GUISBOROUGH TOWN 0 WHITLEY BAY 0
Saturday 18th March
Whitley played out a goal less draw for the first time this season and the concensus of opinion was that this was a fair outcome of a game that neither side did enough to win.
Whitley looked by far the better side in the first half without really troubling home keeper Will Cowey. The tone was set in the eighth minute when good build up play down the right involving Harvey Neary and Cameron Brewis ened with a tame shot straight at the keeper. Just past the quarter hour a good cross by Gilchrist was put behind for a corner by the hosts who were being penned back in their own half then two minutes later, a clumsy challenge on Luke Porritt outside the left edge of the box gave Whitley a free kick but they could not capitalise on the promising situation. The longer the half went on the more Whitley dominated possession with very little being created by a lethargic looking home side. There was a lengthy delay when Porritt went down injured but after treatment he was able to continue.
For all their territorial advantage, Whitley could not produce the finishing touch and the half ended all square.
Guisborough began the second half looking a completely different side, presumably following stern words by their management during the interval. Within 60 seconds Pat Nash made his first save of the game denying McGee then barely a minute later he leapt to push a shot from Miller over the bar. Having withstood the early pressure, Whitley briefly responded with Neary's high ball into the goalmouth being held just under the bar by Cowey.
Play quickly switched to the other end where Blackford fired in powerful 25 yard shot with the ball crashing off the bar and back into play. Twelve minutes from time there was a scare for Whitley when Nash came off his line in an attempt to win the ball but was caught out, McGee taking the ball around the Bay keeper but Whitley defenders got back quickly to rescue a dangerous looking situation.
Into the final 15 minutes, an attempted back pass by Hutchinson fell short and it took good defending by his team mates to prevent Town from taking advantage of the slip-up.
At the other end, Cowey picked up a back pass on the edge of his box, giving Whitley an indirect free kick 15 yards from goal but they were not able to capitalise with the Priorymen packing their goalmouth to block every attempt on goal.
The home side had looked the more lively in the second half but like Whitley, they lacked the ability to break down a well organised defence and the game ended with both sides settling for a point.
WHITLEY BAY: Nash, Neary, Lowery, Turnbull, Hall, Hutchinson, Gilchrist(Millington 71mins), Richardson, Davison(Morien 83mins), Brewis(Ward 75mins), Porritt(Day 58mins)
Sunstitute not used: Lister
Caution: Lowery
Referee: Lewis Hardy
Attendance: 234
