UniBond Premier

27th October 2007

Attendance - 306

Team - Campbell, Burton, Janes(Hartas 74), A Raw(Claisse 69), Lyth, Brumwell, Andrews, Adams, Vickers, Brunskill, Charlton. Sub not used: Ormerod.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - The departure of player-manager Lee Nogan failed to bring an end to Whitby's run of defeats, as league leaders Witton Albion demolished Town in a devastating second half at the Turnbull Ground on Saturday.

The Blues suffered their heaviest home defeat for almost 20 years and have now tasted victory just once in their last seven league outings, and even that was against winless basement club Frickley Athletic.

Caretaker managers Phil Brumwell, Matty Appleby and Paul Burke, already faced with a string of injury blows, even lost forward Anthony Ormerod in the warm-up. Midfielder James Drinkall left the club in the week to pursue a golf career, while Tony Hackworth missed out with a knock sustained last week and skipper Appleby sat out the final game of a three-match suspension.

Tom Claisse, discarded earlier in the season by Nogan, returned to the club this week from Unibond First Division South Goole AFC and Andy Burton shrugged off a knee injury to start on the right of defence.

In-form Witton, with just one league loss all season- on the opening day- started well and threatened as early as the third minute when Cavell Coo's diagonal ball was headed straight at Dave Campbell by Rod Thornley at the far post.

Former Altrincham striker Thornley then nodded inches over the Blues' crossbar from a similiar position eight minutes later. A trio of chances went begging as Thornley raced onto a through-ball but fired into the side netting after rounding Campbell.

Seconds later, it was strike partner Adam Warlow, a five-goal hero in the 7-2 pumelling dished out at Witton when the sides met in February, who showed Thornley the way to goal. The ex-Crewe marksman reacted well to his fellow striker's header back across goal to arch his body, diving to his left to nod into the roof of the Town net from close range.

Warlow then poked narrowly wide on 20 minutes, before John Dillon chipped past Campbell's post from just outside the Town box, after referee Mr Wallace had inadvertantly obstructed Whitby's Tom Adams.

Up until then, the Seasiders had failed to test John Kennedy in the visitors' goal, but that was set to change on the half hour. Andy Raw's perfectly-weighted ball released Karl Charlton, who beat Coo down the left, cut inside and slotted clinically past Kennedy for the equaliser.

As Witton attempted to hit back, good work from former Leek schemer Dave MacPherson saw the ball laid back for Thornley who hooked inches wide. Then MacPherson was again instrumental in releasing Warlow, but amid calls for offside, a good save from Campbell denied the 20-year-old.

Despite the visitors' dominance, Town had a great chance to grab a shock lead four minutes before half-time. Teenager Sonny Andrews advanced forward, playing in Mike Vickers who prodded through for Danny Brunskill on the edge of the six-yard box, only for the big striker's angled effort to be palmed away by Kennedy.

Early in the second half, the same combination saw Vickers twist and turn on the edge of the Albion box before releasing Brunskill, who again saw his low drive tipped round the post by Kennedy. And from the resulting corner, a typical Brunskill effort on the turn could only find the side netting, to the confusion of some Whitby fans who began to celebrate a goal.

The narrow margin between success and failure was soon highlighted as Campbell saved Warlow's header, Burton went into the referee's notebook for some disparaging remarks to the linesman and Albion regained the lead all in the space of two minutes when Mark Peers' pinpoint right-wing cross was headed emphatically home by strapping centre-half Brian Pritchard.

With 25 minutes left on the clock, Thornley finally had his goal when Peers' curled a free-kick seven yards outside the Whitby penalty area against a post, and trained masseur Thornley reacted quickest to caress the ball home.

Subsitute Dean Crowe had been on the pitch just two minutes before he added a somewhat fortunate fourth. Peers' chipped into the area for the onrushing Crowe to force a good save from Campbell, but the ball cannoned back invitingly to the 28-year-old former Luton forward, who made no mistake from the rebound.

Claisse replaced Raw in midfield with just over 15 minutes left, but the returning youngster looked off the pace, though Whitby still carried some threat- Brunskill hooking a lively effort onto the roof of the Witton net from fully 20 yards. Fellow attacker Andrews also drilled just over the top before the hosts were hit by yet another injury blow.

Left-back Alex Janes was stretchered off with his left leg strapped up after a challenge in the centre circle, but the away side were in no mood for sympathy and, within a minute, had a fifth goal. Tom Spearitt picked out Peers down the right, and as Whitby struggled to cover Janes' position, a driven cross was tapped home effortlessly by Warlow.

An identical cross from the same flank was turned over by sub Dave Hartas, before Warlow enjoyed a second hat-trick at Whitby's expense. The tall forward who netted 30 times for the Cheshire club last term, took advantage of yet another low cross from the same flank, two minutes from time, to walk the ball past a helpless Campbell. At this point, the away side, clearly enjoying the pristine Turnbull playing surface and facing a patched-up Whitby side, looked to be able to find the net at will, and, I'm sure, it came as a relief to many when the final whistle put an end to hopes from the sizeable travelling contingent of another seven-goal hiding.

Unsuprisingly, rampant Witton became the league's top scorers with that victory, as well as leading the way at the summit by eight points. Whitby can take some credit from their battling first half display, though next week's home encounter with third-bottom Leek Town is now looking every bit a six-pointer for out-of-touch Town, who languish in 16th.