MARSKE UNITED 0 WHITLEY BAY 4
TUESDAY 12th AUGUST 2025
Report by Julian Tyley
Whitley continued their excellent unbeaten start to the Northern League season with a second successive 4-0 victory. What made this win at Marske United even more impressive was the fact that it was achieved without four key players following injuries sustained during the bruising encounter with Newcastle Benfield on Saturday.
Manager Jay Bates had been busy recruiting new players over the weekend to bolster what was looking like a threadbare squad and both Alfie Livermore and Liam Beeston came straight into the starting eleven.
On a very warm and calm summer’s evening, the game got off to a lively start with Meeshi Kanda seeing his close range header held on the line by keeper Matty Wilkinson inside the second minute.
The home side then won a free kick 25 yards from goal and Craggs brought a fine save from Asikaogu, with the young Bay keeper leaping to push the ball away from goal.
Whitley took an early lead when Livermore, son of former Bay midfielder Dennis and nephew of Robbie, received the ball on the left, cut in past a defender and played a neat pass through to Thompson, who cut the ball back across the 18 yard box where the Callum Larmouth, in acres of space, drilled a low shot into the bottom corner of the net.
It was just the start Whitley had been looking for and they began to take control of the game, with Kanda impressive in midfield restricting opportunities for the hosts to set up attacking moves.
In contrast, Whitley posed a threat down both flanks and also through the middle. Mackenzie Sharpe almost doubled the lead with 20 minutes played but was just beaten to the ball by the keeper. Two dangerous crosses from the left only needed the finishing touch but there was no one on hand to capitalise. However, a good run down the right by Layton Campbell just before the half hour saw him outpace a defender before crossing into the box where Sharpe found space and sent a left foot shot well beyond the keeper’s reach to put Whitley 2-0 ahead.
Given the very warm evening, a water break was welcomed by both sides as well as the match officials immediately after the goal.
With confidence visibly growing in the Bay side, they so nearly got another goal in the 34th minute when Robbie Christie tried his luck from outside the box but his powerful effort struck the post and rebounded away to safety for Marske.
The third goal came in the 43rd minute when a long ball forward by Asikaogu bounced inside the Marske half, eluded a defender and Campbell made the most of the situation. Spotting his chance he went inside his man before smashing a great shot beyond Wilkinson.
Whitley were good value for their convincing half time lead but as they discovered in their first two games of the season, there could no room for complacency and the game was far from won.
Despite their excellent win at North Shields on Saturday, Marske failed to mount any sustained pressure after the interval and Whitley always looked the more dangerous side with quick bursts of pace setting them away down the wings.
With 63 minutes played, they grabbed their fourth goal of the evening when Kanda played a clever high ball down the right for Campbell to attack. It worked perfectly as the young striker outpaced a tiring defender, took the ball into the box and fired it across the keeper into the far corner to give Whitley an unassailable 4-0 lead.
They now took the opportunity to rest several players and give young talent some valuable game time.
Marske tried to push forward but with little success though in the final ten minutes Asikaogu was called into action and kept his second successive clean sheet thanks to two excellent saves, most notably in stoppage time when he dived full length to push a shot away from goal.
This was as comprehensive a victory as the score line would suggest and credit is due to the entire Bay squad for producing some thoroughly entertaining, attacking football in very warm conditions.
The victory took Whitley two points clear at the top of the table and they are now one of just four remaining unbeaten sides in the First Division.
Another impressive statistic is the fact that in all five games played they have scored at least three goals, making them by some distance the top scorers in the League.
WHITLEY BAY: Asikaogu, Beeston((Achuo 64mins), Christie, Larmouth, Scott, Williams, Campbell(Lees 66mins), Kanda, Sharpe(Higgins 77mins), Thompson, Livermore(Harvey 68mins)
Substitute not used: Colquhoun
Referee: Martin Dauber
Caution: Scott
Attendance: 243
