by John Hopkins
A goal just before half-time gave Whitby Town a 1-0 victory over Warrington Rylands on Saturday as skipper James Neild ended the game between the posts after an injury to goalkeeper Luke Pilling.
Whitby, struggling to retain their three-point cushion outside the relegation zone of the NPL Premier League, played better than their position would suggest. Chasing every ball, they gave Warrington little time to settle into their own style of football.
Rylands began well and could have moved ahead at the start of the contest when Ben Hardcastle struck the upright after a deflection off Frankie Whelan. It was the first of two early opportunities for The Blues (playing in their away red kit), who also went close through Jake Daniels shortly after who’s shot skimmed over the crossbar.
The Seasiders grew into the game but it wasn’t until the 22nd minute before a positive attack was made; Luke Pilling was quick off the mark to prevent Layton Watts from scoring. As Warrington pushed forward they were caught out by a long clearance which was intercepted by a lonely Matthew Tymon. Tymon was met by Pilling rushing out to defend his goal but a well-taken chip over his head found the net with half-time approaching.
Rylands continued to press and Jack Daniel’s effort to level up the score before half time was blocked by a flying Shane Bland.
The mascot challenge – Picture John Hopkins
Warrington fell (literally) to Whitby again during the break when the two mascots took to the pitch, but when Freddie the Falcon lost his head and dropped to the floor, Scampi Skipper was alone as he crossed the finish line.
Shane Bland was the hero for Whitby in the second half, saving on-target shots from Harrison Wood and substitute Jake Burton. George Waring did manage to beat Bland by completing a superb succession of passes but was deemed offside by the linesman.
A clash between Luke Pilling and defender Clive Smith resulted in Pilling leaving the field injured. With all the substitutions already being made it fell to captain James Neild to don the keepers shirt but with Ryland’s strong defence in front of him he never faced a really challenging shot.
Sadly the game ended on a sour note for Warrington; three minutes into injury time the referee awarded a free kick to The Seasiders for an inconsequential tackle by Ben Hardcastle who felt hard done by. His comment produced a yellow card, but he must have made a further comment to which he was given a second yellow and left the pitch for an early bath.
These were just two of the six yellow cards, all given for dissent.
Rylands now have a week to prepare for a home match at The Hive Arena against Lancaster City next Saturday, 19th April, followed by a trip to Hyde United on Easter Monday.
