UniBond Premier Division

2005

Attendance - 679

Team - D Campbell, Atkinson, Veart, Farthing, Williams, A Gildea(Linighan 109), McTiernan(Ormerod 29), Nicholson, Johnson, L Gildea, Richards(Wells 45)

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Whitby’s hopes of reaching the Conference North next season are finally over, following a heartbreaking extra-time defeat on Saturday. Farsley Celtic, who were stripped of the league title a fortnight ago and plan to sue the Football Association if they don’t win promotion, beat the Seasiders by a single Roy Stamer goal after 105 minutes of football.

The club will now begin the removal of the central two floodlights on the West side of the ground, but there is still light at the end of the tunnel, with a new 500 seater grandstand set to have the Turnbull Ground ready for Conference football in late September. And after starting the season with just one win in five and languishing 13th in the table, newly-installed manager David Logan steered the Blues to fourth spot in the Premier Division. Their amazing run included sequences of 15 and 19 matches without defeat, as well as reaching the final of the Unibond League Cup and North Riding Senior Cup- with Middlesbrough set to visit in the summer to contest the area’s county cup showpiece final.

Logan had a virtual full-strength side to choose from with only Graham Robinson missing from the eleven that ruined Workington’s title hopes two weeks previously. The Blues’ gaffer kept faith with a winning team- fit-again Ant Ormerod had to be content with a place on the bench, with the pacey Steve Johnson replacing Robinson up front.

The bright sunshine in West Yorkshire dried the bobbly pitch and made ground football difficult, hampering the Seasiders before the match had even kicked-off. It was 18 minutes before the first chance of note. Young playmaker Dave McTiernan gained possession just inside the Farsley half, but after creating an opening, kept the ball too long and sent in a weak effort from the edge of the box that keeper Cuss gathered comfortably.

Seconds later at the other end, Stamer’s awkward effort was fended away by David Campbell, only for the offside flag to intervene on Whitby’s behalf.

The earlier action, was to be McTiernan’s last meaningful contribution- the former Peterlee winger limped off on the half hour mark, with Ormerod taking his place on the right.

The previously tepid game sprung into action in the final six minutes of the first half with both keepers earning their wages in fine style.

It was the visitors who threatened first, when Johnson’s seemingly goalbound 12 yard drive from an acute angle was pushed impressively round the far post by Cuss. Stamer then retaliated after being given acres of space to run into before firing onto the roof of the net from 20 yards.

The Seasiders sculpted an even better chance as they enjoyed their brightest spell, Liam Gildea latched onto a long ball over the top and working a superb position, shot straight at Cuss, who saved well, with the rebound desperately hacked clear. Hartlepool loanee Karl Richards then attempted an optimistic 25 yard dig at goal, that Cuss caught with ease, despite a sweetly struck effort.

Farsley’s Mark Bett then came close twice in added time, striking a fierce drive that skipped up off the barren surface which Campbell did well to block, and moments later, another vicious shot passed the Whitby keeper’s right-hand post.

Town’s trump card at Workington was introduced at the break, on-loan Billingham Synthonia left-winger David Wells who netted twice in Cumbria a fortnight ago, replaced Richards in a straight swap.

And the Seasiders should’ve led three minutes in. Liam Gildea was sent clear once again but the final shot lacked composure and Cuss was able to make yet another save- the man who collected a clean sheet against the Blues when playing for Emley in January, was proving a real thorn in their side once more, as the visitors dominated.

However, Whitby moves continued to break down with the awful surface as frustrating as the seemingly impenetrable Cuss guarding the way to goal.

As the goalmouth opportunities increased, so the tensions between the two sets of players followed suit, and Scott Nicholson was lucky to avoid a booking after scything down a Farsley defender on the far side of the ground. Ironically, the ultra-lenient official later showed the first yellow card of the match to fellow Whitby man Craig Veart for an innocuous trip near the opposite touchline.

Just after the hour mark, Campbell kept up with his opposite number, doing well to stick out his left hand to divert Curtis Bernard’s low drive wide at the last second after sighting the ball late. Campbell was then forced to beat away a Stamer fizzer from the edge of the box. Stamer had another shot charged down before a flurry of activity at the other end.

First, Wells tried a shot from nothing, chipping the ball up and volleying goalwards from 30 yards, but the ball was simply clutched out of the air by Cuss. Then Johnson tried to weave his magic on the left edge of the Farsley box chipping the ball in, only for a loud handball appeal as the ball struck a nearby home defender- but neither the poorly positioned referee or the nearby linesman saw anything wrong.

Bernard then tried two off-balance efforts that failed to test Campbell- firstly nodding a difficult chance wide then missing a clear-cut opportunity as he shinned over the bar from around 12 yards out.

Whitby ended the 90 minutes with a slight flourish. On 87 minutes, Alex Gildea blazed a surprise half-volley from distance inches over the bar. Then, in the dying embers of normal time, Johnson sent a tame drive well wide from the edge of the Farsley box.

Almost inevitably, the match descended into 30 minutes of dreaded extra-time- the longest season in the league’s history, just got extended. Sadly, it was to take its toll on Whitby’s small squad of players with the home side on-top throughout.

Celtic introduced strikers Chris Howarth, a former Leeds youngster and much-travelled veteran ex-York City star Rodney Rowe in the 90th minute. The fresh legs were to tell, with Rowe firing into the side netting within three minutes of the restart.

Then, with the visitors camped in their own half and labouring around the field, Celtic should’ve led in the 95th minute but somehow failed to. Bett couldn’t have supplied a better cross than the drilled effort he slid across Whitby’s six yard-box but somehow, despite crowding the area with at least three men on either team, including the goalkeeper, the ball eluded everyone and flew out for a throw on the far side.

However, just as the Seasiders were daring to believe it was to be their day, the overwhelming pressure finally told in first-half injury time. Farsley laid siege with waves of attacks, as Rowe and Howarth had efforts blocked, the ball fell to Stamer who steered imperiously into the top left corner of the Whitby net from just outside the area.

As the whistle blew and the sides swapped ends, Whitby looked dead on their feet. But there was still fight in the visitors and only Cuss crucially saved Farsley’s lead a minute into the second period. Johnson’s turn and shot was headed wide by a home defender and the Seasiders had a corner, in a rare foray into Farsley territory. Craig Veart swung over the inswinging kick and Nicholson’s perfect point-blank header was seemingly bound for the roof of the net, only for Cuss to somehow reach up and tip the ball over, from under his own crossbar.

Logan’s last throw of the dice saw Whitby go to three up front for what was to be the final eleven minutes of their season, with big central defender Brian Linighan joining Johnson and Liam Gildea in a makeshift attack- Gildea’s brother Alex made way.

Johnson’s efforts then won Whitby another corner, but this time Nicholson’s close-range header landed just wide of the mark. Farsley were content to keep ball and did so with relative ease- with every Whitby outfield player running on empty, the final whistle seemed almost merciful. Though, few will begrudge the Seasiders any of the applause afforded them after a landmark season.