UniBond Premier

17th September 2005

Attendance - 271

Team - Campbell, Brumwell, Veart(Raw 65), Farthing, Hudson, Richards, Ashton(McTiernan 76), Brown, Ormerod, Wilford, Hegarty(Scaife 76).

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Whitby's early season problems returned at the Turnbull Ground on Saturday, as visitors Witton Albion recorded a comfortable victory. Blues manager David Logan made four changes from the side that beat previously 100% Newcastle Blue Star to advance in the FA Cup last weekend.
Chris Hudson returned to the defence after a three-match suspension, Grimsby Town on-loan wing-duo Paul Ashton and Nick Hegarty returned, and former striker Aron Wilford was back in a Whitby shirt, replacing Tom Raw up front. Club captain Scott Nicholson was sidelined with tonsilitis, Nick Scaife dropped to the bench and the scorer of last week's winner Paul Atkinson missed out altogether.

Despite winning a string of corners inside the opening ten minutes, the Blues were under the cosh for most of the first half, with the visitors threatening regularly at the other end. Inside three minutes, stand-in skipper Danny Farthing headed Mike Moseley's follow-up from a corner off his own line. Whitby's Karl Richards powered a 20 yard effort just wide, with Mark Peers' dangerous free-kick from similar distance flying into the side netting.

On 23 minutes, Town were caught completely square with only a good save with his legs by Dave Campbell denying Ben Jones the opening goal. Moments later, Hudson's last-gasp sliding tackle halted Moseley in his tracks as the 26-year-old hitman prepared to pull the trigger.

But Moseley didn't have to wait long for his 116th career goal and it came, pardon the expression, completely out of the blue. With his back to goal, the former Vauxhall Motors striker turned 20 yards from goal and hammered an unstoppable shot into the top-right corner of the net, giving Campbell no chance.

Whitby had a couple of great chances in the final three minutes of the first half. On 43, on-loan Paul Ashton headed wide when well place from Wilford's neat cross, and in injury time, Wilford was again at the heart of the move- beating three men before squaring for Brown who poked wastefully over from close range.

However, sandwiched in-between, Witton had an opportunity to double their lead again with an effort from distance when Andy Lee let fly from just outside the box, grazing the top of the crossbar on the way over.

The visitors need not have worried though, as they sewed the game up just a minute into the second period- Moseley turning provider this time, crossing for Ben Jones to tap in unmarked at the far post for 2-0.

With 25 minutes remaining and still no sign of a Whitby resurgence, Logan changed his tactics bringing Raw on for Veart and reverting to three up front. On 74 minutes, Ant Ormerod’s left-wing cross was sidefooted well over by Ashton. A desperate last throw of the dice saw both Ashton and Hegarty, who was marked almost entirely out of the game make way for Scaife and Dave McTiernan.

In truth though, even with the Cheshire side’s foot firmly off the accelerator, the Seasiders never looked like finding the net. Ormerod mis-kicked high and wide from close range on 89 minutes, and with the last punt goalwards, Wilford curled a regulation effort straight into the hands of the untested Albion keeper Jon Kennedy.