Friendly

26th July 2008

Attendance -

Team - Whitby Town: Ben Escritt(Brendon Ledgeway 45), Phil Brumwell, Kevin Burgess, Steve Tobin, Lee Pallender, Mark Tinkler, Steve Huggins(Shaun Ross 45), Ashley Lyth(Sam Garvie 45), Tom Raw, Anthony Ormerod(Andy Thompson 45), Karl Charlton.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Whitby continued their 100% pre-season record with their heaviest victory so far against former Northern League rivals Shildon on Saturday. The Blues were without Danny Brunskill (work), Andy Burton (illness), Tony Hackworth (holiday) and Tom Claisse who has been released from the club. Craig Bishop, Alex Janes, Lee Nogan and Richard Forster, who was on the sidelines, also didn't figure for the Seasiders.

Joint manager Phil Brumwell made his first on-field appearance of the season but was involved in the visitors' opening goal. Shildon had looked the better side up to this moment, playing good composed football and had looked the most threatening, so it was no suprise when the away side opened the scoring on 21 minutes.

Brumwell's awkward backpass was controlled well by Ben Escritt but when the Whitby keeper tried to outfox striker Warren Byrne on the edge of the penalty area, Shildon's number nine snatched the ball and slotted into the empty net.

Referee Mr Rowntree took a lenient stance after Whitby's Mark Tinkler and visiting defender Justin Keegan exchanged crunching late challenges which would've normally brought bookings or worse in a competitive fixture.

Despite a pretty sedate showing, Whitby finally levelled matters just before half-time when Tom Raw's right-wing cross was headed home emphatically at the far post by the unmarked Anthony Ormerod.

The second half saw the Blues make four changes and one of those subs gave Town the perfect start just eight minutes in. Shaun Ross, a 21-year-old former Hartlepool United and Luton Town midfielder ran onto a through-pass and drove the ball perfectly into the opposite corner of the net from the right-edge of the box.

Brendan Ledgeway, the former York City keeper who had only been on the field 12 minutes after replacing Escritt at the break, limped off for Whitby, but all the action was happening at the other end.

On 66 minutes, a great run from teenager Sam Garvie took him inside the six-yard box before unselfishly pulling the ball back for fellow sub Andy Thompson to sidefoot home from close range.

Five minutes later, an error from Shildon goalkeeper Andrew Spence saw Thompson gifted a free header to make it 4-1. And the ex-Blyth man looked a little embarassed to take the plaudits after another Spence error on the edge of the area gifted him a second-half hat-trick as he gleefully slotted into another empty net.

The visitors should have pulled a second goal back after Byrne rounded Escritt, but Kevin Burgess reacted superbly to slide the ball off the goal-line.