kick.
With the interval looming, Wilford broke free down the right flank, cut inside a defender before angling the ball back across goal. Robinson did well to find space in front of goal but was unlucky not to make the contact that would have surely given the Blues the lead. From this foray forward, Accrington hit Whitby on the counter-attack & surged down the left wing. Prendergast's deep cross to the far post was nodded back across goal by Proctor to give James the simplest task of nodding the ball home. Seconds later the referee blew for the interval, a cruel blow for the Blues to suffer.
Whitby rallied straight after the break & on 54 minutes were unlucky not to make the scores level. Wilford bundled his way through the visitors' defence before playing the ball into Ure's path. The on-form striker lashed the ball goalwards but with Speare well beaten his shot cannoned off the foot of the post & to safety.
Four minutes later another well crafted goal for Accrington came via another cross from the wing. Prendergast's pinpoint cross caught Campbell out of position & Mullin had a simple task of heading into the centre of the goal.
The third & best goal of the game came with 20 minutes remaining. The build-up was the same, as was the end result. This time Flitcroft whipped over a vicious cross to the back of the Whitby six yard box where James timed his diving header to perfection to place the ball in the corner of the net.
The Blues defence had been systematically taken apart all afternoon, the midfield had been contained extremely well throughout the game & the forward line were restricted to the occasional run after the long ball over the top. Accrington were a strong, well organised side who were by far the best team seen at the Turnbull this season & deservedly leading the UniBond Premier League.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid (sub M.Swales 79), Dunning, Laws, Williams, Dixon, Swales.S, Robinson, Wilford, Ure (sub Lowe 61), Gildea (sub Veart 80)

Gainsborough Trinity 0-1 Whitby Town

5th April - Unibond Premier - from www.gainsboroughtrinity.com/ - A Late goal from Whitby Town sent Gainsborough Trinity crashing to another home defeat at The Northolme. Phil Stant named an unchanged line-up for the third match in a row.
There was one change on the bench for the UniBond Premier clash with Stant himself replacing the injured Adam Marsh.
The Blues were looking to end a run of six homes games without a win while the visitors had not won at all for seven matches.
Trinity nearly got an early breakthrough when a ball towards the box was missed by Reid but Grant was unable to get a clear run-in.
Trinity missed a good chance in the seventh minute when a quick throw out by Pettinger put Grant away down the left. The move ended with a weak shot from Camm.
A spell of pressure around the Trinity box ended with a break away by Jervis, he found Staton who in turn tried to free Grant but Laws did well to head the ball back to Campbell.
Trinity missed further chances when Ellington put a ball across the face of an open goal and when Camm fired wide after running in from the right.
The Blues had a near miss in the 25th minute when Staton lost the ball on his own goal line, Lowe delivered a low cross but Knowles rescued the situation by getting up well with Ure.
Lowe tried to get another cross in from Trinity's left but Jervis, who had tracked him all the way back, got a block in.
Whitby's bench thought they had scored in the 35th minute when Wilford did well in the box and squared across the face but Ure buried his shot into the side netting.
A quick move by Trinity saw Staton loft a ball into the box, it was horribly sliced by Robinson and then went out for a corner.
Campbell was forced to punch clear in another Trinity attack, but once again the Blues failed to win the second ball.
Camm produced his third miss of the afternoon shooting wide after Grant had laid the ball in his path, just before the break.
Five minutes after the restart Grant was inches away from scoring for Trinity when he turned and shot on the edge of the box, the ball looped over Campbell and struck the face of the crossbar.
Aron Wilford was even closer at the other end, his shot was parried by Pettinger and then headed off the line by Timmons.
Seconds later, Wilford had another effort, his shot being comfortably held by Pettinger.
As the chances kept coming Campbell had to drop low at his near post to collect a shot from Grant.
Pettinger did well to tip over a free-kick from Wilford while at the other end Campbell saw a low shot driven across him by Grant go inches wide.
With 20 minutes to go Phil Stant brought himself on and Trinity played with four strikers strung out across the pitch.
Stant was inches away with a shot from the left, Gary Jones headed into the side netting and Ellington was denied by Campbell.
Just when it looked like the game would finish scoreless Mark SWALES scored for the Seasiders with a low drive.
Whitby Town: Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Swales, Laws, Dixon, Lowe, Robinson, Wilford, Ure, A. Gildea. Subs: Williams, Veart, D. Gildea

Colwyn Bay 1-1 Whitby Town

29th March - Unibond Premier -Whitby Town condemned Colwyn Bay to the Unibond Division One with a battling second-half display on the Welsh coast on Saturday.
On a sunny day more suitable for cricket, Whitby replaced Graham Robinson with Craig Veart.
The opening 25 minutes were virtually devoid of any excitement apart from Bay keeper Boswell's kick out of his own penalty area travelling the full length of the pitch, eventually bouncing over Whitby's crossbar.
The Bay won a disputed free-kick 25 yards from the visitors' goal and Limbert's shot was saved at full stretch by David Campbell.
The visitors were strangely subdued and six minutes later Bay number six Lally fired a 35-yard shot narrowly wide of a post and in the 35th minute a dipping volley by the same player produced a brilliant diving save by Campbell at the foot of the post.
It was a similar story after the interval with the home team making all the running and it was no surprise when they took the lead in the 49th minute. Lambert moved upfield to square the ball to McIlvogue who fired into the roof of the net from six yards.
At long last the visitors realised they had got off the bus and in the 57th minute Craig Veart's header was cleared off Bay's goalline by Evans.
Then Lee Ure picked up a loose ball on halfway, sped down the right wing and exchanged passes with Aron Wilford before reaching the byline. Whitby's number 10 then crossed to the far post for Graeme Williams to knock the ball back to the penalty spot only for Glenn Graham to clear.
Whitby now exerted sustained pressure on the home goal and it was no surprise that they equalised in the 67th minute. Ben Dixon made a jinking run into the home penalty area only for his nine-yard shot to be well saved by Boswell. Tom Reid's follow-up shot from eight yards produced another good save from Boswell. This time the rebound fell to Veart whose shot brought another good save by the keeper, only for Lee Ure to hammer home from close range for 1-1.
On 70 minutes, Whitby's new signing Daniel Lowe, on loan from Northampton Town, replaced the injured Steve Swales.
With Bay needing a victory to avoid relegation they pressed forward for the winning goal and in the 83rd minute Deiniol Graham headed against Whitby's crossbar from Alun Evans' cross and a minute later the same player's 10-yard shot was blocked by the Whitby defence.
Whitby Town: Campbell, Reid, Dunning (Lowe 70), Laws, Graham Williams captain, Dixon, Swales (Martin Reed 34), Gildea, Wilford, Ure, Veart; sub not used, Robinson.

Accrington Stanley 1-1 Whitby Town

22nd March - Unibond Premier - Whitby travelled to high flying Accrington on Saturday and gave an excellent all round performance in front of a cowd of 1355.
It was the home team who started on the offensive and in the 6th minute Prendergasts mazey run into the penalty area saw him break clear and it seemed he must score but a great save from Dave Campbell down to his right saved the 16 yard shot.
Whitby were not knocked back however and in the 14th minute Tom Reid's inswinging corner caused havoc in the Accrington 6 yard box, the loose ball bounced to Lee Ure whose 9 yard shot was blocked by the the desperate accrington defence.
Then in the 28th minute a quickly taken free kicj by the home team saw Paul Mullin's shot kicked off the line by Graeme Williams and then 3 minutes later Prendergasts miss hit cross from the left wing decieved Campbell to clip the top of the crossbar and go behind.
Whitby kept forcing the home team back and wilford forced a splendid save from Speare inthe home goal as his audacious chip shot from 20 yards was just tipped over.
In the final action of the first half Mullin headed over the Whitby bar when well placed. Whitby started the second halfon the offensive taking the game to accrington and in the 48th mnute Wilford chased a long ball out of defence. It looked like a lost cause but the big striker beat centre half Smith for pace and his cross shot from 10 yards was just wide of the far post.
Whitby were not to be denied though and in their next raid, Lee Ure chased a ball up the right wing, passed inside to Wilford who strode through some weak challenges before knocking the ball onto Graham Robinson who shot home form 10 yards.
The home team seemed demoralised and the home crowd subdued with a first home loss looming. In an isolated break in the 71st minute Mullin collected a loose ball 17 yards out after it rebounded to him and comletely in the clear he shot hopelessly wide from 9 yards.
In the 76th minute, Whitby nearly made the game safe when long ball out of defence found Wilford who held the ball up and played a a delightful cross filed ball for the onrushing Ure in the clear , to shoot just wide from 16 yards.
In the last 10 minutes Accrington bombarded the visitors goal when Hollis drove just wide from 27 yards and with just 4 minutes remaining they scored a controversial goal to equalise. Cavanagh launched a free kick from the half way line and the giant defender Smith with his head bandaged from an earlier wound, leapt to head home into the far corner only for the assistant referee to flag for an offence, but he was over ruled by the referee who allowed the goal to stand.
Smith and Prendergast both went close to a winner but that would have been hard on Whitby who gave Accrington a real fright. A tremendous display by the Seasiders who on their day are a match for any team inthe division.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Williams, Dixon, S.Swales, Robinson, Wilford, Ure, Gildea - Subs Veart, Windross, M.Swales

Whitby Town 0-1 Wakefield Emley

15th March - Unibond League - Another late goal snatched the points away from Whitby against their mid-table opponents Wakefield & Emley in a game of little excitement and fewer chances. Neither team seemed to have much in the way of creativity with the afternoon's "weapon of choice" being the long ball hoofed upfield in hope rather than expectation.
Whitby had Reid & Laws back in the side but missing were Robinson & Dixon with last week's impressive stand-ins Mark Swales & Danny Gildea on the bench.
The first chance of the game fell to the Blues in the 5th minute when Veart's free kick was cleared as far as the edge of the area where Steve Swales swerved his shot just wide of the mark. Ten minutes later Swales did well to wrestle the ball from a defender to set Williams up with a good chance but his lob over Wilson was again off target. Aron Wilford managed to blaze the ball clean out of the ground from 15 yards on the half hour after some clever work on the flank from Dunning.
Wakefield's first troublesome effort came on 37 minutes when Bambrook did well to find himself in space on the corner of Campbell's six yard box but the Whitby keeper was wide awake to the danger, smothering the forward's strike on goal.
Whitby started the second half brightly, winning free kicks in dangerous positions around the visitors' goal area but none of them bore fruit & the game remained goalless. Wakefield should have taken the lead on 57 minutes when Wilson missed a glorious chance at the far post with the goal gaping but he somehow managed to head wide. Whitby counter-attacked from the place kick with Lee Ure racing in towards goal. His attempt was blocked by Wilson as was the follow-up strike from Wilford as the striker homed in on goal.
Danny Gildea made his entrance on 63 minutes replacing Tow Reid & was soon in amongst the action. His deep right wing cross was a fraction too high for Wilford who did well to get an effort on goal. Graeme Williams was in the thick of things on 74 minutes when his surge forward was almost rewarded with a goal. As he was about to shoot from 10 yards, defender Ryan Crossley made a last ditch tackle to block the strike.
A minute later Wakefield scored what turned out to be the winning goal. Their attack seemed to have come to nothing with Whitby defenders clearing two efforts on goal but Mark Wilson saw a gap to side foot his shot through from the edge of the penalty area. Campbell dived to his right, seemed to get a hand on the ball but it wasn't enough to stop it ending up nestling in the corner of the net.
Whitby tried to up the tempo with the minutes ticking away & with ten minutes left they were left cursing their luck as Wakefield's young keeper Wilson made two great reaction saves firstly from Swales then again from Danny Gildea. Wilson was again their saviour in the last minute when Wilford's mis-hit shot struck Ure. With the ball heading goalwards, the keeper was alert enough to grab onto it & save the points for the visitors.
The game was littered with fouls throughout the game making flowing football impossible. Had referee Mr Parkin clamped down on them earlier in the game maybe it would improved the proceedings, though with hindsight possibly not.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid (Sub Gildea. D), Gildea.A, Laws, Reed, Dunning, Williams, Swales.S, Wilford, Ure, Veart. Subs not used: Windross, Swales.M

Whitby Town 1-1 Barrow

Whitby started the game minus almost half the regular first team through suspensions or unavailability against second placed Barrow team who'd won four of their last five league games. With the daunting task of an away game at Runcorn 24 hours later, the home side would gladly have taken a point from this game but were leading until the 83rd minute.
It's fair to say that the Blues rode their luck throughout the game & in the second half especially, keeper Dave Campbell made a string of outstanding saves to keep Whitby in the game.
Because of the player shortage, Whitby gave debuts to Danny Gildea (brother of Alex), Danny Swales (related to Steve?) & a player from the reserve team ranks Awisi Yaw Ankonah. Though Ankonah never got to play, the other two players acquitted themselves admirably well & must have their names in the frame for the Sunday fixture.
As expected, Barrow took the game to the Blues from the first whistle & should have struck first as early as the second minute when the underside of the crossbar denied Hume's powerful header. A minute later however, Whitby could have also taken the lead when Lee Ure's cross from the left found Mark Swales free but his looping header dropped the wrong side of the bar.
With over a quarter of an hour played a seemingly simple smothering of the ball by Campbell almost turned into a disaster when the ball squirmed from under him. As it was played towards goal, Reed did well to block the effort form Housham.
There followed a period of sustained Barrow pressure where Whitby did well to keep the scores level. On 24 minutes a deep cross from the right was met with a crisp header from Hall but he couldn't keep it on target.
Whitby's best chance of the half by far came on 32 minutes from the side's best player on the day, Lee Ure. His run down the right flank followed by a teasing cross along the goal line should have been food & drink for Wilford to slot home from close range but somehow striker & ball failed to connect.
The Blues began the second half on the attack & were unlucky to have Craig Veart's header drop the wrong side of the bar after a lovely cushioned flick on from Wilford. Whitby's leading scorer went close 8 minutes later when Robinson nodded the ball down to him. Facing away from goal, Wilford did well to swivel & shoot though his effort was too high of the mark.
Dangerous on the break, Barrow had a golden opportunity wasted when Simon Shaw's deep cross found Lee Warren all alone but with the goal gaping he headed past the post from a few yards out.
The breakthrough came on 66 minutes. Steve Swales throw-in on the right wing wasn't cleared properly & the ball dropped into space in front of on-loan keeper Weaver. Before the keeper could get to it, Alex Gildea pounced to stab the ball into the back of the net.
Seeing the points gap between themselves & leaders Accrington about to yawn even further, barrow launched an all out assault on the Whitby goal & brought Campbell into his own to make save after save to keep them at bay. A minute after Whitby took the lead he dived full stretch to tip Holt's screamer round the post. A minute later there were two attempts on goal blocked by defenders before Campbell again denied Holt with an acrobatic tip over the bar. A swift breakaway after a Whitby corner saw a slick 3-man move come to nothing when Hume blazed the ball wide of the goal on 81 minutes.
The inevitable equaliser came on 83 minutes after yet again two efforts were charged down before this time Ian Arnold hammered a loose ball through the crowded area into the opposite far corner, much to the relief of their travelling fans.
The Blues weathered the rest of the game & almost sneaked a winner on 89 minutes when Ure's 30 yard volley dipped just over Weaver's crossbar. With the home fans praying for the final whistle, it was a long time coming. Referee Mr West deemed fit to add an extra 10 minutes of play in which time Barrow almost took all three points home when Hill's teasing lob over Campbell narrowly missed it's mark.
All in all it was a hard fought game, hostile at times, but never the less Whitby battled exceedingly well to take something from the day. It was hard to determine the Blues 'Man of the Match' it was such a close run thing between the match saving saves of Campbell or the sheer gritty & at times mesmerising skills of Lee Ure.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Williams, Gildea.A, Reed, Dixon (Sub Windross 90+), Swales.M (sub Gildea.D 84), Robinson, Swales.S, Wilford, Ure, Veart. Sub not used: Awisi Yaw Ankonah

Scarborough 3-2 Whitby Town

25th February - North Riding Senior Cup - From Whitby Today A fightback from 3-0 down failed to pull Whitby back from the brink when they were knocked out of the North Riding Senior Cup in a disappointing semi-final at Scarborough FC's McCain Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Blues still trailed to an early goal at half-time and it looked all but over for the visitors when Gary Cohen hit two in two minutes after 14 minutes of the second half.
But an immediate response through Lee Ure gave Whitby a glimmer of hope and the Blues were then unlucky not to score through Graham Robinson.
When Whitby's second goal finally came to rouse the spirits of the travelling faithful there was little more than injury-time remaining and the old enemy went through to the final.
Whitby were without defender Graeme Williams, out for a second game from the effects of concussion, and midfielder Steve Swales returned to the starting line-up, the ex-Division One player being replaced by Craig Veart early in the second half. David Campbell was back in goal after his family weekend in Paris.
Whitby had an early chance when Swales' through ball was just too long for the chasing Lee Ure.
But Scarborough were soon testing the Whitby defence when the impressive Michael Laws' firm tackle halted a break on the left. And the first attempt on the Whitby goal flew well over.
The home side struck the first blow on nine minutes when some clever work around the penalty area split the defence wide for David Pounder to beat Campbell.
The Blues threatened an equaliser two minutes later when Ure's well-struck shot dipped just over and an Aron Wilford strike almost from the edge of the centre circle was well-taken by the surprised Walker.
Further efforts by Ure and Robinson kept Whitby hopes on the boil but then Whitby did well to block a dangerous Boro free-kick and a header flew wide from the resulting corner.
Whitby were again denied an equaliser with Walker saving well from wing-back Tom Reid.
With half-time approaching, Whitby had shown a good response to Boro's strong start but there was still danger as number 11 Pounder shot into the side netting and another effort went just wide after a free-kick for a block by Martin Reed. Reed was yellow carded and then Laws just before the half-time whistle.
Whitby came out fighting after the break, winning a corner and Richard Dunning shooting narrowly wide. More Whitby pressure saw Scarborough respond with crosses coming in from both flanks.
But the cup trail looked over for Whitby 14 minutes into the half when ex-Watford striker Cohen scored his two goals, the first and his first for the club at close range from a right-wing cross and the second when a defensive lapse left him unmarked for a simple through ball for Boro's third.
No sooner had play re-started than Robinson found Lee Ure for the youngster to add to his tally as the Blues' second-leading scorer.
At the other end the visitors' goal saw a narrow escape with the ball going out for a corner.
The Blues began to put some bite into their passing with Ure starting a move in which a great ball from Dunning left Robinson with a clear close-range chance but he somehow turned the ball towards the keeper for a home let-off.
As Whitby kept up the pressure, substitute Veart found Wilford with a precision pass but again the big number nine could not get past Walker.
At the Seamer Road end, Scarborough missed out on a one-on-one with Campbell. Then excellent work by Dunning saw him cleverly work the ball out of the corner on the left and set up a shot from Veart that was deflected for a corner.
Whitby's persistence paid off with two minutes to the end of normal time when the Robinson-Ure combination again paid off with Ure outjumping a Scarborough defender to squeeze the ball inside the near post for 3-2.
Then, with two minutes added time, Whitby almost forced a penalty shoot-out when Dunning's overhead kick, unluckily for Whitby, flew straight to the keeper.
Scarborough: Walker, Hotte, Shepherd, Downey, Dempsey (Fatokun 65m), Stoker, Sillah, Pounder, Ormerod, Cohen, Bradshaw (Hodgson 80m). Subs not used: Woods, Downey.
Whitby: Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Reed, Dixon, Swales (Veart 65m), A Gildea, Wilford, Robinson, Ure. Subs not used: Darlow, Williams, L Gildea, D Gildea.

Whitby Town 0-1 Altrincham

22nd February - Unibond League -A 67th minute penalty kick decided the game in which both teams seemed devoid of much in the way of creativity. It looked about the only way either side would score with niggly fouls throughout the game where it was never given the chance to flow. Bookings for Reid, Laws & Dixon on the Whitby side and Talbot, Craney & Gardner of the visitors outlined the state of play.
The visitors started the brighter of the two but Whitby clawed their way back into it as the half wore on but neither keeper was troubled in any way until the 37th minute. Alty's Peter band sneaked into space about 10 yards out but his shot was easily dealt with by Marc Riches standing in for David Campbell. Whitby's sole attempt on goal came on 45 minutes when Wilford had a strong shot gathered up at the near post by Acton.
A defensive error on 53 minutes almost let Alty in but Riches spared any blushes by blocking a good shot from Gardner. A minute later Riches opposite number was called into action to deal with a long range "hit & hope" shot from Swales.
The breakthrough came on 67 minutes in debateable fashion. No-one on the terraces appeared to know why but the assistant linesman caught the referee's attention, holding his flag across his chest to signify a penalty kick. Gardner's spot kick gave the visitors the lead.
Probably Whitby's best move of the game came minutes later when laws found Reid on the right flank. He found Ure in space but with a good view of goal he scuffed his kick at the keeper.
A crowd of just over 400 was a welcome sight though to be fair Altrincham brought quite a few fans. It was a shame the performance wasn't better to entice more supporters back to the Turnbull when we need them most
Whitby Town - Riches, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Reed, Dixon, Gildea, Swales, Wilford, Robinson, Ure. Subs not used: Veart, Windross, Darlow.

Harrogate Town 0-2 Whitby Town

15th February - Unibond League -The Blues helped themselves to three welcome points at Wetherby Road against a Harrogate side who never looked anything like a team that had lost their five previous league games. For most of the second half, the home side had Whitby penned in their own half & only stout defending helped along by some fine saves helped keep a clean sheet.
Both sides began cautiously on a pitch that was still frozen in places despite the bright sunshine. Windross started the game in place of the injured Graham Robinson & it was he who had Whitby's first attempt on goal on 6 minutes but blazed the pass from Wilford high & wide of the mark. Dave Merris went close at the other end a minute later with a 25 yard shot but Campbell seemed to have it covered.
The home side thought they'd taken the lead on 27 minutes, in fact the PA was announcing that Smith had scored until he realised it was disallowed for offside.
With 32 minutes elapsed Whitby mounted a rare attack down the right flank, working the ball out to Alex Gildea who struck his shot with venom across keeper Connor, striking the far post but then cannoned into the back of the net to give the Blues the lead.
The second half was all one-way traffic with Harrogate laying siege to Campbell's goal for long periods, much the same as it was the previous Tuesday at Blyth except this time they held firm. Colin Hunter had two very good chances to get his side back on level terms but missed the target on both occasions.
Two minutes into the four allotted as time added on by referee Ian Knee, Whitby surged out of defence working the ball over the top of the defenders to Aron Wilford. Attracting defenders like a magnet it left Graeme Williams unmarked in the centre to receive his pass. With only Connor to beat he calmly slotted it into the far corner to score his second injury time goal in as many games.
Though the final scoreline somewhat flattered the Blues it's worth noting they did keep a clean sheet. More of the same against Altrincham please lads!
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Reed, Dixon, Williams,Gildea, Wilford, Ure, Windross (Sub Veart 59) Subs not used: Darlow, Swales

Blyth Spartans 2-3 Whitby Town

11th February - Unibond League - After the excitement of the home encounter earlier in the season where the Blues were 0-3 down at half time, came back to lead 4-3 in added time & conceded an equaliser in the "97th" minute, the odds on a similar outcome must have been remote... Yet how the similarities unfolded.
Whitby dominated the first half against a very poor, lack lustre Blyth side, something not seen by Whitby fans very often at all. Goals from "The Usual Suspects" of Ure and Wilford put the Blues firmly in control of the game with a second half of more to look forward to.
Blyth mis-read the script however & came at Whitby with everything from the re-start. Only poor finishing denied Spartans any reward yet Whitby added to their own problems in constantly giving the ball away each time they managed to prise it away from their hosts.
Graham Williams showed a glimpse of what was to come on 65 mins when Whitby broke clear of the onslaught. Spotting ex-Blues keeper Naisbett off his line, he lobbed the ball over him only to see it hit the underside of the bar & be scrambled clear before Wilford could get to it.
With 85 minutes gone & the score still 2-0 in Whitby's favour, Wilford raced from his own half trying to put the game beyond doubt. After rounding the keeper it was only a magnificent tackle from Forster that stopped a certain goal. A minute later Blyth made the breakthrough when another ex-Blue, Craig Perry claimed the goal that was wickedly deflected past Campbell. Lifted by their slice of good fortune they levelled on 88 minutes when a scramble in the Whitby area resulted in Robson prodding the ball home to make it 2-2.
Referee M Tilling (Guisborough) indicated 3 minutes of added time would be played which was fortuitous for the Blues as right at the death, Robinson & Wilford broke loose upfield, played some excellent one-twos as they worked the ball towards the Blyth goal & finally laid the ball into the path of Graham Williams who clinically dispatched his shot past Naisbett for the winner. There was just enough time for the game to be restarted before Mr Tilling brought proceedings to a conclusion.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Reed, Dixon, Williams, Gildea (Sub Windross 88m), Wilford, Robinson, Ure (Sub Darlow 76m) Sub not used: Veart

Whitby Town 1-2 Vauxhall Motors

8th February - Unibond League - A goal 4 minutes from time worthy of winning any game denied Whitby a point against their high-flying opponents Vauxhall Motors. In a match that was hard fought & played at times like a cup tie, neither side would have objected had the points been shared. Vauxhall however needed the 3 points to keep in touch with their title aspirations & Young's goal kept them on course.
Without a game in so long, Whitby looked quite ring-rusty in the first half making Vauxhall look a yard faster to the ball.
After an even opening exchange it was Whitby who had the first attempt on goal on 13 minutes when Tom Reid's 20 yard shot went wide of the mark.
Five minutes later the visitors brought a good save from Campbell in the Whitby goal when Cuminsky burst through the home defence to shoot for the far corner. From the resulting corner, Campbell could only palm the ball to the back of his penalty area where Kevin Lynch was lurking to volley into the opposite side of the goal.
On the half hour Motors should have increased their lead when a deep left wing cross found Young totally unmarked a few yards out but his header found Campbell well placed to block him.
Whitby's equaliser came on 34 minutes after Veart's free kick was headed clear to the edge of the area where Alex Gildea thumped back a cracking volley that Motors keeper Hilton could only palm onto the underside of the crossbar. With Robinson running in for a tap-in, the ball crossed the line ahead of him.
The second half started brightly for Whitby when they took a quick free kick a minute after the restart. Veart fed the ball to Ure out wide of the area but his angled shot ended up in the side netting. Indeed, Whitby could have taken the lead just after the hour mark when Veart slipped the ball through to Ure once more inside the penalty area. The diminutive striker sent the keeper the wrong way but was denied a goal when Hilton's outstretched boot deflected the ball wide.
Cuminsky went close for Vauxhall in the 65th minute when his shot flew past Campbell but a minute later Whitby went even closer after a shot by Wilford. Inside the box, back to goal, the striker swivelled & struck the ball with venom only to see it cannon off the post to safety.
It was end-to-end stuff most of the half, far better than the opening 45 minutes with chances for both sides.
Vauxhall's young found a yard of space in the 75th minute & hammered a shot wide of the post, then a minute later Veart's corner kick was glanced just wide by Dixon.
The killer blow came with 4 minutes left on the clock. Substitute Ward hit a corner to the near post which was headed out as far as Young. With defenders & attackers alike running back to beat the offside trap, he crashed the ball into the corner of the goal giving the unsighted keeper no chance
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid ( sub Reed h-t), Dunning, Laws, Williams, Dixon, Robinson, Veart, Wilford, Ure, Gildea (sub Windross 86) Sub not used: Darlow.

Whitby Town 3-0 York City

27th Janaury - Whitby cruised their way past York City to set up a juicy semi final away to neighbours & close rivals Scarborough on a bitterly cold windswept night at the Turnbull Ground.
After early York pressure it was Whitby who went close on 6 minutes after Wilford nodded the ball into Robinson's path only to see his volley scream over the crossbar from close range. On 15 minutes Michael Laws dissected the visitors defence with a telling ball out to Lee Ure on the right flank. After playing a smart one-two with Gildea, the tricky forward's shot was well kept out by keeper Collinson. York's Chris Fox had Campbell worried soon afterwards when his effort from the edge of the box dipped inches over the home bar.
The opening goal came on 25 minutes with Ure again instrumental. His great vision picked out Tom Reid's run from midfield & laid the ball into his path for the full back to strike the sweetest of shots past the outstretched keeper's left hand into the bottom corner of the net.
The blustery conditions made flowing football difficult for both sides & the score remained the same until the 55th minute when the Blues scored an excellent second goal. Laws intercepted the ball to break up a York attack who then played it to Veart inside the Whitby half of the field. He switched play out to the right wing where Wilford jinked his way past defenders to the byline where he pulled the ball back across into the 6 yard box for Robinson to side foot home past a static Collinson.
With 13 minutes remaining Whitby wrapped up the game after Reid's right wing cross caused a chaotic mix-up between the keeper, defenders & Gildea. The ball spun loose & first to react was Aron Wilford who neatly snapped up his 20th goal of the season.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws.M, Williams, Dixon, Robinson, Veart (sub Darlow 82), Wilford (sub Laws.C 85), Ure (sub Zoll 73), Gildea

Comeback ruined at the last!

Whitby Town 3-3 Hucknall Town

18th January - Unibond Premier -Clint Marcell's last minute back-heel into the Whitby goal gained his side a well deserved point against the below par Blues. Hucknall had leads pegged back twice & even went behind in the 87th minute before levelling the game.
Whitby began the match at high speed with Ure especially, tormenting the visitors down the flanks. Michael Laws outlined Whitby's intent in the very first minute when his first time volley flew over the crossbar. After the initial opening barrage, Hucknall weathered it well & slowly got to grips with their opponents. It was they who took the lead in the 34th minute but in rather fortunate circumstances. Blues keeper Campbell came off his line to punch clear a deep left wing cross but he mis-judged it & allowed the ball to pass over his outstretched palms where full back Danny Mayman gleefully nodded home the goal from close range. The remainder of the half saw very few chances created by either side though Whitby went close on 37 minutes when Ure's cross was headed narrowly wide by Laws.
After the break Whitby showed a little more enthusiasm & direction and but for a fine fingertip save from Hucknall keeper Young, Swales would have levelled the scores from his free kick. Minutes later Nangle's reaction header looped over Campbell's bar after a pin point cross from the ever dangerous Mayman.
Whitby's 53rd minute equaliser had a stroke of good fortune about it when Craig Veart's left wing free kick sailed effortlessly into the top corner of the goal as Laws & Wilford combined to block Young's sight of the ball.
With 20 minutes remaining, Hucknall regained their lead when once again Mayman's cross did the damage. It dropped nicely in the area for Steve Lenagh who drove his shot home in off the left post. The 79th minute saw the scores level at 2-2 when Veart's corner kick was thundered into the goal off the head of Aron Wilford. Five minutes later the same player pounced on a dreadful place kick from Young. Spotting the keeper off his line, Wilford's deft chip just managed to roll the wrong side of the post.
Whitby took the lead for the first time in the game with only 3 minutes left on the clock after full back Shaw tripped Lee Ure in the area to concede a penalty. Veart stepped up & blasted the ball high into the roof of his net for his second goal of the game.
Everyone had the feeling the game still may have a sting in the tail & so it turned out with almost the last kick of the game when Marcell's cheeky back-heeler found the net.
The draw was a fair result in hindsight though both teams must be ruing their luck as all three points were there for the taking.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Williams, Dixon, Swales (sub Gildea 61),Veart, Wilford, Zoll (Sub Robinson 79) Ure. Sub not used: Darlow

5 Star Whitby start new year in style!

Whitby Town 5-2 Droylsden

11th January - Unibond Premier - A second half blitz from the rampant Blues ensured a happy start to 2003 & send the "Bloods" home with a New Year hangover.
A brace of goals from Ben Dixon & Aron Wilford as well as another from Stefan Zoll saw the home side cruise to an easy victory on a heavy Turnbull Ground pitch.
After good early pressure, Whitby took the lead in the 7th minute when a corner kick was cleared only as far as Dixon laying in wait at the edge of the penalty area. His drive found it's way through a host of players before nestling in the far corner of the net giving unsighted keeper Phillips little chance. The remainder of the half remained tight with rare chances falling to Zoll & Reid and Lattie of the visitors.
The second half started brightly with Lattie's 20 yard shot going too close for comfort past Campbell's post, which woke Whitby up with a swift response. Two minutes later their lead was doubled when Zoll latched onto a long upfield clearance to outpace defenders & smartly dispatch the ball into the Droylsden goal through Phillips' legs. Ten minutes later it should have been three when Robinson did well to head the ball into Wilford's path but the usually deadly striker had a rush of blood & put the ball over the bar & out of the ground with only the keeper to beat.
The next goal wasn't long coming & Wilford made amends for his error when he again left the defence flat-footed to run onto Swales' through ball. Phillips came out to narrow the angle but Wilford simply side stepped him and passed the ball into the net.
Credit to the visitors though as they immediately counter attacked & pulled back a goal of their own but that in itself was merely a breather as Dixon scored his second and Whitby's fourth goal on 75 minutes. A free kick out on the wing dropped for Dixon at the opposite end of the area. He skilfully brought the ball under control, stepped past two defenders before hammering an unstoppable drive past Phillips from 15 yards.
The fifth goal came on 82 minutes and was a delight to watch, though Phillips may have thought otherwise. With the visiting defence absent, Wilford loomed in on goal, sold the keeper such a good dummy that he ended up on his backside before casually rounding him to tap in his second of the game.
Darren Wright scored a thumping 20 yard goal with seconds remaining to make it 5-2 but it was only going to be a consolation for them.
Steve Swales had an outstanding game marshalling midfield, the forward line were buzzing throughout the game & the central defence pairing of Laws and Dixon looked very solid as Williams cleared up anything going spare at the back.
The only downside was again the lack of supporters. The team's playing good football & have moved up to sixth in the league but deserve far bigger attendances. What do they have to do to get the crowds back?
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Williams, Dixon,Swales, Robinson, Wilford, Zoll (Darlow 86), Ure (sub Veart 77) Sub not used Gildea

Away day joy for Seasiders

Lancaster City 0-1 Whitby Town

28th December - Unibond League - Aron Wilford's goal 12 minutes from the end of normal time gave Whitby Town a three-points holiday bonus against last season's runners-up at Lancaster City on Saturday.
On a boggy pitch, the home side took the early initiative. In the third minute Michael Laws' header out of defence fell to Haddow, 20 yards out, whose shot flew just wide.
Fifteen minutes later, Bent made a run down the left and cut the ball back to the on-rushing Love whose 25-yard shot also flew just wide.
Whitby responded two minutes later, winning a free-kick, and Tom Reid's stunning shot came back off the home crossbar from 26 yards.
The tempo then slowed to a midfield battle and it was not until the 31st minute that Lancaster threatened when Love headed just wide from a corner.
It seemed Whitby had taken the lead in the 39th minute when a harmless cross was dropped by Thornley for Graham Robinson to shoot home only for the goal to be disallowed for a foul on the keeper.
Following a goalless first half, Whitby should have taken the lead in the first minute after the break when a long ball from defence saw Robinson head down for Lee Ure to turn quickly seven yards out but his shot was turned away by Thornley.
Both teams were struggling with the heavy conditions and it was not until the 71st minute that any further goalmouth action was seen when Atkinson's 18-yard shot was easily saved by Campbell.
Four minutes later Lancaster were awarded a disputed penalty when Martin Reid's tackle on Brown seemed to win the ball. Atkinson stepped up and although his shot beat keeper Campbell the ball clipped the outside of the post and went behind.
Whitby scored the winner in the 78th minute. Substitute Keiron Darlow burst into the home penalty area and fired against the inside of the post allowing leading scorer Aron Wilford to tap home as the ball rolled back across the penalty area.
Whitby almost added to their lead a minute later when Lee Ure's chip cleared the keeper but went over.
With the game drawing to a close the home team seemed to lose the plot and some petty arguments with the referee led to Mercer being sent off in the 84th minute for a second bookable offence.
In the dying minutes, Wilford should have increased Whitby's lead but instead of pulling the ball back to his colleagues he elected to shoot and put the ball wide.
A commendable performance by Whitby in the difficult conditions.
Whitby: Campbell, Tom Reid, Williams, Martin Reed, Laws, Dixon, Swales, Robinson, Wilford, Ure, Zoll; subs Darlow, Veart, Dunning.

Defensive mistakes cost Whitby

Vauxhall Motors 3-2 Whitby Town

21st December - Unibond League - Whitby Town travelled across country without Stefan Zoll and Alex Gildea, pushing the squad to its limit.
Two goals from Lee Ure were not enough though as they succumbed to Unibond League form team Vauxhall motors. In an exiting game on a freezing Wirral, the home side had the better of the exchanges but were unable to make the most of a some good opportunities, Terry Fearns being guilty of an error of judgement when he should have scored. Whitby came into the game and started to dominate possession midway through the half, and they were rewarded for their good football when Lee Ure swivel and fired into the net from the edge of the box on 32 minutes.
Whitby held out until half time and were good value for the lead. It didn't last though as the home side came out firing and were level within 2 minutes of the restart. Poor marking allowed Fearns a run at goal and he finished with aplomb.
Motors were looking the more likely and finally increased their lead in the 67th minute when more awaful marking allowed Peter Cumisky to shoot past Campbell. Five minutes later in was 3-1 when yet more dreadful defending let Younf feed Fearns where he made no mistake.
The Motors keeper was then carried off after falling awkwardly and was replaced in goal by midfielder Lynch. Whitby then had the stand in picking the ball out of the net when Lee Ure's 25 yard volley flew in off an upright to bring the score back to 3-2.
Despite a concerted effort in the final ten minutes plus stoppage time, the home defence held out, except for two clear penalty shouts for Whitby. The first was a handball on Tom Reid's cross the second moments later was a trip on Aron Wilford as he was jinking through the defence and lining up a shot.
The whistle sounded, but despite feeling hard done by, it was a fine attacking performance from Whitby, but that defence needs looking at. Anybody got Goochies phone number??
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Reed, Dixon, Ure, Robinson, Wilford, Williams, Swales - Subs - Veart, Wright, Darlow.

Edghill 0-4 Whitby Town

17th December - North Riding Senior Cup - Whitby eased through to the next round of the North Riding Senior cup by 4 goals to nil on a bitter evening at Pickering against their Scarborough League opposition Edgehill. Whitby paid them the greatest respect by fielding a virtually full strength side & quickly settled their nerves when Lee Ure scored the first of hid three goals after only 2 minutes. The speedy forward latched nicely onto a through ball from Wilford to slip the ball wide of Robinson in the Edgehill goal. Ure's second came on 13 minutes when he finished off a scrappy 4 man move by driving the ball through a crowd of players into the bottom corner of the net.
Edgehill who battled well for the whole game, thoroughly deserved a goal for their hard work and should have got one on the half hour when Coulson found himself in front of an open goal but somehow managed to scoop the ball wide. After this scare the game became somewhat disjointed with both teams misplacing passes & struggling to get any form going.
The game was put beyond any doubt on 57 minutes when Wilford again became the provider for another Ure goal. Despite a hint of offside, Ure slipped through the defence to slide the ball past the keeper for his hat-trick. Whitby's forth goal was the best of the bunch. A neat three-man move started with Zoll threading the ball to substitute Keiron Darlow who unselfishly squared the ball into the path of Dunning who hammered home from close range after 77 minutes. Two minutes later Skelton's deft chip from 20 yards struck the crossbar but had that gone in, 5-0 would have been grossly unfair on Edgehill.
Whitby now play York City Reserves in the next round.
Whitby Town Campbell, Reid, Dunning,Laws, Reed, Williams, Swales, Robinson (Sub Veart 63), Wilford (Sub Skelton 77), Ure (Sub Darlow 63), Doll. Sub not used: Wright

Marine 5-5 Whitby Town

14th December - Unibond Premier - The second half of the season started in crazy fashion for Whitby with a five all draw away at Merseysiders Marine. In the three previous seasons this fixture has seen two 3-3 draws and a 3-0 win for Whitby, but nothing could prepare the home crowd for what happened today.
It was the Seasiders who began proceedings when Aron Wilfords scored after 16 seconds, this was followed up in the fifth minute by Lee Ure capitalising on a mistake in the home defence which allowed him to break free and score.
Marine didn't lie down and soon hit back 8 minutes later when Hussin scored at the far post from Taylor's corner. On 27 minutes, Marine were level when McNally's header was deflected past David Campbell and then 10 minutes on they took the lead when McNally scored his second goal with a tap in.
Lee Ure enured that Whitby would go in at half time level when he burst through and lobbed the keeper to make it 3-3.
After the break Aron Wilford nothed his second goal to give Town the lead back and despite some home pressure Whitby held firm. With four minutes left Graeme Williams grabbed his first goal of the season to make it 5-3, but once again Marine hit back when Proctors bullet header hit the back of the net.
Injury time followed and following a crazy goalmouth scramble, Will Dolan stabbed the ball home to cheer the home crowd but disappoint the Whitbyites.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Dunning, Wright, Laws, Reed, Dixon, Williams, Robinson, Wilford, Zoll, Ure Subs - Reid, Veart, Darlow.

Whitby Town 1-2 Stalybridge Celtic

7th December - Unibond Premier - Despite chances to grab at least a point from this hard fought game, Whitby succumbed to two goals that should have been dealt with by the defence. The rain at times was driving & made things difficult but it was the visitors who left with the points & possibly even cash from the gate. The game started evenly with both teams trying to find their feet on a slippery surface but it was Stalybridge who drew first blood after 14 minutes. Eastwood must have thought Christmas had arrived three weeks early as he waltzed past the static Whitby defence before casually slotting the ball past Campbell's despairing dive. Before the visitors had time to celebrate it could easily have been 1-1 when Whitby broke down the right flank. Lee Ure latched onto the cross & his volley beat the keeper all ends up before crashing against the far post & to safety. The game settled down for a while before Whitby had 2 good chances on the half hour & 34 minutes. Firstly Dunning's speculative cross dropped the wrong side of the bar before keeper Dootson denied Lee Ure grabbing a goal by somehow tipping the ball over the bar from Robinson's cross. Just before the break Stalybridge had a good chance from a free kick directly in front of goal but Potts' strike curled the right side of the post for Blues fans. The visitors started the second half at lightning pace & were unlucky not to increase their lead when Mayers beat the offside trap. Had his deft lob been a little higher, Campbell would have been stranded but thankfully the centre-forward's aim was poor. A minute later however, the Celtic made it two nil when yet again loose marking let Potts in at the edge of the Blues penalty area. With the slightest of gaps to aim for, he hammered the ball into the bottom corner with Campbell's view blocked. Finally Whitby appeared to step up a gear. Four minutes later they'd reduced the arrears when Wilford chipped the ball from the byline to Robinson at the far post. He controlled the ball well before laying it into the path of Gildea who drove home from close range. The ensuing minutes saw Whitby press for the equaliser with Wilford again the one creating himself chances. Reid & Ure linked well before the latter's drive dipped just wide of the far post with Dootson nowhere then Swales saw his goalbound strike deflected to safety from 20 yards. With 8 minutes left it looked for all the world as though the Blues would sneak a goal, especially when Dootson blocked Reid's terrific drive & had the ball loop upwards. Wilford again was on hand but his header was scooped over the bar from close range. For all Whitby's second half pressure, Stalybridge should have wrapped the game up in the dying minutes. Williams was caught napping on the ball on 85 minutes & substitute Denham raced towards the Whitby goal. Campbell did well to block the first attempt but with the goal at his mercy Denham blazed the ball well over the bar. Campbell was again to thank when Martin Reed was turned inside out by Potts. The Whitby keeper saving well from a powerful shot. Eastwood should have added to his tally in the last minute but his diving header sailed high & wide. It was nice to see so many away fans at the game however the majority of today's "guests" seemed to have been visiting the town's pubs for quite some time prior to the game. Though they shouted their team on for the first half they were noticeable by their absence after the interval, apparently they left to see more of the town. One disturbing incident occurred at one of the turnstiles when apparently, a youth grabbed some of the gate money before absconding into the darkness. Here's wishing them all a safe trip back to Manchester

Barrow Cup jinx strikes again

Barrow 4-2 Whitby Town

30th November - FA Trophy 2nd round - Two second half goals from Barrow knocked Whitby out this season's Trophy. The home side had taken the lead after 9 minutes through Grant Holt, but Town hit back two minutes later when Ben Dixon shot home after the home keeper had parried Swales's free kick.
Barrow regained the lead soon after through Hume but again Whitby hit back when Richard Dunning scrambled the ball home.
Barrow's Housham was sent off early in the second half for an awful two footed challenge on David Campbell, but this proved to be Barrow's making and they regained the lead on the hour when Hume grabbed his second goal.
With Whitby pushing for an equaliser, the Cumbrians grabbed a late late fourth through Bullimore.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Reed, Williams, Dixon, Swales, Robinson, Wilford, Ure, Gildea, subs - Zoll, Wright, Veart, Laws,

Bradford Park Avenue 2-3 Whitby Town

23rd November - Unibond League - A great win for Whitby Town over high flyers Bradford Park Avenue saw them reach fifth place in the Unibond League.
It was Whitby settled quicker in the tricky conditions and Lee Ure should have scored as early as the first minute but his shot was hit stright at the keeper, when well placed.
A good save from Campbell kept the scores level before the Seasiders took the lead in the 23rd minute. Aron Wilford scored from 20 yards after some good work from Tom Reid and Ure.
The Seasiders increased their lead in the 29th minute when Ure latched onto a a through ball from Wilford and lobbed the onrushing keeper.
Bradford came intot he game in the second half and pulled a goal back in the 54th minute though Rory Prendergast.
Whitby were stunned back into life and restored their two goal cushion in the 65th minute when Alex Gildea was set up by Steve Swales and he shot home from 15 yards.
Again Bradford hit back and their pressure told when Andy Hayward headed home with 6 minutes to go. It wasn't enough though as Whitby held onto their lead to take all three points.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Reed, Williams, Dixon, Ure, Swales, Wilford, Zoll, Gildea - Subs - Wright, Laws, Henderson.

Whitby Town 2-2 Gateshead

16th November - Unibond League - The Blues came from behind to almost win this one, with the referee at times their biggest challenge.
Lee Ure made his first league start since the crazy 4-4 draw with Blyth back in September, replacing the suspended Alex Gildea. Loan signing Dave Henderson was on the bench.
Ex-Blues Neil Radigan and particularly Rob Jones were given a 'warm welcome' back to the Turnbull Ground.
The Seasiders made a terrible start when Willie Moat had the freedom of Whitby to turn and slot past Campbell from point blank range on three minutes to put the Tynesiders ahead.
Six minutes later, Campbell redeemed himself after mis-kicking straight to Moat, saving the rebound at the striker's feet.
On 16 minutes, Ure burst clear and let fly with a powerful curling drive that flew narrowly wide of Waind's far post.
Harrison's dangerous run from deep saw the full-back power a shot just past Campbell's right hand post.
At the other end, Wilford laid off for Tom Reid to drive low from distance, with Waind doing well to hold on.
Dickinson, not David, missed a glorious opportunity to double the visitors' lead on 26 minutes but shinned wide from point blank range.
But an error from Graeme Williams on 37 minutes allowed Dickinson to run down the right for Moat to fire straight at Campbell, only for Williams' clearence to cannon into the Whitby net off the fortunate Moat.
The Blues grabed a vital goal just before the break when chaos in the Gateshead box saw Zoll's bicycle kick backheeled home by Wilford from close range.
Whitby looked much the better side after the break and deservedly equalised when Wilford tapped home at the far post from Swales' free-kick.
The Blues continued to look the better side with Zoll having two shots saved by Waind and poking wide towards the end. The visitors did look dangerous on the break and but for two more atrocious misses from Dickinson, could have stolen all three points.
On the positive side, Lee Ure was superb with Wilford holding the ball up well. Zoll missed some good chances, but had a useful game with his skill bewildering the likes of Jones in the Gateshead backline.
Referee Mr Fox was hardly as cunning as his name suggests, missing terrible challenges from morgan and Radigan before booking Ure for dissent. Somehow the refs in this league manage to get worse every week!
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws(Reed 45), Williams, Dixon, Swales, Robinson, Wilford, Zoll, Ure. Subs: Wright, Henderson.

Whitby back on track after easy start

Hucknall Town 1-2 Whitby Town

12th November - Unibond Premier - Whitby travelled south to Nottingham tonight for Craig's home game against Hucknall Town.
Whitby started in great style with a well worked move down the right. Tom Reid played in Aron Wilford who combined twice with Alex Gildea before Wilford allowed Gildea an easy tap in with the home defence in disarray.
Hucknall should have equalised straight from the off when Mark Nangle was put through but hit shot drifted wide of Dabid Campbell's right post.
Before Hucknall could get over their disappoinment it was 2-0 to Whitby when a defence spitting pass from Wilford fed Robinson who outpaced the home defence and he slotted the ball home from 12yards.
The game turned scrappy but Wilford missed a great chance to make it 3-0 when a cross from the right found him unmarked a yard out at the far post with the goal at his mercy. A simple tap would have seen him score, but he managed to let the ball slide off his boot for a goal kick.
Wilford again had a great chance when he beat the offside trap. With only the keeper to beat he couldn't find the net as the home keeper made a fine block with his legs.
Hucknall were awarded a soft penalty when Dunning tripped someone in the box, but the home Skipper Prindiville managed to blaze the ball over Chrissy Waddle style.
The second half continued in the same sloppy style with the home side looking to press and Whitby looking to break.
Wilford had another great opportunity when the keeper made a howler of a clearance but he dawdled for too long and the defence blocked him off.
Hucknall dragged a goal back through Williams in the 65th minute when some poor work in the Whitby defence let him hit a shot from 18 yards and the ball took a deflection to beat Campbell.
The Seasiders had two more good chances through Richard Dunning and Lee Ure who looked as lively as ever when he came on for Zoll. And Cammy had very little to do in the closing stages except for one scare when he fumbled a weak shot but found the attacker off side as he gathered at the second attempt.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid (Reed), Dunning, Laws, Williams, Dixon, Swales, Robinson, Wilford, Zoll (Ure), Gildea - Sub not used Wright.

Sorry Whitby's Home slump

Whitby Town 0-3 Runcorn FC Halton

9th November - Unibond Premier - Whitby crashed to a crushing 0-3 home defeat against in-form Runcorn where the visitors never looked threatened throughout the game. Unlike home games of late, Whitby looked surprisingly lack-lustre with Zoll & Wilford especially quiet up front though to be fair the service to them wasn't the best.
Any hope that Whitby had of the visitors going easy with their FA Cup game against Bristol Rovers next weekend were dashed as they matched anything & everything the home side had to offer. Whereas Runcorn players could be forgiven if they took things less competitively to avoid injury it seemed to work against us as they were obviously trying to ensure their place in the team.
Neither team rushed into action & it was the 17th minute before Whitby had the first attempt of any note on goal. Alex Gildea managed to get his head to a Veart corner but he lacked direction & the ball flew over the bar.
Four minutes later Runcorn went agonisingly close to taking the lead when Morely's thundering 30 yard drive beat Campbell but cannoned off the underside of the bar & thankfully for Whitby, to safety.
The stalemate was broken on 37 minutes when Kinney rose unmarked to pick his spot with a well placed header from a right wing cross.
Whitby tried to battle back 3 minutes later & from Veart's corner Laws controlled the ball well at the far post & tried a lob back over the keeper but McMillan managed to pluck the ball out of the air.
On the stroke of half time they should have doubled their lead but for an incredulous miss form 6 yards by McNeil. The angled left wing cross fell beautifully into the striker's path but somehow managed to spoon it over the bar.
Whitby began the second half with more fervour & almost from the restart should have levelled the score when Zoll almost managed a bigger howler than McNeil when he too missed from close range. Wilford managed a close range shot soon afterwards but McMillan was equal to him when he parried the ball at the second attempt. On the stroke of the hour Wilford again managed to work his way into a shooting opportunity but despite shrugging off challenges his shot went high & wide of the mark.
The Blues were caught cold on 66 minutes when Runcorn's counter attack led to their second goal. Lunt found himself ideally placed to side foot home the ball after some excellent right wing work on the break. Six minutes later the game was over when a thumping drive from Gamble took a wicked deflection to completely wrong foot Campbell.
With time running out the score could have been even worse had McNeil not hit his shot directly at Campbell with the goal at his mercy.
A disappointing display from Whitby but full marks to Runcorn for a solid, professional performance. Good luck against Rovers next week!
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws (Sub Reed 77m), Williams, Dixon, Swales, Veart (Sub Robinson 67m), Wilford, Zoll (Sub Ure 63m). Gildea.

Seasiders sparkle snuffed out in last minute

Wakefield & Emley 1-0 Whitby Town

5th November - Unibond Premier - Whitby Town were denied a hard worked point tonight when a late strike saw them slip to a second successive league away defeat, this time at the hands of Wakefield and Emley.
The game was played in a bizarre atmosphere with firecrackers, rockets and bonfire smoke making the ground resemble a warzone. Of the early chances it Whitby who looked the most penetrating, but it was Emley who went closest. A mistake kicking by Campbell saw him him have to recover to stop the home side taking the lead, and then five minutes later, a header from Bambrook was easliy saved by Campbell again.
Aron Wilford cam close for Whitby on 22 minutes when he dribbled into the box, but with the ball stuck in his feet he was dispossessed before he could shoot or pass to others who were well placed. Five minutes on a lovely trough ball from Tom Reid saw Alex Gildea chase through clear, but Cuss in the home net was alert to the danger and he gathered well.
The best chance of the half fell to Emley when Richard Dunning cleared a header from Rhodes off the line, when he should have scored. Whitby were denied a clear penalty when the referee made the first of many poor decisions when Wilford was tripped after dribbling past three defenders into a the clear.
The second half was poor from both sides, with the officials losing the plot somewhat. Bambrook for Emley and then Danny Day had two long range efforts fly wide, while Wilford had the best Whitby chance when he again burst into the box and with the keeper and defender closing him down he dinked the ball over both of them only to see his shot land on the roof of the net.
Whitby almost took the lead in the 80th minute when good work from Wilford and Reid on the right saw a loss cross find Gildea rushing in but the home keeper Cuss made an excellent block on the line and gathered at the second attempt.
The killer blow arrived with a minute left when a great diagonal ball from Nicholson found Day on he powered his header home from 12 yards out.
Stefan Zoll came close to equalising a with time nearly up but again there was no luck for the Seasiders and his shot flew agonisingly over with the keeper beaten. All in all a very unlucky result for Whitby in a game that could have gone either way. Unfortunately it didn't go our way, but again it shows that if Emley are one of the best teams in the Unibond, then so are we.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Williams, Dixon, Swales, Veart, Wilford, Zoll, Gildea subs not used - Robinson, Wright, Graham.

Stocksbridge Park Steels 0-1 Whitby Town

2nd November - FA Trophy 1st round - Whitby Town progressed to the second round of the FA Umbro Trophy thanks to a 44th-minute Alex Gildea strike at Unibond first division Stocksbridge on Saturday.
The Seasiders put out the same starting XI that defeated basement club Hyde United in the league the previous weekend. The only change was in the dugout as assistant manager Dave Logan took over team affairs in Harry Dunn's absence. Despite the poor weather, the pitch was in superb condition for this first-round clash at Stocksbridge's scenic Bracken Moor home.
The match began in farcical fashion when two cones were still standing in Dave Campbell's six-yard box with the game having to be stopped while they were removed. After the restart, it was the Unibond first division side that looked most dangerous, when Graeme Williams miscontrolled in his own half, Illingworth took advantage and Campbell did well to push the Steels skipper's low drive round the near post. As Stocksbridge continued to make the early running, Tevendale cut in from the left but fired a weak shot straight into Campbell's midriff.
A minute later, Arron Wilford played in Gildea expertly inside the Steels' box but the former Scarborough midfielder hooked over the bar from close range. Midway through the first half, Wilford was at it again as he turned well inside the six-yard box but scuffed his shot wide of Holmshaw's right-hand post.
At the other end, Craig Veart headed Jackson's testing cross off his own line. Minutes later, the powerful running of Green put him through on goal, but the stocky midfielder powered an angled drive straight at Campbell.
Whitby wasted a good chance to take the lead on 38 minutes when Wilford was upended as he darted towards the 18-yard box, but Veart's free-kick went high over the Stocksbridge crossbar. Moments later, the hosts had their best chance so far, when Trevendale was left one-on-one with Campbell who just did enough to cause the 19-year-old to blaze over. As the rain continued to hammer down, Whitby broke quickly with Wilford again finding Gildea on the left who this time made no mistake, lashing the ball past Holmshaw and into the top left corner of the net to make the breakthrough for the Seasiders a minute before the break. The visitors' lead was barely deserved as the hosts looked the better side for much of the first half. But the Seasiders began the second period in determined fashion. Five minutes in, Stefan Zoll jinked his way to the edge of the Stocksbridge box before being crudely upended by Green, who was rightfully booked. The resulting 20-yard free-kick from Swales was driven over the crossbar. Seconds later, Whitby had a real let-off when Campbell mis-kicked straight to Jones who chipped straight back into the keeper's arms.
The Seasiders came close again on 59 minutes when Veart's free-kick was parried only as far as Zoll who followed up, only to be given offside by the rather over-zealous linesman. Whitby were now starting to move the ball around well, and a long passing move saw Zoll curl in an accurate shot that Holmshaw held comfortably low to his right on 66 minutes.
Three minutes later, at the other end, Williams was booked after he halted Middleton's run just outside the Whitby box, but Green drove the resulting free-kick wastefully into the Whitby wall. The Seasiders then nearly caught the hosts on the break when Wilford tried to work an opening but found his shot blocked. Veart then lashed in an awkward skidding effort that Holmshaw tipped round his right-hand post.
The premier-division side were now in full control and Zoll almost added the second when he tied two defenders in knots as he skipped along the edge of the pitch and hammered the ball towards Holmshaw's near post, forcing a good save from the former Worksop keeper. Dave Logan then introduced Lee Ure for the final 15 minutes, with Zoll making way.
The hosts had two appeals for a penalty turned down in the final ten minutes, firstly when Williams slid in to dispossess Jackson in the Whitby six-yard box, and then Campbell saved at Bullocks' feet only for the Stocksbridge man to dislodge the ball and fall to the ground when the Whitby keeper reclaimed it.
In-between, Ure saw his neat near-post backheader from Veart's corner narrowly clear the hosts' crossbar. It seemed that Whitby had finally sewn up the game five minutes from time when Wilford's angled drive appeared to be heading for the net but the ball came back off the near post and was eventually cleared.
Graham Robinson replaced Steve Swales for the last three minutes, and linked up well with Wilford in the final minute to set up Lee Ure as Whitby players queued up around the 12-yard box but Ure could only pick out Holmshaw who gathered comfortably, just moments before the final whistle sounded. Hopefully, Whitby's possession to goals ratio can improve before their Trophy clash with Barrow on 30 November.
Whitby: Campbell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Williams, Dixon, Swales (Robinson 87), Veart, Wilford, Zoll (Ure 75), Gildea. Subs not used: Skelton, Wright, Reed.

Gateshead 6-3 Whitby Town aet

30th October - Unibond Challenge Cup - Here's the only report you're gonna get.. its from Gatesheadfc.co.uk It took Gateshead 30 extra minutes but they finally went through to the next round of the UniBond League Cup with a 6-3 victory over Whitby Town with the score being 3-3 after 90 minutes.
Gateshead with three new players on show took the lead after 11 minutes when ex-Tynesider Graham Robinson, captain of Whitby, headed into his own net from Dave Colvin's corner.
Gateshead almost got a second on 20 minutes when Willie Moat shot over the bar from the edge of the penalty area.
Whitby's first attack came on 23 minutes when a corner by Steve Swales was headed forward by Aron Wilford, which went past debutante keeper Adam Dowell but was luckily headed clear by Colvin on the line.
Moat had a chance on 26 minutes to score but this time his shot hit the crossbar and was cleared.
A minute later and Whitby got their first equaliser of the night as Lee Ure scored after slipping past his marker.
The second half saw a lot more action and Whitby almost took the lead for the first time on 50 minutes as a Graeme Williams pass to Ure went behind Rob Jones but Dowell was able to save.
A Gareth McAlindon corner on 55 minutes was headed in by Rob Jones who scored his third from five matches.
The score was level again just two minutes later as a Swales corner came to Craig Veart who fired a shot towards goal. His shot looked to be going wide but the ball hit Ure in the box and went in for Ure's second goal.
It didn't stay two all for long though. On the hour a right wing cross by Moat was headed in by Craig Coates.
George Wetherly came on to make his Gateshead debut on 61 minutes and replaced Moat, but stayed on the right side of midfield.
Levels were tied again on 64 minutes as Swales, who was marked by the entire Gateshead defence, passed to Craig Skelton was slotted past Dowell who could do nothing.
Glen Downey was booked on his debut after a reckless challenge on Ure could easily have been red.
Extra time was played and with no golden goal rule in place the crowd were ready to face the 30 minutes of becoming even colder.
In the first minute of extra time Dowell made his best save of the game from Robsinon's shot, which was deflected out for a corner.
On the 11th minute Gateshead took the lead for a fourth time when Neil Shotton passed to Coates in the box who couldn't miss for his second goal.
Coates made it three on the night a minute later when a pass from Wetherly found him in the area. A nice shot flew past the marker and Dave (I can't handle crosses) Campbell completed Coates second hat-trick in four games.

Whitby then gave up the ghost and time wasting was easily done by the Gateshead team for the rest of the 15 minutes or so.
However, Dave Southern raced clear to score his first for the club after a dreaful tackle by Michael Laws on Jones at the other end of the pitch went unnoticed by the referee. After the goal was scored he did book Laws as Jones received treatment on the pitch.
Full Time: Gateshead 6, Whitby 3.
Whitby Team: Dave Campbell, Richard Dunning, Alex Gildea (Graeme Williams 45), Michael Laws, Aron Wilford, Graham Robinson, Steve Swales, Craig Veart, Lee Ure (Thomas Reid 89), Craig Skelton, Andy Wright (Frank Moran 57).

Wilford Treble Stuns Tigers

Whitby Town 3-2 Hyde United

26th October - Unibond Premier - Aron Wilford's second hat trick for the club kept the three points firmly in Whitby's grasp despite the visitors making them work all the way. Though always looking the better side, Whitby never seemed to be totally in command as Hyde threatened each time they came forward.

Wilford slots in his 2nd ©bjmje

After a cautious opening ten minutes Hyde keeper Crookes was called to make several good saves to keep the scores level. On 10 mins he blocked Gildea's shot from close range then two minutes later he did even better to deny Wilford. In between times though he was caught out when a cross goal drive from Veart beat everyone including Crookes. Dunning crept in at the far post & managed to get his head to the ball but it was a shade too high for him & the chance went begging as it went over the bar. On 19 minutes Hyde almost took the lead when a speculative cross from Meszaros on the right flank deceived Campbell & landed on top of the crossbar before bouncing to safety. Seconds later they went close again when Leon Smith's first time effort went wide of the target.
A mad three goals in two minutes spell followed on the half hour with the Blues netting twice in a minute. A right wing cross from Reid caused confusion between Crookes & Lomas resulting in neither getting to the ball. Wilford saw his chance & pounced at the far post for a simple tap-in. His second came after some excellent work by Zoll who laid on a perfect pass into the striker's path. As Crookes advanced, Wilford slotted past him as cool as you like. Before Whitby's celebrations had finished Hyde had pulled a goal back through Foster. The visitors launched a storming attack down the left flank where Woodhead delivered a teasing cross towards the Whitby goal. Campbell came for the cross but Foster beat him to it, flicking the ball over him with the deftest of headers.
More good work on 37 minutes almost saw Whitby regain their two goal advantage. He passed the ball along the edge of the Hyde penalty area where Tom Reid slammed a shot past Crookes which grazed the side of the post.
The second half saw both teams attacking in similar fashion & on 53 minutes Crookes pulled off another fine save by tipping a drive from Gildea over the bar for a corner. Wilford's deserved hat-trick came on 58 minutes when he latched onto a through ball from Veart. His first time shot took a slight deflection as it crept in at the near post but not enough to warrant an own-goal.
Hyde bounced back on 70 minutes when Farrow got on the blind side of Laws to take a glorious cross field pass in his stride. Campbell had no chance as the winger hit a stinging drive high into the net to make it 3-2.
With 5 minutes remaining, Wiford almost hit his & Whitby's fourth goal as he headed Veart's free kick against the crossbar.
Today was another exciting display from the Blues with some excellent finishing from Aron Wilford. A tentative defence made things a little less comfortable for the home side but it was three more welcome points.
Whitby Town - Campbell, Reid, Dunning,Laws, Williams, Dixon, Veart, Swales, Wilford (sub Skelton 90), Zoll (Sub Ure 76), Gildea. Sub not used: Reed

Whitby denied at the death

Altrincham 2-1 Whitby Town

19th October - Unibond Premier - After last weeks thrashing of Frickley, Whitby Town went into today's game in Cheshire in good heart, but were dealt a blow before the kick off, when Tom Reid was forced to pull out of the match after pulling a muscle during the warm up.
Harry Dunn also produced a shock by revealing a new goal keeper, David Campbell, who has swapped teams with Adam Dowell. I'm sure i've seen him before somewhere?
The game was played on a slick if undulating surface with both teams making a meal of possesion at times early on.
Craig Veart had two efforts blaze over the bar from 20 yards out, before Aron Wilford just failed to get on the end of Stefan Zoll's cross.
Altrincham should have taken the lead, mid way through the half when Campbell spilled a corner but somehow the ball was cleared off the line by a Blues defender.
Despite looking the more likely, Whitby went behind on the stroke of ahlf time, when Rod Thornley beat Micheal Laws for pace, and fell over his outstreched leg. Thornley then stepped up to send Cammy the wrong way from the resulting penalty.
This gave Altrincham some heart and they could have scored again in injury time.
Whitby were again the better side during the second half, even though Alty had a couple of weak headers go wide. Ben Dixon was replaced by Lee Ure on the hour, and Aron Wilford was forced to play in the centre of defence.
The Blues desevedly equalised after 63 minutes when Lee Ure found space down the Altrincham left and his right foot shot was deflected over by Maddox on the goal line, Luckily the referee spotted that he'd used his arm and awared the spot kick. Craig Veart duly converted the kick, to score his 6th goal of the season.
Just when you thought that was only going to be one team who was going to win the match, Altrincham went up the other end and scored! Mayhem in the Whitby defence resulted in a cross come pass back finding Peter Bandin acres of sapce and he swiveled to hammer the ball home.
Stefan Zoll nearly scored the goal of the season 5 minutes later, when he waltzed throught the home defence and his a cracking shot which the left the keeper stranded, but the ball canonned off the woodwork. Alex Gildea hit the ball over with the goal at his mecry from the rebound.
With time running out Acton in the home goal made the first of two outstanding saves. Vearts deep cross was met by Robinson who's header was heading for the top corner but Acton lept and pushed it over. From the resulting corner, the ball fell to Craig Veart was lashed a fierce 20 yard volley that was heading for the back of the net, until Acton flung himself to turn it over. That was it for Whitby. The Manchester jinx strikes again!
Whitby Town - Campbell, Veart, Dunning, Laws, Williams, Dixon (Ure 57), Swales, Robinson, Wilford, Zoll, Gildea, Sub not Used: Skelton.

Ding Dong! Seven One!

Frickley Athletic 1-7 Whitby Town

12th October - Uninbond Premier - Where do I begin? The rain finally stopped at Westfield Lane and the game got underway slightly early. Frickley had the best of the early exchanges and took the lead after 4 minutes when Morris's close range shot was scooped back from behind the line by Adam Dowell, but the linesman flagged for the goal, and there were no complaints from the Whitby lads.
Slowly the Seasiders got back into the game with some neat football and they equalised in the 17th minute when Tom Reid dispossessed the home defender and then knocked a great cross across the face of the goal for Aron Wilford to knock home from 6 yards out. Whitby took the lead in the 26th minute when Zoll and Wilford combined on the edge of the area which resulted in Wilford floating a ball to the back post where Craig Veart ran in to nod home.
Two minutes later it was 3-1 when a long pass down the line from Ben Dixon was collected by Richard Dunning, who had outpaced the Frcikley defence. The keeper wasleft with no option but to rush out to meet Dunning who immediatley chipped the keeper, and the ball fell into the path of the gratefull Wilford who tucked the ball away.
The second half started with Frickley attacking and they had a great chance to cut the arrears but Morris headed over from 6 yards out.
Whitby again looked comfortable playing their football, and Frickley looked so vunerable at the ball to the Seasiders quick breaks.
After an hour, Whitby extended their lead, and put the game beyond doubt when more good work between Zoll and Wilford ended up with the Frenchman hammering an unstoppable shot past Sidall. A minute later, Wilford completed his hattrick when Zoll fed the ball through to him from the right, and Wilford in acres of space had enough time to pick his spot as he slammed the ball home.
Zoll had a chance to increase the lead further but Siddall did well in the home goal to smother at his feet.
Lee Ure, who replaced Wilford, was put through after 84 minutes but again Siddall did well to parry but the rebound fell to Ure again who laid the ball back for Craig Skelton to slam home.
A minute later Ure then completed the rout when he was put through again in similar circumstances, but this time he made no mistake. The score was now an amazing 7-1 to the Seasiders!
Whitby Town - Dowell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Williams, Dixon, Robinson, Gildea, Wilford (Ure 67), Zoll (Skelton 70), Veart (Swales 63).

Robbo's strike grabs the points

Whitby Town 3-2 Ashton United

8th October - Unibond Premier - Graham Robinson marked his return to the first team with an 80th minute winner against UniBond September Team of the Month, Ashton United in a sparkling game at the windswept Turnbull Ground. He & Craig Veart returned to the side as Steve Swales was side-lined with a groin strain & Paul Campbell had been recalled to Darlington at the end of his loan spell.
The game had two goals inside the first 4 minutes with Whitby taking the lead in the second minute when Craig Veart's inswinging corner fooled everyone & curled into the back of the net as Stefan Zoll did his best to get the final touch to claim the goal. Two minutes later an uncharacteristic error from Ben Dixon let in Jason Dormer who's stubbed shot managed to find it's way through the crowded area & past the outstretched hand of Dowell into the corner of the net.
Stefan Zoll & Aron Wilford amazed and bewildered the Ashton defenders all evening with some dazzling footwork with both players unlucky on numerous occasions to find a goal. Zoll danced past a couple of defenders in the 9th minute before shooting straight at Trueman in the Ashton goal when a simple pass sideways to unmarked Veart might have brought a second goal. Michael Laws again made a foray into the visitors' penalty area but a mis-timed strike let him down as he saw his effort skid past the far post a minute later.
On 21 minutes Trueman made a fine save when he somehow managed to get an arm in the way of Veart's fierce free kick to concede a corner. In the next few minutes Whitby should have regained the lead with some excellent chances. First Robinson missed a good chance when he shot wide after some fine work from Wilford & then Trueman had to make another save to stop Wiford's dipping swerving strike from 20 yards. As half time approached Zoll again mesmerised the defence to get to the byline where he pulled the ball back to Veart. His shot was palmed out as far as Wilford who's reaction shot struck the foot of the post before rebounding to safety.
The second half saw Ashton pressure Whitby a little more & they had their reward on 50 minutes but in a bizarre fashion. A seemingly harmless ball headed towards Dowell but at the crucial time he slipped, the ball squirted from his hands straight to the feet of Fleury who gratefully accepted the chance to pop the ball into the net to make it 1-2. The lead lasted a mere 60 seconds as Tom Reid made a storming run down the right flank out of defence & hit a thundering drive at goal. The outstretched boot of a defender made a slight contact, possibly enough to deflect it past the keeper but never the less the ball hit the inside of the far post & nestled in the net.
Zoll had a wonderful chance on 67 minutes when he raced clear but with just the keeper to beat he blazed wide when a simple side foot strike would have been far more accurate. Soon afterwards Dowell was called upon to make a fine save as Cornelly's shot was on it's way into the top corner of the net.
Whitby's neat, skilful footwork should have put them ahead once more on 74 mins when a lovely one-two between Wilford & Gildea ended with the latter's shot beating the keeper but also missing the target. The winner came with 10 minutes remaining, Gildea again with the crucial deft pass into Robinson's path. The midfielder kept his composure in front of goal to knock the ball past Trueman for his third goal of the season. Ashton almost sneaked a point in the very last minute but Dowell was alert to stop Cornelly's free kick from the edge of the area.
Another welcome three points for the Blues but the most pleasing aspect of the evening must have been the way they played. They now have players in all departments who look & feel comfortable on the ball and are also willing to take opponents on. From the two full backs & the central defenders through midfield to the front line, we now have skilful ball players who can win matches. All they have to do now is realise that playing football on the deck & not by humping the ball skywards, is the way Whitby Town play best.
Tonight was an excellent display, despite one or two lapses and even the attendance looked a little higher than of late. Hopefully word of good displays like this will get round & the stay-away fans will want to come back.
Whitby Town - Dowell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Williams, Dixon, Robinson, Gildea, Wilford, Zoll (sub Ure 80), Veart. Subs not used: Swales & Skelton

Mariners sunk by Blues

Whitby Town 2-0 Marine

5th October - Unibond Premier - Though not a classic performance by any means, it was three welcome points for the Seasiders & a marked improvement over last Saturday's best-forgotten FA Cup tie. The defence looked solid, restricting the visitors to long range efforts and on the odd occasion they managed to break through, Adam Dowell was in fine form to keep a clean sheet.
Both sides started cautiously and it wasn't until the 15th minute that the first effort went in on goal when Michael Laws did well to create himself space at the back of the penalty area before blasting his volley over the bar. Two minutes later however, Whitby took the lead through a startling goal from Stefan Zoll. Given the ball outside the marine area he brushed off challenges from three defenders before casually slotting the ball past visiting keeper Stewart. On the half hour he could have added another to his tally when again he left defenders in his wake but this time hooked his shot over the bar from a tight angle. Marine countered & caught the Blues on the break a minute later but Thompson's 20 yard drive sailed high over Dowell's crossbar. As the first half drew to a close, Zoll should have scored his & Whitby's second goal when he was totally unmarked at the back post. With time to spare though, he decided to go for glory & volley home instead of placing a header past the stranded keeper but his shot flew high & wide.
Marine started the second half brightly looking for an equaliser & in the 48th minute McNally had their best chance so far when he headed Hussin's free kick over the bar. Black had a chance shortly afterwards but he stubbed his shot & the ball rolled gently to Dowell.
On the hour Keegan dispossessed Reid & his cross should have been converted by Gelling but he blazed wide of the post from close range. That was it as far as Marine could offer & the game was made safe in the 70th minute when good interplay between Zoll & Campbell created the chance, after a fortunate ricochet, for the latter to strike the ball wide of the despairing keeper to make it 2-0.
Stewart kept the score respectable soon afterwards when he denied Ure with a superb one-handed stop just as it looked as though the ball was destined for the corner of the goal.
Dowell made a brilliant save in the dying seconds of the game to foil Gelling's close range diving header after another deep free kick by Culshaw.
Whitby Town Dowell, Reid,Gildea,Laws,Williams,Dixon,Campbell, Swales (sub Veart 86), Wilford (Sub Robinson 84), Zoll (sub Ure 70).

No Cup Run This Year

Whitby Town 0-4 Bradford Park Avenue

28th September - FA Cup 2nd Qualifying - Bradford Park Avenue completely annihilated a poor Whitby side on an embarrassing afternoon at the Turnbull Ground. Right from the kick-off, Adam Dowell in the Seasiders' net had to be alert to block Maxwell's close range effort. Laws nodded Daly's header off the line moments later. On 8 minutes, another goalmouth scramble saw two efforts blocked in Whitby's 6 yard box as Avenue stamped their authortity on the game.
Whitby woke up on 10 minutes when Swales' cross found Dunning on the edge of the box, but the Blackburn man's vicious drive caught his teammate Alex Gildea in the face and was cleared. Avenue should have taken the lead on 13 minutes but Stansfield hooked over the Whitby bar from point blank range. The 19th minute saw Wilford curled in a dangerous shot that narrowly cleared the Avenue crossbar. Five minutes later, chaos in the Whitby box saw Maxwell stab home at the far post only for Referee Mr Reeves to spot an infringement and disallow the strike.
The crowd's attention was then diverted to a minor scuffle on the Kop, completely orchestrated by the visitors' shit stirring bus driver. Whitby had their best chance on 33 minutes when Arron Wilford had to efforts blocked by alert Bradford keeper Pfannenstiel. But at the other end, Dean Martin took advantage of some slack Whitby marking to head home Quinn's cross at the far post to give Bradford the lead on 36 minutes.
Stansfield drove his left foot volley into the side netting three minutes from the break. Lee Ure replaced Craig Rand at the break for Whitby, and the move almost paid off two minutes in, when Ure's cross found Gildea who turned beautifully but saw his drive palmed away by Pffanensteil, Wilford drove the follow-up into the side netting. But the sucker punch came on 52 minutes when Avenue brock quickly and won a throw which Maxwell headed accurately over Dowell and in off the far post for 2-0.
Five minutes later, Zoll's neat back header was expertly tipped over by Pffanenstiel. Then, on 62 minutes Swales hammered a 30 yard free-kick against the Avenue keeper's right hand post as the rub of the green continue to elude the home side. However, just as it seemed as if Whitby were starting to get a foot hold in the match, Stansfield was allowed too much space in the Whitby box and was able to drive clinically low past Dowell to effectively seal the result. Swales was unlucky to see another piledriver from distance expertly tipped over the bar by Avenue's impressive German keeper. Whitby brought on striker Graham Robinson on 72 minutes for Zoll, but to little avail.
Now there was only one team that looked likely to score and they duly obliged on 83 minutes when Prendergast was sent clear to round Dowell and his shot beat Laws on the line and nestled in the bottom right corner for 4-0.
Whitby: Dowell, Reid, Dixon, Laws, Williams, Rand(Ure 45), Dunning, Swales, Wilford, Zoll(Robinson 72), Gildea. Subs not used: Veart, Skelton.

Wilford double, seals the points

Whitby Town 3-1 Frickley Athletic

24th September - Unibond Premier - After Saturday's poor performance it was imperative for the Blues to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible & tonight's display was just what the doctor ordered.
An excellent all-round team performance with Rand & Laws commanding the defence, Reid raiding down the right wing & Wilford yet again showing how well he's adapted to his new role of striker with two more goals.
Despite their lowly position, Frickley held second placed Burscough to a draw at the weekend & started the game in confident mood. They went close in the very first minute when Evans should have scored from a point blank header but incredibly headed over the bar.
Three minutes later Craig Rand hit a vicious swerving, dipping shot at goal forcing keeper Samways into the first of at least top class saves on the night. Frickley's man-of-the-match kept them in the game until very late in the proceedings defying almost everything Whitby threw at him.
A slick move down the right wing began when Laws threaded through a precision pass to Reid that split the visitors' defence wide open. Reid made his way to the touchline & hammered over a low cross that Samways did well to palm clear but only as far as Zoll. The Whitby striker headed goalwards but again Samways was on the spot to deny him.
Whitby's opening goal came on 11 minutes with yet another fast paced move, again involving Reid. This time the full-back's whipped cross beat the keeper to find Alex Gildea in the right place to side foot the ball into goal.
On the half hour Wilford outsmarted Henstock to get a shot in on goal. The striker miss-hit the ball which deceived & beat Samways but Gowen was well placed to clear the ball off the line. Three minutes later Samways hurled himself full stretch to tip Gildea's goalbound piledriver around the post & from the cleared corner kick Whitby broke back again with a lightning raid down the right flank. Campbell passed to Wilford who in turn fed Gildea but yet again the keeper denied him. The one-man show continued just before the break when Wilford showed how high his confidence is by trying to deftly chip the keeper from outside the area á la Harry Kewell but Samways some how made up the ground to tip the ball over the bar.
The second half began brightly for Frickley as they mounted early assaults in search of a leveller but after 10 minutes of trying in vain Whitby gradually gained back their first half dominance. Wilford was denied again on the hour by the keeper but he was soon to be rewarded four minutes afterwards when his 18 yard shot squirmed through the hands of the diving Samways to make his only error of the night. With the game being played out to a close Frickley pulled a goal back with 5 minutes remaining as substitute Paul Burke found himself unmarked 6 yards out to head home a corner kick. The reprieve was short lived however as Wilford scored his second goal when he worked his way inside from the right wing & pulled his shot back across the keeper to slot home the sweetest of shots into the corner of the net.
Had the score been higher it wouldn't have flattered the Blues so let's hope they continue in similar fashion in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Whitby Town - Dowell, Reid, Dunning, Laws, Williams, Rand, Campbell, Swales, Wilford (sub Robinson 87), Zoll (sub Ure 87), Gildea. Sub not used: Veart

Celtic end away run

Stalybridge Celtic 2-0 Whitby Town

21st September - Unibond Premier - Whitby Town's unbeaten away record was surrendered in surprisingly meek fashion at Stalybridge Celtic on Saturday.
Whitby were forced to make two changes from the side that played so well at Worksop on the Tuesday night due to injuries to Graeme Williams and Paul Campbell.
Also missing was Lee Ure, who failed to turn up, and youngster Sean Hope was included at left back with Steve Swales returning in midfield.
In the past, Bower Fold, the home of Stalybridge Celtic, has been a happy hunting ground for Whitby but it was not to be on Saturday as the Blues turned in their worst display of the season.
A goal in each half was enough to give Stalybridge victory and shatter Whitby's proud away record as the home side dominated from start to finish.
Whitby were restricted to just one shot on target in the entire 90 minutes while Stalybridge were guilty of missing a hatful of chances.
That they only scored twice was more down to poor finishing and bad luck than a sound defence as Whitby were run ragged.
Stalybridge opened brightly and threatened the Whitby goal three times in the first five minutes. Colin Potts and Chris Denham tested Adam Dowell and Tom Reid had to head off the line from from John Robinson.
With Stalybridge piling on the pressure the surprise was that it took until the 40th minute for Whitby to crack. An innocuous 30-yard drive from Phil Eastwood looked easy meat for Dowell but he inexplicably let the ball slip under his body and into the net.
The second half continued in similar fashion with Stalybridge wasting chance after chance. In the 60th minute, Sean Hope was replaced by Richard Dunning.
As the game wore on, Whitby looked likely to sneak an equaliser but every time they got into the Stalybridge last third the moves broke down.
In the 80th minute, Whitby brought on Graham Robinson for full-back Reid to add more firepower but to no avail.
In the 85th minute, Stalybridge made the game safe when Craig Veart lost possession in midfield and Potts and Denham combined to release Eastwood whose delightful chip left Dowell stranded and seal the points for Stalybridge.
After playing so well at Worksop, Whitby, with the exception of Craig Rand and Tom Reid, had an off day and could not settle into their normal rhythm.
Whitby Town: Dowell, Reid (Robinson 80), Hope (Dunning 60), Laws, Rand, Dixon, Swales, Gildea, Wilford, Zoll, Veart; sub Ross.

Another away draw for Whitby

Worksop Town 0-0 Whitby Town

17th September - Unibond Premier - From the Worksop Today webpage - THE difference between success and failure in football can often be measured by the smallest of margins. Anyone in any doubt about that statement should look no further than Tuesday night's game. For while it was not a failure for Worksop to draw, the fact they did not earn a win was down to the matter of a few inches. Take for instance Darren Roberts' shot that, following a slight touch by the keeper, struck the underside of the bar. Had the ball been a little lower, or come of the bar at a slightly different angle, it would have been the goal that would have almost certainly put the Tigers on the road to victory. As it was, that incident was just one in a catalogue of several close run things that made all the difference. Worksop's first opening of the game came in the ninth minute as Richard Peacock cut in from the left and drilled a shot over the top. Andy Todd then brought visiting keeper Adam Donnell to his knees with a shot on the turn, while Michael Laws produced a good tackle to prevent the striker bursting clear from Darren Beesley's 30-yard pass. Carl Smith then lobbed the ball back into the danger area in the 21st minute but though Todd got his head to the ball, Donnell managed to block the effort. Another chance came the way of the number 11 on the half hour as he acrobatically volleyed over after a centre from Peacock. And two minutes later, Roberts was holding his head in disbelief when his drilled first time volley came back of the frame of the woodwork. In first half stoppage time, Whitby almost grabbed a shock lead but Brain Ross missed his header from Tom Reid's cross. Refreshed from the break, the Tigers came out with renewed purpose for the second period and Steve Hawes almost put Roberts clear, only for Donnell to smother. In the 55th minute, The Whitby keeper could not hold a Mark Barnard free-kick that bounced nastily just in front of him but his defence recovered to scramble the ball clear. Dave McCarthy showed his powers of concentration in the 61st minute when, after a period of inactivity, he held a Stefan Zoll header after a pinpoint Ross centre. From then on, more Worksop pressure followed and substitute Gary Townsend nearly sneaked a winner when his shot was gathered in by Donnell at full stretch. In the last 10 minutes, Todd was involved in two pieces of action that could have seen Tigers clinch the three points. First, he chose to shoot and blasted over when a cross to Roberts or Townsend would have yielded a tap in. And then he was hauled back as he raced into the area but the referee Mr Morrison decided against awarding a penalty. Whitby did not help the flow of the game throughout as they came to Sandy Lane to defend and claim a point, which they duly did. But, of course, it was not without an element of luck, and that luck will not always be with the visiting side.

Zoll triple secure a triple pointer

Whitby Town 3-0 Gainsborough Trinity

14th September - Unibond Premier - After Tuesday's nail-biter where the Blues conceded three early goals, today was pleasing not only for the win but for the clean sheet as well. The Whitby team kept Aron Wilford in as a striker where he's been so effective of late, Ben Dixon returned to the centre of the defence & Tom Reid replaced Craig Veart at full-back.
The drizzly conditions made for some fast play which seemed to help the home side more than the visitors with Reid & Ure linking up well in the first half causing all sorts of problems for the Trinity defence down the right hand side of play. Aron Wilford again proved his worth on the front line but it was Stefan Zoll who stole the headlines with an excellent hat-trick. Whitby began the game in usual style, attacking from the first whistle. With 6 minutes gone they almost took the lead when Wilford's carefully placed lob almost caught out Richardson in the Trinity goal and then again minutes later the same player curled a long range effort towards the top corner of the goal where the keeper plucked it out of the air.
On the half hour, Richardson again came Gainsborough's rescue with two fine saves in quick succession. Firstly he tipped Campbell's header acrobatically over the bar from Ure's pinpoint cross, then from the ensuing corner kick he was well placed to block another one from Laws. A minute later Williams slipped a great ball through to Ure who beat off one defender before hammering his shot into the side netting.
With 36 minutes gone, Whitby got the breakthrough they deserved. Ben Dixon blazed a 25 yard shot goalwards only to see it tipped behind for a corner by Richardson at full stretch. The place kick was hit deep, over the crowded penalty area but dropped nicely to Zoll lurking at the back post who blasted the ball high into the roof of the net giving the keeper no chance.
The second have began cautiously & could have swung back in Trinity's favour on 54 minutes. A Whitby attack broke down in the opponents half & a quick counter attack saw Stant race into the Blues half of the field & flick the ball to Ellington. He struck a sweet shot past Dowell but thankfully for the home side Laws was in the right place on the goal line to chest the ball to safety. Two goals in a minute settled the game for Whitby & both goals from Zoll got him his first hat trick for the club. On 64 minutes he was presented with a simple tap in after some good work from Lee Ure & then followed up with a poacher's goal by snapping up a rebound off Richardson from Wilford's crashing drive.
Gainsborough struggled back towards the latter stages of the game when Dowell was forced to pull off a fine save from Stant's 30 yard dipping free kick but Whitby ended the game as they began, on the attack. A three man move involving Reid, Campbell & Wilford ended with a fine save from the latter by Richardson. All in all a solid performance by the Blues who seem to have found just the right balance after a lot of experimentation of late. With players still on the sidelines fighting for a place in the side, things are looking a lot healthier for Whitby
Whitby Town - Dowell, Reid,Gildea, Laws, Williams, Dixon, Swales, Campbell, Wilford, Ure (sub Ross 79m) Subs not used: Rand & Veart

4-4! What!

Whitby Town 4-4 Blyth Spartans

10th September - Unibond Premier - Thrilling, exciting, controversial! It just HAS to be a Whitby v Blyth game! The game never fails to deliver & tonight was no exception.
Three nil down at half time & the game was all but lost. A change of tactic after the break by pushing Wilford up front & the game was turned on it's head completely. Three-one...3-2...3-3... 4-3 Whitby in the 93rd minute.... 4-4 after 99 minutes of a cracking derby game with yellow cards in abundance & Blyth's Paddy Little sent off for a second bookable offence.
The game began at a breakneck pace but 10 minutes late due the floodlights failing to light properly. Whitby had two new signings in the squad, Paul Campbell on the forward line from Darlington & Sean Hope on the bench (Coventry). Campbell impressed & scored a good equaliser late in the game. After an evenly contested opening Blyth went ahead on 27 minutes from a free kick on the edge of Whitby's area. The ball was touched to Williams who sent his shot through a crowd of players into the corner of the net. An error from Veart gave them their second on the half hour & Robson pounced to stab the ball over the line from close range. On the stroke of half time Little scored a tremendous third from a looping 30 yard free kick into the far corner of the goal.
Half time saw the Spartans rampant & odds on favourites to romp the second half too. Enter Aaron Wilford at centre forward, the position he's occupied the previous couple of games with devastating effect. He should have pulled a goal back in the very first minute of the second half when he hammered the ball into the side netting from a great cross by Veart. Whitby's first goal came on 54 minutes courtesy of a penalty after Forster was adjudged to have fouled Campbell. Veart dispatched the kick coolly into the back of the net. It was 2-3 on 67 minutes when Wilford headed home powerfully from Swales' corner and two minutes later Blyth were down to 10 men when Little was sent off after body-checking Veart. Campbell almost opened his account on 76 minutes when his lob past the keeper struck the post but did so after 89 minutes when he slammed the ball home from 20 yards after he latched onto a loose ball. Whitby continued to surge forward in search of a winner even though the game was into stoppage time & were rewarded on 93 minutes when Lee Ure somehow managed to strike home at the far post from the narrowest of angles after some excellent work by Campbell.
Despite desperately trying to run out the remaining minutes, Whitby were unable to hang on when a free kick in the 99th minute was nodded home by substitute Scott Emerson to dash Whitby's hopes of all three points.
Whitby Town - Dowell, Williams,Veart (sub Gildea 81), Laws, Wilford, Rand, Ross (sub Hope h-t) Swales, Campbell, Ure, Zoll. Sub Reid not used

Late Barrow goal denies Whitby

Barrow 2-2 Whitby Town

7th September - Unibond Premier - Goals from Lee Ure and Stefan Zoll saw Whitby Town take the lead twice against Barrow today. The home side managed to claw the game back twice though with the final equaliser coming in the 81st minute.

Whitby Town 4-2 Harrogate Town

3rd September - Unibond Premier - Whitby managed to bounce back from Saturday's uninspiring home defeat with a 4-2 win over Yorkshire rivals Harrogate in an incident packed game at the Turnbull.
The stars of the home team were Tom Reid returning to right back & creating problems throughout the game for the visitors & Aaron Wilford playing at centre forward tormenting their defence & capping his display with a goal in the dying minutes.
It was a far better display from the Blues though the final scoreline was a little flattering as Harrogate keeper Connor was sent off in the 50th minute for flattening Lee Ure. Despite the man advantage for 40 minutes, it was the visitors who looked the better side when they came back from a two goal deficit to level the scores before Whitby finally clinched the game late in the game.
Whitby almost took the lead in the very first minute when Swales' corner was headed out by McNaughton just before it could cross the goal line. Both teams began the game at a blistering pace but it was the home team who broke the deadlock in the 10th minute when Lee Ure slid the ball home at the far post after Tom Reid had latched onto a through ball, beat a defender & pulled it back from the touchline.
Harrogate had a good chance to level 5 minutes later when Albery headed straight at Dowell from close range when he should have done better. The play for the remainder of the half was fairly even but it could have been closer had Veart not cleared the ball off the line just before the interval & Dowell had not made a super save from Hunter.
The game stepped up a gear in the second half & Wilford can count himself unfortunate not to have increased the lead when his curling shot beat keeper Connor but cannoned off the inside of the post before rebounding to safety.
The turning point of the game was the sending off on 50 minutes when Connor upended Ure in the penalty area to concede the spot kick & get himself dismissed into the bargain. Veart crashed the ball into the back of the net giving stand-in keeper Paul Sykes no chance.
All credit to Harrogate who came back at Whitby immediately & defied their man disadvantage when they reduced the arrears 6 minutes later. McNaughton's deep right wing cross caught the Whitby defence napping & Hunter sneaked in behind to hammer the ball into the opposite corner of the net. The visitors battled on regardless after this & kept pushing forward but almost paid a heavy price on 76 minutes when Veart's free kick was headed goalwards by Dixon but at the last instant Sykes pulled off a tremendous one handed save to push the ball to safety. With 7 minutes remaining Harrogate defender Merris scored a peach of a goal when he sliced through the Blues defence to thump the ball past Dowell to make it 2-2. Before panic could set in Whitby regained the lead seconds later when hero Sykes became villain. Substitute Zoll's 20 yard strike seemed to have been saved at full stretch by Sykes but somehow it managed to squirm through him & creep over the line to make it 3-2 to the home side. The game was made safe with 4 minutes left, Zoll again causing the problems when he homed in on goal. With only Sykes between him & a second goal the striker passed gracefully to Wilford who rounded of the night by drilling the ball into the net through Sykes' legs.
Whitby Town - Dowell, Reid, Veart, Laws, Dixon, Williams, Ross, Swales, Wilford A, Ure (sub Zoll 75m), Gildea. Subs not used: Graham, Wilford(Neil)

Whitby Town 0-2 Burscough

31st August - Unibond Premier -A thoroughly frustrating & disappointing display by the Blues let Burscough depart the Turnbull with all 3 points today despite creating numerous good chances to grab at least something from the game.
Decimated by injuries, Whitby played four centre halves along the back line with Rand & Dixon occupying the full back slots yet seemed to have things fairly well in control for the first half.
Whitby should have taken the lead in the opening minute of the game when Gildea tore through the visitors & set off on goal. With the keeper coming off his line Gildea let loose a powerful shot which Taylor managed to get his fingertips onto & concede an early corner. The opening flourish for Whitby soon fizzled out as the Burscough defence regrouped & settled down thanks in the main to player/manager and former Aston Villa player Sean Teale. His class at the heart of their defence showed throughout the game making Whitby concentrate their meagre attacks down the flanks.On 14 minutes, Dowell made the first of several fine saves when he blocked McHale's drive & then forced Martindale to shoot into the side netting from close range. Ten minutes later Dowell was called into action again to push John Norman's 20 yard drive around the post. From the corner Whitby broke away & Wilford's long range effort flew just over the crossbar. The Blues maintained their forays forward & on 37 minutes Skelton struck the sweetest of volleys against the top of the bar from an excellent left wing cross by Dixon.
The second half began disastrously for the Blues when Rand conceded a penalty in the 47th minute which was dispatched clinically by Martindale who blasted the ball into the centre of the goal. McHale should have doubled their lead on the hour when he found a good position inside the penalty area but instead of placing his shot he opted for power & Dowell was in the right place to make the save. A minute later Whitby countered & Zoll was unlucky to see his effort skim over the bar with Taylor beaten.
The deciding goal came in the 64th minute after some dreadful marking by Whitby. First they conceded possession inside their own half & secondly left McHale totally alone on the far edge of the 6 yard box where he deftly headed the ball over Dowell.
Whitby tried to freshen play up by introducing their substitutes but the Burscough defence had things under control for most of the second half. The Blues rallied late on & should have had at least a consolation goal 8 minutes from time but Skelton somehow managed to steer his header wide of the goal from 5 yards out. Swales & Wilford both had shots on goal in the dying seconds of the game but it was too little too late again.
Too many misplaced passes, slack marking & very little creativity cost Whitby all three points in a game they could easily have earned a point from. Hopefully the return of key players from injury should improve things but the game against Harrogate on Tuesday night looks set to be another struggle on today's performance.
Whitby Town - Dowell, Rand (Sub Graham 70m), Dixon, Laws, Wilford, Veart (Sub Ross 82m), Reid, Swales, Skelton, Zoll (Sub Ure 67m), Gildea.

Double penalties save day for Whitby

Hyde United 3-3 Whitby Town

24th August - Unibond Premier - Whitby took on a Hyde United side still thanking their lucky stars that they weren'y relegated last season.
From various reports :- Whitby seemed to have the better possession and played the better football in todays game but went behind in the 13th minute, Lee Evans flicking the ball over Phil Naisbett in the Blues goal. Whitby were again lacking that finish up front. Hyde went 2-0 up when Madin scored for the home side after 53 minutes.
Blues sub Lee Ure outpaced the Hyde defence to pull a goal back on the hour mark, but Hyde immediately got the defecit back to two, when Madin scored his second from 30 yards out.
Whitby were awarded a penalty in the 69th minuted after some holding in the box. Craig Veart slotted home.
The Blues were awarded a second penalty when Ure was tripped in the box on 83 minutes and Veart slammed home to level the scores.
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Reid, Rand, Laws, Wilford, Dixon, Gildea, Veart, Robinson, Swales, Skelton - subs Ure, Zoll, Williams.

Robbo grabs point for Unlucky Blues

Ashton United 1-1 Whitby Town

20th August - Unibond Premier - After Saturday's opening win, Whitby Town travelled across the pennines to take on newly promoted Ashton United at their Surrey Street ground. Stefan Zoll was missing due to work commitments so Craig Skelton started up front, with Graham Robinson continuing as captain.
The game started out at a good pace, with both sides trying to play the ball around. Whitby were definitely in control of the game and came closest to scoring in the first 10 minutes when some good interchanges on the edge of the home area saw Dunning crash the ball against the bar from 25 yards with the keeper well beaten. The Blues kept the pressure up without really threatening the goal, but it was Ashton who took the lead against the run of play. A corner from the left found their centre half in space and his header squeezed past the post and the Blues defender on the line.
Predictably the goal gave the home side some heart but a couple of long range efforts were all they had to show. In injury time in first half, Whitby got level. A fantastic ball through the middle from Dunning saw Robinson beat the offside trap and run clear for a one on one. The home keeper came out to meet the Whitby skipper on the penalty spot and pulled off a great block but was unlucky to see the ball cannon back off Robinson who slotted the ball home from a tighter angle. Half time and the score was 1-1 with Whitby winning on points.
The second half was a similar affair only this time Whitby looked much more in control. Ashton didn't really get to grips with the game and were pretty disappointing. The home defence, to be fair, kept things tight at the back, not allowing Skelton any time, and as is usual with defenders, clatterring Lee Ure when he came on.
The Blues played some neat football and Swales who was effective in midfield, Dunning and Veart all had efforts wide.
The second half was that good to watch that the time flew by and the referee blew up before you knew it.
Overall, I think we'd have taken a point from this game as newly promoted teams seem to perform well in their first season in the Premier division. Ashton will get better, but from a Whitby point of view, so will we. This is a game we would have lost last season. Dominating the play and giving away a silly goal at the death, but the lads loooked good and comfortable. A trip to last season's strugglers Hyde United now beckons on Friday. A win there would be nice, seeing as how their fans have got a thing about us!!
Whitby Town - Naisbett, Reid, Williams (Gildea), Laws, Wilford, Dixon, Dunning, Swales, Robinson, Skelton (Ure), Veart. Sub not used - Rand.

Its a winning start!!

Whitby Town 1-0 Colwyn Bay

17th August - Unibond Premier - Before the game I joked this would be a "six-pointer" after the way last season unfolded but after the game maybe it isn't going to be too wide of the mark. Any win is a good win at any time of the season but today was a struggle for the Blues with Phil Naisbett being the busier of the two keepers.
Of the debutants today Tom Reid had a very solid performance & local lad Stephen Swales showed why he's played for several league clubs before "coming home" again. Stefan Zoll showed some neat touches & worked hard and Michael Laws had a solid start in defence.
Both teams came out of the blocks in a hurry, maybe too much so as passes were going astray and being overhit from the first whistle. Zoll had the first effort of the season for the Blues when his angled shot flew wide on 9 minutes but it was Williams who went closer on 21 minutes when his long range swerving shot just curled over the top of the crossbar. Five minutes later an error from Williams set Colwyn Bay up with a chance when McIlvogue thumped a drive just wide of Naisbett's right post.
The game came to life with 5 minutes of the half remaining when Bay's Stannard hit a screamer of a shot goalwards which Naisbett made look ridiculously easy when he plucked it out of the air. From that move Whitby broke away & took the lead when Zoll played an inch perfect pass into Robinson's path. As the keeper advanced he side footed the ball round Roberts & the crowd held it's breath as it ran towards the goal. The ball struck the post & rebounded along the goal line but there was enough spin on it to creep into the net.
Colwyn Bay rallied instantly & should have levelled the scores 2 minutes later when Rigby's right wing cross was met by Caton who headed the ball straight into Naisbett's arms. A minute later Naisbett again saved the Blues by making a full stretched flying save to concede a corner. However right on time stand-in keeper Roberts made an even better save when he tipped Reid's cracking drive onto the post to keep his side in the game.
Whitby started the second half on the attack & Veart headed Robinson's cross at the keeper from close range. Swales almost scored on his debut after 49 minutes but Roberts made an easy save from the midfielder's curling drive.
Just before the hour mark Bay had their best effort when McIlvogue's looping header beat Naisbett but unfortunately came back off the underside of the bar. Stannard must be kicking himself after his miss on 72 minutes when from 5 yards out he volleyed over the bar with the goal at his mercy. With 8 minutes to go Carl Furlong could have equalised but he headed wide of the mark much to the relief of the Whitby defence who'd left him unmarked.
Two minutes later Craig Skelton found himself one-on-one with Roberts & slotted the ball past him only to watch it hit the foot of the post. The same player was unlucky not to score in the third minute of added time when he lobbed the ball over the keeper but it struck the top of the woodwork.
The Blues came away with the points after a display that last season would have seen them leave with nothing. Maybe their luck has changed? It's early days of course but there are better teams to face in the coming months so things will have to improve.
Naisbett, Reid (sub Rand 82m), Veart, Laws, Wilford, Dixon, Dunning, Swales, Williams (sub Skelton 72m), Zoll (Sub Ure 64m), Robinson (Capt).

Norton 1-2 Whitby Town

6th August - Friendly - Craig Skelton scored both Whitby goals in a 2-1 victory over Northern League Norton in Tuesday night's away friendly. Whitby again included a number of trialists in an entertaining game. Whitby went in front in the seventh minutes when Skelton collected Craig Veart's through ball and drew the keeper to slot home. The Blues went two up in the 18th minute when ex-Norton striker Lee Ure was put through. Ure's first shot hit a post and rebounded for Andrew Mitchell whose shot was palmed out by the keeper only for Skelton to tap home. In the 21st minute, Graeme Williams gave away a penalty which was saved by keeper Phil Nasibett. Norton pulled back a goal in the 42nd minute with an overhead kick from a corner. Whitby made several changes at the start of the second half and were awarded a penalty when Ure was fouled but Skelton's spot kick hit the foot of a post, denying him his hat-trick. Whitby: Naisbett, S Williams, Price, Bell, Laws, G Williams, Anderson, Mitchell, Skelton, Ure, Veart, subs, Dowell, McGann, Duell.

Second String battle away

Garforth 2-3 Whitby Town XI

4th August - Friendly - A Whitby side consisting mostly of reserve players travelled to the outskirts of Leeds on Sunday to challenge a useful Garforth side at their Wheatley Road home.
Only Ben Dixon and Stefan Zoll were recognised first teamers with TV pundit Chris Kamara's son Christian making another appearance in central defence, but it was youngster Glen Smith, a former Staithes player from Brotton, who grabbed the limelight with both hands in his first full game of the season.
On six minutes, his acrobatic long throw cleared the packed Garforth box allowing Dixon to head home unmarked at the far post as Whitby grabbed the lead.
On 12 minutes, the hosts hit a post with a neat turn and shot and moments later levelled the scores when a well hit drive deflected onto Taylor's head and rocketed into the top right corner of the Whitby net.
The Smith show continued on the half-hour when the striker's electric pace took him round Gautrey to slot into an empty net, to restore Whitby's lead.
But, five minutes later, the Seasiders' defensive frailties were exposed when a neat Garforth move saw Haigh sent clear to poke past Griggs' desperate dive and into the bottom right corner.
The game slowed slightly after the break, with both sides threatening in patches.
But the Whitby winner came from the irrepressible Smith in the final five minutes. Zoll slammed his 20 yard free-kick against the Garforth wall and the loose ball fell kindly for Smith to chip neatly into the top right corner of the Garforth net, before celebrating with an acrobatic backward somersault.
Whitby Town: Griggs, O'Sullivan, Tonge, Dixon, Kamara, Moran, McGee, Zoll, Haslam, Smith, N Wilford; subs: Jewell, McGillycuddy, Cook, Scott.
Before the main event, supporters from each side faced off in a re-match from last season's epic 4-4 draw at Whitby.
This time it was a very different story as the home side romped to an 8-1 victory in sweltering heat. The Seasiders could field just nine men after late withdrawals, the hosts kindly loaning two pretty useful players of their own. The only ray of sunshine football-wise for the Blues fans was a goal on 52 minutes driven home by Mark Jackson. Tony Clarkson impressed in the Whitby goal, pulling off some impressive stops, earning the visitors' man of the match award.
Whitby Supporters: Clarkson, Agar, Dixon, Jackson, Snaith, Swales, Stuart, Headlam, Woodward.

Blues get tonked by Taylors Quakers

Whitby Town 0-5 Darlington

31st July - Friendly - Fielding an almost entire first team line up, visitors Darlington took apart the Whitby team in the thick mist shrouding the Turnbull Ground. Three first half goals in the 21st, 31st & 44th minute saw the game sewn up with the other goals being slotted away in the 57th & 62nd minutes.
A polished performance by Tommy Taylor's Quakers never gave the Blues a sniff of a chance & keeper Collett left the pitch without a blemish on his kit.
Hopefully Saturday's game at home to Glapwell will not provide such stiff opposition & hopefully we can find the back of the net once more. One thing of note is that when we do very well in the pre-season friendlies, we're usually dreadful in the league. Let's hope it works the other way round.
Whitby Town - Dowell, Reid, Veart, Graham, Laws, Wilford, Dunning, Skelton, Robinson, Zoll, Ure. Subs (all used): Naisbett, Price, Mitchell, Bell, Williams.G

Spirited Blues go down at Chip Stadium

Scarborough 2-1 Whitby Town

A spirited & at times very skilful display by the Blues should have earned them a creditable draw at the McCain Stadium though I'm sure our neighbours will think themselves fortunate to have 3 fine local officials in charge. One linesman was almost psychic at times in that his flag was raised before a Whitby player had even kicked the ball forward.
The home side took the lead mid way through the first half but after a half time reshuffle the Blues were back in the game when Lee Ure levelled the scores near the hour. The game was decided when Whitby's keeper palmed a low cross away & before he knew it, the ball was thumped back into the goal.
Of the two managers I think Harry Dunn will be the more pleased as his side were always the equal of their hosts.
A disappointing crowd of 350 saw the game & from where I was in the "Away" end there were only 15 fans, four of which were a family on holiday from Portsmouth wanting to watch a game. More Blues fans seemed to be in amongst the home fans in their 'shed end'.

Blues stroll past Mackem Youngsters

Whitby Town 3-0 Sunderland U-19

24th July - Friendly - Whitby strolled to a comfortable victory in front of a meagre 126 crowd against Sunderland's Under 19 side. The Turnbull pitch hadn't a trace of mud or puddle despite sound questionable weather at times, though the grass was quite long. French striker Steffan Zoll, Pickering's top scorer last season had a solid game, holding up the ball well and distributing it intelligently. Graham Robinson also impressed, with one of his best games for a long time. The South African was strong in the air and rose well to beat keeper Straker in the air to nod home Wilford's clever lofted pass on 34 minutes. Within five minutes of the re-start, Robbo had his second when Zoll reclaimed possession on the edge of the box and played in Smith down the left, who crossed for Robinson to slide home unchallenged at the far post. On the hour mark, against the run of play, the visitors won a penalty when Sullivan sprinted clear only for Wilford to shove him in the back to stop him firmly in his tracks. However, when the Sunderland man dusted himself off to take the kick, Dowell guessed correctly and pulled off a top block, pushing the ball round his right hand post at full stretch. Within three minutes, the Seasiders had a penalty of their own when Zoll was elbowed in the face by Scott on the left edge of the box. The frenchman calmly stepped up to despatch the ball clinically into the bottom left corner giving Straker no chance. Whitby continued to dominate with Dunning monopolising possession in midfield and the back three of Graham, Laws and Wilford looking solid. The only piece of bad news was an injury to Craig Veart which saw him helped off the field midway through the first half. Lee Ure looked pacy as did Richard Dunning, who worked very hard throughout. Right-back Tom Reid battled hard, though local lad Alan Price really went all out to impress Harry Dunn and may have done so even in an unaccustomed left-back role. Aaron Wilford's brother Neil had a chance late on but Straker somehow managed to smother his far post effort. Keeper Adam Dowell looked very composed especially in the air, and will really give Phil naisbett something to think about.
Whitby Town - Dowell, Reid, Gildea, Graham, Laws, A Wilford, Dunning, Veart, Ure, Zoll, Robinson. Subs: Price, Mitchell, Smith, Skirving, N Wilford.

Tigers Second Half Bite Blunts Blues

Whitby Town 0-3 Hull City

19th July - Friendly - After a competent first half display against Hull City reserves in which Whitby held their own, the second half saw City's full first team score 3 goals without reply.
Whitby went close to scoring after only 10 minutes when newly re-signed Neil Radigan's 20 yard shot struck the post with keeper Musslewhite well beaten. Hull's only effort of note came on 34 minutes when Donell made an excellent reflex save to tip the ball onto the crossbar.
Manager Jan Molby unleashed his proposed first team line up for the second half & took the lead on 50 minutes when Elliott scored with an opportunist goal from close range. The same player made it 2-0 7 minutes later with a magnificent header from 6 yards to give Naisbett no chance at all. The score was 3-0 on 85 minutes when Naisbett made a mess of a cross & dropped the ball for Dudfield to poke home but it was all over by then. Graham Robinson had a chance to pull a goal back in the dying seconds but he headed wide from close range.
Left back Liam Smith impressed throughout the game & the return of Dixon alongside Wilford looked very strong especially in the first half.
Whitby Town - Donell, Reid, Smith, Laws, Wilford, Dixon, Skirving, Radigan, Robinson, Skelton, Gildea
Subs: Ure, Graham, Veart, Williams, Price, Naisbett. (all played
Thanks to Bri Murfield for the home match reports, and to my dad for the early edition stop press reports