Report by Julian Tyley
A comprehensive 4-0 victory over Tyneside rivals Newcastle Benfield, with Mackenzie Sharpe scoring a hat trick, took Whitley top of the table after four games, and manager Jay Bates was understandably very happy with his team’s performance. He explained that one of the keys to the success was preparation for the game which included watching Benfield during the week.
“It was tremendous when you’re looking across the 90 minutes and how many injuries we picked up throughout the game. Obviously it disrupts the way you play your football when you’re making that many changes through the injuries so I think each and every one who’s come on has played their part in the game today. It was nice to see Macca get a hat trick if I’m honest!”
Describing the striker’s third goal he commented “He doesn’t usually shoot with his left foot so he’s got it out of his feet and he’s just lashed it and it’s went fortunately for him in the bottom corner, so yes, a great goal!
We’ve had a little bit of change of formation from last season. We’ve lost a couple of wingers from last season and we’ve got a few strikers now, so we’ve changed the formation a little bit and the two of them, (Sharpe and Campbell) are working well together. You could see they’ve got bags of energy. They’re a little bit different as well. Layton’s a ‘on the shoulder’ kind of player with the pace and Macca likes to bring people into the play and hold the ball up so they’re working close together and doing well.”
Jay explained that the management team changed their plans for this game. “I went to watch them on Wednesday and we’ve pulled Robbie out of left back and thought we’d be more dominant with Mikel at left back. We knew Hargrave plays pretty central so we boxed the midfield and kept them quiet. Hargrave did get the hat trick on Wednesday but I thought the midfield against North Shields were very dominant and that’s where they won the battle and won the game on Wednesday, so we just boxed and matched them in the middle of the park and used our full backs to get out of them areas and get us further up the pitch.”
“When we look at going in 1-0 up at half time, I was thinking we’ve been here before we’ve been 2-0 and 4-0 up at half time, but what we said at half time the main aim this half was to keep a clean sheet and we’ll win the game, which is what we did.
“I think they did cause a little bit of pressure from free kicks and long throws but in open play I didn’t think they tested us much.”
Scoring twice in the first few minutes after half time proved decisive as Jay acknowledged. “It killed them but you’ve seen after the first of those goals went in Jakey Forster had to go off so we had to change the shape again so getting those quick goals was good.”
Summer signing Henry Harvey got the fourth goal. “He's ex-Benfield, he was there last season and didn’t get in the squad much. He gives us that little bit of dimension, he’s a fit lad, he’s a trier, He wants to go places in football so it’s nice to have people like that on the bench. Also on the bench we’d got a youngster in Alan and a local lad Owen Lees who was at Whitley Bay Under 18’s last season, so it was nice to see him come on and gets minutes as well.”
