SEAHAM RED STAR 6 WHITLEY BAY 1
Saturday 1st October
In an abject display, Whitley were comprehensively beaten by an in-form Seaham side who have now scored 24 goals in their last five games.
The pace of Denver Morris down the right wing caused problems right from the start but it was another former Bay winger Robbie Bird who had an early chance to put the hosts ahead when clean through on goal but Josh Nearney averted the danger.
Whitley’s best chance of the half came after nine minutes when Kempster’s ball into the goalmouth was just beyond the reach of Tom Potter and it averted keeper Shaun Newbrook, rebounding off the bar. Seaham took the lead after 17 minutes when Morris outpaced the Bay defence, racing clear from just inside his own half and crossed for Craig Lynch to tap home with ease. Two minutes later, Tom Flynn palmed away a cross from Bird’s left wing corner. The Bay keeper then made a fine save to keep out a header from Scorer as Seaham dominated play. The second goal came in the 29th minute after Morris had tormented Eleftheriadis, who brought him down on the edge of the Bay 18 yard box to concede a penalty that Lynch comfortably converted.
The game was effectively won three minutes before half time when Lynch completed his hat trick after waltzing through the Bay defence before slotting the ball past a helpless Flynn. Just before the interval, an altercation midway inside the Seaham half resulted in cautions for Morris and Bay’s Kyle Fryatt, who was operating as a lone striker in the absence of the unavailable Adam Shanks.
Any hopes of a second half revival ended when Lee Hetherington added a fourth goal for Red Star just past the hour mark, punishing hesitant defending after an excellent through ball from former Bay hero Lee Kerr.
Something needed to change for Whitley but rather than making any substitutions, they made the decision to push Callum Anderson up front, and four minutes later he was involved when they pulled a goal back, producing an overhead kick that was well saved by Newbrook, but when the ball came back off the post, Fryatt was on hand to slot home.
The goal sparked Whitley’s best period of the game and two minutes later, Callum Patton had a shot pushed over the bar after advantage had been played by referee Chris Keightley following a trip on Anderson just outside the box. From the resulting corner, Ross Wilkinson twice went close, his second effort just clearing the bar.
Seaham withstood the all too brief Bay pressure and shortly after coming off the bench, David Paul made it 5-1 when his shot from a corner took a big deflection and gave Flynn no chance. Paul then had another effort well saved by the Bay keeper but two minutes later he set up the final goal with a fierce shot that Flynn could only parry and when the ball ran loose, Robbie Bird had the simplest of finishes as he completed Whitley’s misery with Seaham’s sixth.
WHITLEY BAY: Flynn, Nearney, McDonald, Eleftheriadis, Wilkinson, Anderson, Fowler, Patton, Potter, Fryatt, Kempster
Substitutes not used: Gibson, Haley, Robertson, Keltie, Allen
Cautions: Fryatt, Patton
Referee: Christopher Keightley
Attendance: 153
