Report by Julian Tyley
To get a player’s perspective on the game, we spoke to Callum Larmouth after Whitley’s 4-0 victory at Darlington Town in the Isuzu FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round on Saturday.
Callum was quick to point out that getting through to the next round was the main objective. “Definitely, that was the aim today, to get the result we wanted and a win’s a win.”
It was the first ever game between the sides so preparation for the cup tie had been important. “We knew a little about them with Jay having come to watch them in midweek, but they did surprise us a little bit. They did have more possession in the first half and they kept the ball a lot. They overloaded the midfield which was quite hard for me and Meeshi in there, we were getting run ragged. But second half we knew what we were dealing with after the first 45 minutes against them and we knew how to capitalise on it and we’ve done that.
“Playing on astro turf, it’s tough and it was very warm today and the lads felt it but in the end everyone’s done their job properly. We had the subs to come on and they’ve done an excellent job as well so it’s all good.”
It was an excellent start for Whitley as Callum agreed “It should have been 2 or 3 in the first few minutes but if you’re missing them it’s all about punishing them again and when you get the chances they have to be put away and we did to an extent do that. It could have been more but we’re just happy with the win.”
A key moment in the game came just before half time when Whitley got their second goal. “I think with scoring just before half time it’s massive. If you’re going in and it’s 1-0 they’ve got a glimmer of hope at one down but at 2-0 it’s given us a little bit of breathing space. They’ve put pressure on us in the first half and they were really at good at doing that so we were glad to get the goals.”
Looking ahead to the next round on 20th September, Whitley will be at home to Knaresborough Town from the Northern Counties East League. “It’s another tough test, they’re a good team but it’s at home. Our home record’s good and we’ll get the fans behind us which we always do 100%.
“We’ve got no new injuries which is good. I know we’ve had a few injuries and some of the lads have been away the last few weeks, but I’ll say again, the lads that have come in and done the job have been excellent so that’s what we need.
“Jake (Forster) has struggled a bit with injuries so is out for a bit but it’s good that we’ve got lads that can cover his position so he can get the time he needs to recover. We know that when Jakey’s at 100% he’s the best player on the pitch; he’s unbelievable!
“It’ll be another tough test on Tuesday against Thornaby. They’ve just come up, they’ve had a good start with a point to prove. But we’ve had a good start, so it’ll be a good battle!”
