WHITLEY BAY 0-1 HORDEN COMMUNITY WELFARE
Tuesday 4th August 2026
Report by Jensen Coleman
After their first loss of the season at Newcastle Benfield the previous Saturday, Whitley looked to get back to winning ways on Tuesday with a visit from Horden Community Welfare, who sat just above 10th-placed Bay in 9th on goal difference. The hosts welcomed on-loan Gateshead goalkeeper Preston Leech into their starting lineup for the first time this campaign, while Nathan Nkunku started upfront for Mackenzie Sharpe, who was missing from the match day squad. Alfie Livermore also recovered from the injury he picked up in the defeat at Benfield to start.
Bay almost started very brightly, with Livermore’s cross in from the left hand side almost finding Magalhaes in the box, but the ball instead flew over everyone’s heads. Minutes later, Kyle Davis nearly opened the scoring for the visitors with a decent strike, but the effort was collected comfortably by Leech. Kieren Aplin’s free kick then went on to barely threaten Horden stopper Robert Dean as he came out quick to collect the delivery in.
Horden should have taken the lead with 11 minutes gone as a mistake in the Whitley box almost led to Philly Angus putting the visitors in front, but luckily for the Bay defence, the strike was well over the bar. Jayden Pow then curled the ball in from the left looking for Ben Henderson, but the cross was headed away by Bay captain Michael Scott.
Visiting captain Ben Riding thought he’d given his side the early breakthrough from a corner moments later, but the referee blew for a free kick to Bay after Graham Williams was fouled by the Horden No.5. Aplin had another chance to break the deadlock for the hosts with another free kick, but the Whitley left-back ballooned the ball over the bar.
In what was proving an end-to-end affair edged by the visitors, Angus was denied from close-range again by Leech with a shot that was destined for the bottom corner. Following that, a corner for Bay almost saw Scott clinch his second goal of the season, but the ball was headed away at the last minute by Lewis Cowan. Riding then saw another decent opportunity for the visitors go begging, as his curling effort went wide.
It was at this point that Bay really began to threaten, as Luca Shilling played a brilliant one-two with Mikel Thompson, but with their best chance of the game so far, Thompson fizzed the ball across the face of goal looking for Shilling, but the Bay No.4 missed his mark to turn the ball home. Alfie Livermore then saw his strike saved well by Dean.
At the Whitley Bay end, Jayden Pow saw a stunning strike come crashing back off the bar; the Whitley defence’s blushes being spared once again. Davis’s lobbed effort moments after sailed wide at the far post, while Joshua Daley’s free kick curled past the near post before Davis curled wide as the game ticked into first-half stoppage time; the visitors beginning to dictate the game.
With what proved to be Bay’s final real chance of the first 45, Livermore took the ball down well outside the Horden box and flashed a great effort towards the near post, only for the strike to be drawn wide instead.
The hosts almost made the perfect start to the second half when Aplin worked some space on the edge of the box and fired a decent low shot towards goal, but it trickled wide instead. The Whitley Bay left-back then looked for Magalhaes in the Horden area, but Dean was alert and collected the cross easily.
However, the visitors finished the first half stronger, and with the second 45 just six minutes old, they took the lead. A wonderful pass from Davis found Henderson down the right hand side who then cut the ball back towards Angus. Angus then proceeded to tap the ball past Leech with ease; Bay conceding the first goal in a game for the third time this season already (0-1).
Horden were completely on top at this point - and deservedly leading - and the visitors almost doubled their advantage a few minutes later, only for Riding’s header to be saved well by Bay goalkeeper Leech. Ben Henderson then hit the inside of the post a few minutes later before Daley’s second free kick of the game whistled past the far post via a deflection.
With Bay closed in their own half, Horden almost took advantage of more poor defending from the hosts when Daley got his head to a lovely ball in from the left hand side, only for the headed effort to come back off the post. At the other end, Bay almost found an equaliser that they desperately needed, but half-time substitute Scott McCarthy’s tame strike failed to really trouble visiting stopper Dean.
With just over ten minutes to go, the visitors were reduced to ten men after Horden substitute Kyle Middleton committed a studs-up challenge on Kieren Aplin with the referee adamant that the foul warranted a red card. Bay were now a goal down, but a player up.
They almost didn’t make that advantage count as Horden almost killed the game through yet another mistake at the back by the Bay defence, but Angus’s cut back towards substitute Finlay Elsdon fizzed past everyone in the Whitley Bay box.
From a corner, however, an equaliser almost arrived again for Bay, but George Brady’s header was well off target in the end.
Two defeats in a row now for Bay, with this the first at home for the new campaign. A lone goal from Philly Angus proved enough to deservedly win the game for the visitors, with Whitley lacking in sharpness and confidence. They’ll have a chance to gain that back in the Extra Preliminary Round of the FA Cup on Saturday (8th August) where they’ll host Easington Colliery at Hillheads.
Whitley Bay: Leech, Brady, Aplin, Shilling, Scott [C], Williams (Errington, 68’), Magalhaes, Jensen (McNicol, 62’), Nkunku, Thompson, Livermore (McCarthy, 46’)
Attendance: 289
Caution(s): None
My Personal Player-Of-The Match: Preston Leech - The Bay goalkeeper may have not kept a clean sheet on the night, but if it wasn’t for young Gateshead loanee, the visitors would have walked away with more goals to their name. A solid shift from Leech.
Match photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mcqweb/albums/72177720334993742/
