WHITLEY BAY 7 SEAHAM RED STAR 1
Saturday 21st December
Christmas came early for Whitley as they treated their fans to a goal feast which produced their biggest victory in four years. It was a sparkling performance which left Seaham a well beaten side before the half time whistle had been blown.
For some weeks now, Nathan Haslam’s side have threatened this type of result but poor finishing has let them down. In this game they were ruthless, punishing their opponents time and again as superior fitness and pace was matched by clinical finishing.
Teenage striker Michael Annang-Colquhoun was the star of the first half with a hat trick inside the first 25 minutes while new signing Marcus Giles scored twice on an impressive debut.
After three wind affected games, it was a relief to experience a calm afternoon when the elements were not a factor in the game. After a fairly quiet opening, the contest burst to life in the eighth minute when Whitley were gifted the lead. Colquhoun cut in from the right and fired a low shot which should have been a regulation save for Chris Bannon, but the keeper who spent a short period last season at Hillheads allowed the ball to slip under him and into the net.
It took Seaham just five minutes to draw level with Michael Chilton slotting home after Dan Lister had got his hands to a free kick but when he pushed the ball away, the veteran striker pounced on what turned out to be a rare opportunity for the visitors.
Two minutes later, a poor challenge just outside the box gave Whitley a free kick and Scott Lowery headed just over the bar. Maintaining the pressure, good work by Mark Robinson and James Martin played in Colquhoun on the left and he slotted the ball past Bannon to restore Whitley’s lead. In the 24th minute, a long range effort from Seaham was well saved low down by Lister as the ball bounced just in front of the Bay keeper. Play again switched quickly to the other end where there were strong appeals for a penalty for handball by a Seaham player but when the referee waved away the claims, Colquhoun reacted quickly as the visitors hesitated and he had a simple finish from eight yards to complete a quickfire hat trick.
The youngster was causing all sorts of problems for the county Durham side and almost added a fourth goal in the 32nd minute but his acrobatic overhead kick was superbly save by Bannon, who got his fingers to the ball and pushed it over the bar.
Losing their discipline, Red Star conceded a free kick just inches outside the box when Connor Smith was clumsily brought down as he burst through on goal.
In the second minute of stoppage time at the end of the half, another foul gave Whitley a free kick 25 yards out on the right. Smith’s ball into the goalmouth caused confusion among the Seaham defence and it led to Scott young putting the ball in his own net to give Whitley a seemingly impregnable 4-1 interval lead.
Any lingering hopes that Seaham might have had of getting back into the game were quickly extinguished just over three minutes into the second half when Colquhoun found Giles in space inside the box and the debutant closed in before sliding the ball past Bannon for a well taken goal.
Referee Derric Wade was being kept busy issuing cards to the Seaham defenders for a series of excessively physical challenges and when the ball was kicked directly at the head of Colquhoun as he lay on the ground, the offender was fortunate to stay on the pitch.
Not content with their five goals, Whitley continued to press forward and in the 73rd minute, a strong run from midfield took Mark Robinson into the box but his fierce shot was deflected wide. At the resultant corner, Lowery was left unmarked inside the six yard box and the Bay skipper powerfully headed home a sixth goal.
It was virtually one-way traffic and just four minutes later, substitute Craig McFarlane, returning from injury after missing the last five games, raced down the middle and his goalbound shot was blocked but the ball fell for Giles who drilled home his second of the game. Ill discipline saw the visitors receive further cautions as Whitley saw out the closing stages with ease, giving another debutant Kieron Olsen valuable time on the pitch.
The Bay fans, already in festive mood, were understandably in seventh heaven as for only the second time this season they were watching their side win a league game by more than a single goal. It was their third victory in a row and their biggest in four years. Beaten just once in their last eight games, they now look ahead to the North Tyneside derby at North Shields on Boxing Day (11.00am)
WHITLEY BAY: Lister, Smith, Martin, Anderson(Olsen 55mins), Taylor, Lowery, Orrell, Robinson, Colquhoun(Hird 73mins) Shepherd(McFarlane 69mins), Giles
Substitutes not used: Bexton, Emmerson
Cautions: None
Referee: Derric Wade
Attendance: 291
