BLYTH TOWN 1 WHITLEY BAY 1
Tuesday 27th August 2024
Report by Julian Tyley
Whitley’s eagerly anticipated first Northern League derby against Blyth Town ended all square after a well contested game at Gateway Park.
Last season’s Second Division champions have started life strongly in the top flight and came into the game in third place, so this was always going to be tough test for Jay Bates’ team. However, Whitley produced probably their best performance of the season so far and were more than a match for the home side especially in the second half.
Dan Gladstone, who was unavailable for Saturday’s FA Vase tie, returned in goal and in one other change from the side that battled back to defeat Longridge Town, George Brady started in place of Regan Paterson who was named on the bench.
Inside the first minute, Joe Robson headed over the bar from a right wing corner then not long after, keeper Lewis Baker just got to the ball ahead of Matty Griggs.
When Blyth broke forward, a free kick reached striker Dan Wilson but his effort was put behind by Gladstone.
The action continued at both ends and in the seventh minute Baker dived low to his left to get a hand on a shot from Robson and force it wide.
A quick break by Blyth ended with former Bay striker Marcus Giles accidentally catching Gladstone with his foot as the Bay keeper dived to win the ball.
Whitley were looking impressive and just past the quarter hour they won a corner from which Larmouth played the ball to Scott whose shot went over the bar.
Around the half hour mark, Whitley won two consecutive corners but could not break through a solid defence.
Wotherspoon tried his luck from distance for Blyth but his attempt was well wide of the target.
Six minutes before the break, Gladstone had to be alert when a shot came in from the right and he pushed the ball onto the bar before it rebounded away from goal.
At half time there were still no goals but there had been plenty of entertainment for the fans and Whitley had given a good account of themselves and were very much in the game.
Blyth went ahead just over seven minutes into the second half when a cross from the right into the far side of the box was chested down by Wilson and played back into the path of Adam Johnson, drove the ball across Gladstone into the far corner of the net, The Bay keeper managed to get fingers to the ball but there was too much power on the shot and he could not keep it out.
Whitley’s response did not take long. A ball played over the top was only just ahead of Jake Forster, who had been playing up front throughout and was proving a handful for the Blyth defence.
On the hour, a shot on the Town goal was cleared only as far as Kyle Cockburn some 25 yards from goal. Finding himself in space, he had time to pick his spot before delivering a tremendous shot that look a slight deflection and flew over Baker into the net.
Back on terms, Whitley pressed forward with renewed determination and barely a minute later, Cockburn was in a similar position and powered in another long range effort but this time the ball whistled over the bar to the relief of Baker.
Kanda then broke forward and played in Paterson who saw Baker advancing and attempted to lob the keeper but could not get enough power on the attempt and it was comfortably claimed.
Whitley were looking the more dangerous side at this stage and almost took the lead with 72 minutes on the clock when Paterson made a great run, cutting in the from the left towards the byline but was possibly caught in two minds as to whether to have a shot at the near post or square the ball to Larmouth and the chance was gone.
Two minutes later Robbie Christie burst through from midfield but his ball to Larmouth was cut out.
Both sides had chances in the closing stages as they went for a winner but neither could make the crucial breakthrough so the points were shared after an entertaining contest. In the eyes of many of the travelling fans, this had been Whitley's best performance of the season, building impressively on Saturday's FA Vase victory.
WHITLEY BAY: Gladstone, Brady, Christie, Forster, Robson, Scott(Paterson 61mins), Kanda, Larmouth, Griggs(Wilson 81mins), Cockburn
Substitutes not used: Parkinson, Higgins, Storr
Cautions: None
Referee: Nick Vincent
Attendance: 219
