WHITLEY BAY 0 NORTH SHIELDS 3
Saturday 15th December
Whitley’s inconsistent season continued with a disappointing derby day defeat coming just four days after an impressive League Cup victory at Ryhope.
A bitterly cold, strong and blustery wind made conditions difficult for players and fans alike and while the crowd was in excess of 400, the biggest attendance anywhere in the country at this level of the game, it would doubtless have been much higher in more favourable conditions.
Most of the early stages of the game were played out in the Shields half but with little cohesion as passes frequently went astray. The first chance came in the seventh minute when Jack Cooper played the ball across field to Peter Glen-Ravenhill, whose low cross in from the right whistled across the face of goal with Andrei Ardelean only inches away from making contact. Four minutes later Luke Salmon’s in-swinging corner from the right almost drifted under the bar assisted by the wind, but Shields keeper Greg Purvis was alert to the danger and just managed to get his fingers to the ball and push it over the bar.
The visitors broke upfield five minutes later and it took a timely tackle by Luke Taylor to prevent Ryan Carr from getting a clear run on goal. Shields were coming much more into the game now and Taylor was involved again blocking a shot from former Bay striker Callum Johnston. On the half hour, Tom Flynn made a fine save to push a curling shot from Sean McRoberts over the top. Johnston then saw a shot pushed onto the bar by Flynn and cleared to safety. That was just about all the excitement from a relatively low key first half, not what might have been expected from a local derby.
Just before the interval, Whitley suffered a blow when Craig McFarlane hobbled off with a hamstring problem and that was compounded by a knock which resulted in striker Stephen Ramsey also being replaced.
When the second half got underway, substitute Kieran Brannen almost made an immediate impact with a 25 yard swerving shot that crashed off the inside of the post and flew across the face of goal with Purvis rooted to the spot.
Four minutes later, North Shields took the lead when ex-Bay legend Paul Robinson weaved his way towards the edge of the box, played the ball through to McRoberts whose shot beat Flynn and crept in at the far post as Luke Taylor tried in vain to keep it out.
Whitley might have drawn level eight minutes later when Ardelean cut the ball back across goal where less than ten yards out Kevin Carr swivelled on the ball and fired it goalwards but his shot flew straight at Purvis when a yard either side it would have found the net.
With 30 minutes still to play, conditions were now deteriorating with rain and hail blowing diagonally across the ground in the strengthening wind.
Battling the conditions as well as their opponents, Whitley struggled to produce any fluency. Brannen again went close in the 72nd minute with shot that hit the side netting while Ben Richardson tried his luck from distance but failed to find the target.
While Whitley kept plugging away, it was looking as if McRoberts’ goal would be enough to win the game but then with five minutes remaining, Shields defender Stuart Donnison went on a fine attacking run down the right, eluded a tackle before cutting in and playing the ball into the path of substitute Gary Day who slotted home from close range. There was no way back for Whitley now and in the final minute, Gavin Caines gifted possession to Day who ran on and slipped the ball beyond the advancing Flynn.
Whitley had lacked some of the passion they had shown in the League Cup victory over the Robins in October and there could be no argument that Shields deserved to win the game, though the final score was somewhat flattering to the visitors.
WHITLEY BAY: Flynn, McFarlane(Christensen 45 mins), Cooper, Richardson, Taylor, Caines, Carr (Suddick 75mins), Glen-Ravenhill, Ramsey(Brannen 46mins), Ardelean, Salmon
Substitutes not used: Hassan, Walton
Referee: Helen Conley
Cautions: None
H2o Bathrooms Man of the match: Ben Richardson
Attendance: 417
