Date: Tuesday 27th January 2009
Competition: Unibond League Premier Div
Venue: Valarie Park, Prescot, Merseyside
Attendance: 177
Ticket In: £7.00
Programme: £1.50
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Total: £8.50
Another bottom of the league encounter for Cables, the 2nd in 7 days. This time around against Whitby Town, another team struggling at the wrong end of the division. I attended this fixture last season on the penultimate weekend of the season when both teams were well and truly in the mix for relegation. Prescot Cables won that afternoon, a bobble on the pitch sending the ball over the diving goalkeeper, the rest as they say is history as that result aided in their eventual survival. The two teams face each other slightly earlier in the season this time around but the fixture holds no less importance than last season’s encounter. Whitby will surely not be thrilled with the prospect of a 412km round trip on a Tuesday evening, especially when the players have probably had a full day at work before the trip and will be returning late to a full day at work tomorrow, especially with as much at stake in this evenings match as there is. The town of Whitby lies on Yorkshire’s east coast close to the popular seaside resorts of Scarborough and Bridlington. A vital shipping port for trade with the Scandinavian countries, 3,000 ton cargo ships are not a rare sight off its coastline. Whitby is also home to Betty Schofield the legendary jazz singer. Also being home to a Dracula Museum, Whitby Town will be hoping that they don’t have a horror show on the pitch tonight. The Turnbull Ground is the home stadium of Whitby Town who are otherwise known as the seasiders. I’m also a massive fan of their kit as it is distinctly similar to that of my favourite Italian side Sampdoria. Previous honours for the club include winning the Northern Premier League First Division and being six times winners of the Northern League Cup, but their most prestigious honour came in the 1996/97 season when they defeated fellow Northern Premier League side North Ferriby United 3-0 at Wembley to lift the FA Vase.
This evening’s match seems a world away from trips to Wembley and silverware glory as two sides battle for their league survival. Emerging onto the field from the dressing rooms, the fans create the atmosphere just to give this game a little more edge and spice. Prescot Cables are in their usual amber and gold whilst Whitby Town are in their Sampdoria like white shirts and blue shorts with a red and black stripe. Straight from the kickoff the match sprung into life when Whitby almost took the lead. An on target header from close range was tipped behind the goal by Cables keeper Zak Hibbert in the very first minute to give Whitby a corner kick. The Cables defence was able to deal with the resultant corner and the danger was cleared. Whitby were still in the mood for attack in the 7th minute when a dangerous cross was played into the area and it took a superb diving header clearance by the Prescot defender to win Whitby Town another corner. This corner was half cleared by the Prescot defence but the ball eventually ended up in the safe grasp of the goalkeeper. Prescot Cables won themselves a corner in the 9th minute from which they should have taken the lead in the match. The corner delivery was cleared to the edge of the penalty area where a beautiful ball into the box saw the Whitby defence stop in their tracks expecting an offside flag that never came. The waiting attacker had only the goalkeeper to beat from 8 yards out, but blasted the ball onto the underside of the crossbar Whitby goalkeeper Liversedge recovered to gather the ball.
An absolute sitter missed and a great opportunity to take the lead disappeared for the home side. But 4 minutes later in the 13th minute, Prescot Cables were in the lead in embarrassing fashion. A long throw in was played into the box and bounced in front of Whitby keeper Liversedge. His effort to palm the ball away bounced off his arm and trickled into the net to give Prescot the lead. Ironically, if Liversedge had not touched the ball, the goal wouldn’t have stood. Prescot now had a look of determination about them and went about extending their lead. They came very close to doing just that in the 18th minute when referee Bartlett awarded them a free kick for handball just outside the penalty area. The delivery of the free kick had the defensive wall beaten, Liversedge in the Whitby goal beaten, but for the 2nd time in the game the woodwork stood firm as the ball thundered against the crossbar and back into play. An incident that Prescot would soon be cursing as, having had all the opportunities to be three goals ahead at this point, after 23 minutes the game was level. A Whitby aerial ball was played over the Prescot defence and Karl Charlton sent a thunderous volley towards the Prescot goal, the sheer speed of which had Hibbert beaten as it crashed against the underside of the crossbar and nestled in the net to bring Whitby level in the tie. 4 minutes later in the 27th, things got doubly worse for Prescot as Whitby took the lead. After defending resolutely, Whitby broke down the field at lightning pace when a beautiful touch from the midfielder set him free from the defenders and he had a free path to goal. Reaching the edge of the penalty area and spotting Michael Rae in the penalty area without a marker, the midfielder executed a perfect cross and Rae obliged his effort by heading the ball over the keeper and into the back of the net to put the visitors into the lead for the first time. Cue the celebrations on the pitch and in the crowd for the visitors.
And they were nearly celebrating again in the 29th minutes when the Prescot defence was breached again, but this time keeper Hibbert produced a fine low save from the angle to force a corner. But things were all square again in the 31st minute when Prescot were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area. Ben Parsonage took a long run up to the ball and drilled it low and hard. Taking a slight deflection, the ball flew past the diving Liversedge and into the bottom corner of the net to bring the match level once again in emphatic style. The match was now becoming an incredibly end to end contest with both sides having chances to get onto the score sheet. Corners zipping wide, thunderous sliding challenges on the muddy and slick surface, this really was entertainment. After Whitby had failed to make anything materialise from a couple of corners they won, Prescot went on a break out of defence and after a neat pass, a Prescot striker was through on goal only to be brought down by a Whitby defender, which left the whole contingent of home fans screaming at referee Bartlett to produce a red card. He didn’t, only a yellow, my only theory is the defender that was in the vicinity could have been considered as a “covering defender”, but in my personal view the defender was a lucky lad to still be on the field. The delivery of the free kick bounced awkwardly in front of Whitby keeper Lambert, but he got his body behind it and allowed his defender to clean up the spills for a corner kick. The next close chance to scoring came the way of Whitby in the 41st minute when a throw in was taken quickly and played into the penalty area. A short lay off pass was then drilled by Leon Scott off the frame of the goal and away for a Prescot throw in, the Valarie Park woodwork was taking a hammering. A minute later Whitby went close again when a cross from out wide was headed just over the bar from close range.
Having had a few chances to take the lead just before half time, Whitby finally struck in added on time when vociferous penalty appeals from Whitby players and fans alike were ignored by referee Bartlett, but Whitby persisted to get the ball out wide and Michael Rae hit a low angled shot that keeper Hibbert got his hands to, but he couldn’t keep it out as the ball rolled into the left hand corner of the net to give Whitby the lead. An absolute sucker punch for Prescot as seconds later the half time whistle sounded. The half time whistle gave me a chance to breathe in and blink, what a half of football from the neutral point of view, full of action and momentum swings. After conceding a very soft goal early on, Whitby will be encouraged to be leading at the end of a see-saw half in difficult conditions on a heavy pitch and it will be interesting to see how Prescot respond to this late blow. This is more of what I was expecting from the Prescot Vs Leigh encounter last week, but I’ll take it now! A great 2nd half is in prospect.
Half Time:
Prescot Cables 2 – 3 Whitby Town
The 2nd half began with a fairly even 5 minutes before Prescot managed to apply a small spell of pressure when they won themselves a couple of corners, but Whitby were soon making chances of their own and in the 57th minute, a throw in was played to the edge of the penalty area from where it was blasted over the crossbar. Whitby had another good opportunity to increase their lead in the 65th minute but failed to take it when some good holding work by Michael Rae allowed a low cross to be played to the other side of the box where Sam Garvie was waiting for it, but he could only perform an air shot and Prescot were able to clear the danger. The 2nd half was failing to match the excitement and action level of the first half as the pitch became a mud bath and tired legs began to fade, Whitby defenders were defending desperately as if their lives depended on it, slide challenges and robust play to match that of their opponents in the first 45 minutes. Whitby had a great chance to put the match to bed in the 79th minute when the ball broke kindly for Michael Rae and he found himself with only the goalkeeper to beat to complete his hat trick, but he pulled his shot wide of the post when he should have done better and Prescot were still in with a chance.
The 87th minute saw Prescot coming forward desperately for the equaliser when the ball struck a Whitby defender on the arm in the penalty area, the appeals from the Prescot fans and players alike created the loudest noise the match had seen, but referee Bartlett was unmoved and the appeals fell on deaf ears. Two minutes later, the whole thing was over as in the 89th minute Whitby put the match to bed and ensured they’d be taking the points on the long trip home. A free kick was awarded to the Seasiders some 35 yards out from goal. Michael Rae shouldered the responsibility for taking the kick and drilled his effort hard and low. Splitting the Prescot defensive wall like the red sea, Prescot keeper Zak Hibbert did well to get down low and stop the ball but he couldn’t collect it, Tom Raw being the quickest to react and he sent the ball into the net despite a valiant effort from Hibbert to keep it out, celebration time for the Seasiders as they would be returning to the beach with all the points on offer. Full time quickly followed and it was Whitby that had won the 6 pointer.
From a neutrals point of view, that match was absolutely fantastic and well worth the entrance money that was paid to see it. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen a half of football quite like that first half this evening.
A poor night in Prescot weather-wise was well and truly compensated for by the performances on display. The win sends Whitby Town up to the dizzying heights of 13th place in a bottom half of the Unibond Premier that sees 11th place to 22nd place separated by only 11 points. Prescot Cables remain in deep trouble firmly in the relegation zone. Congratulations Whitby Town!
Full Time:
Prescot Cables 2 – 4 Whitby Town
This evening’s match seems a world away from trips to Wembley and silverware glory as two sides battle for their league survival. Emerging onto the field from the dressing rooms, the fans create the atmosphere just to give this game a little more edge and spice. Prescot Cables are in their usual amber and gold whilst Whitby Town are in their Sampdoria like white shirts and blue shorts with a red and black stripe. Straight from the kickoff the match sprung into life when Whitby almost took the lead. An on target header from close range was tipped behind the goal by Cables keeper Zak Hibbert in the very first minute to give Whitby a corner kick. The Cables defence was able to deal with the resultant corner and the danger was cleared. Whitby were still in the mood for attack in the 7th minute when a dangerous cross was played into the area and it took a superb diving header clearance by the Prescot defender to win Whitby Town another corner. This corner was half cleared by the Prescot defence but the ball eventually ended up in the safe grasp of the goalkeeper. Prescot Cables won themselves a corner in the 9th minute from which they should have taken the lead in the match. The corner delivery was cleared to the edge of the penalty area where a beautiful ball into the box saw the Whitby defence stop in their tracks expecting an offside flag that never came. The waiting attacker had only the goalkeeper to beat from 8 yards out, but blasted the ball onto the underside of the crossbar Whitby goalkeeper Liversedge recovered to gather the ball.
An absolute sitter missed and a great opportunity to take the lead disappeared for the home side. But 4 minutes later in the 13th minute, Prescot Cables were in the lead in embarrassing fashion. A long throw in was played into the box and bounced in front of Whitby keeper Liversedge. His effort to palm the ball away bounced off his arm and trickled into the net to give Prescot the lead. Ironically, if Liversedge had not touched the ball, the goal wouldn’t have stood. Prescot now had a look of determination about them and went about extending their lead. They came very close to doing just that in the 18th minute when referee Bartlett awarded them a free kick for handball just outside the penalty area. The delivery of the free kick had the defensive wall beaten, Liversedge in the Whitby goal beaten, but for the 2nd time in the game the woodwork stood firm as the ball thundered against the crossbar and back into play. An incident that Prescot would soon be cursing as, having had all the opportunities to be three goals ahead at this point, after 23 minutes the game was level. A Whitby aerial ball was played over the Prescot defence and Karl Charlton sent a thunderous volley towards the Prescot goal, the sheer speed of which had Hibbert beaten as it crashed against the underside of the crossbar and nestled in the net to bring Whitby level in the tie. 4 minutes later in the 27th, things got doubly worse for Prescot as Whitby took the lead. After defending resolutely, Whitby broke down the field at lightning pace when a beautiful touch from the midfielder set him free from the defenders and he had a free path to goal. Reaching the edge of the penalty area and spotting Michael Rae in the penalty area without a marker, the midfielder executed a perfect cross and Rae obliged his effort by heading the ball over the keeper and into the back of the net to put the visitors into the lead for the first time. Cue the celebrations on the pitch and in the crowd for the visitors. And they were nearly celebrating again in the 29th minutes when the Prescot defence was breached again, but this time keeper Hibbert produced a fine low save from the angle to force a corner. But things were all square again in the 31st minute when Prescot were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area. Ben Parsonage took a long run up to the ball and drilled it low and hard. Taking a slight deflection, the ball flew past the diving Liversedge and into the bottom corner of the net to bring the match level once again in emphatic style. The match was now becoming an incredibly end to end contest with both sides having chances to get onto the score sheet. Corners zipping wide, thunderous sliding challenges on the muddy and slick surface, this really was entertainment. After Whitby had failed to make anything materialise from a couple of corners they won, Prescot went on a break out of defence and after a neat pass, a Prescot striker was through on goal only to be brought down by a Whitby defender, which left the whole contingent of home fans screaming at referee Bartlett to produce a red card. He didn’t, only a yellow, my only theory is the defender that was in the vicinity could have been considered as a “covering defender”, but in my personal view the defender was a lucky lad to still be on the field. The delivery of the free kick bounced awkwardly in front of Whitby keeper Lambert, but he got his body behind it and allowed his defender to clean up the spills for a corner kick. The next close chance to scoring came the way of Whitby in the 41st minute when a throw in was taken quickly and played into the penalty area. A short lay off pass was then drilled by Leon Scott off the frame of the goal and away for a Prescot throw in, the Valarie Park woodwork was taking a hammering. A minute later Whitby went close again when a cross from out wide was headed just over the bar from close range. Having had a few chances to take the lead just before half time, Whitby finally struck in added on time when vociferous penalty appeals from Whitby players and fans alike were ignored by referee Bartlett, but Whitby persisted to get the ball out wide and Michael Rae hit a low angled shot that keeper Hibbert got his hands to, but he couldn’t keep it out as the ball rolled into the left hand corner of the net to give Whitby the lead. An absolute sucker punch for Prescot as seconds later the half time whistle sounded. The half time whistle gave me a chance to breathe in and blink, what a half of football from the neutral point of view, full of action and momentum swings. After conceding a very soft goal early on, Whitby will be encouraged to be leading at the end of a see-saw half in difficult conditions on a heavy pitch and it will be interesting to see how Prescot respond to this late blow. This is more of what I was expecting from the Prescot Vs Leigh encounter last week, but I’ll take it now! A great 2nd half is in prospect.Half Time:
Prescot Cables 2 – 3 Whitby Town
The 2nd half began with a fairly even 5 minutes before Prescot managed to apply a small spell of pressure when they won themselves a couple of corners, but Whitby were soon making chances of their own and in the 57th minute, a throw in was played to the edge of the penalty area from where it was blasted over the crossbar. Whitby had another good opportunity to increase their lead in the 65th minute but failed to take it when some good holding work by Michael Rae allowed a low cross to be played to the other side of the box where Sam Garvie was waiting for it, but he could only perform an air shot and Prescot were able to clear the danger. The 2nd half was failing to match the excitement and action level of the first half as the pitch became a mud bath and tired legs began to fade, Whitby defenders were defending desperately as if their lives depended on it, slide challenges and robust play to match that of their opponents in the first 45 minutes. Whitby had a great chance to put the match to bed in the 79th minute when the ball broke kindly for Michael Rae and he found himself with only the goalkeeper to beat to complete his hat trick, but he pulled his shot wide of the post when he should have done better and Prescot were still in with a chance.
The 87th minute saw Prescot coming forward desperately for the equaliser when the ball struck a Whitby defender on the arm in the penalty area, the appeals from the Prescot fans and players alike created the loudest noise the match had seen, but referee Bartlett was unmoved and the appeals fell on deaf ears. Two minutes later, the whole thing was over as in the 89th minute Whitby put the match to bed and ensured they’d be taking the points on the long trip home. A free kick was awarded to the Seasiders some 35 yards out from goal. Michael Rae shouldered the responsibility for taking the kick and drilled his effort hard and low. Splitting the Prescot defensive wall like the red sea, Prescot keeper Zak Hibbert did well to get down low and stop the ball but he couldn’t collect it, Tom Raw being the quickest to react and he sent the ball into the net despite a valiant effort from Hibbert to keep it out, celebration time for the Seasiders as they would be returning to the beach with all the points on offer. Full time quickly followed and it was Whitby that had won the 6 pointer.From a neutrals point of view, that match was absolutely fantastic and well worth the entrance money that was paid to see it. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen a half of football quite like that first half this evening.
A poor night in Prescot weather-wise was well and truly compensated for by the performances on display. The win sends Whitby Town up to the dizzying heights of 13th place in a bottom half of the Unibond Premier that sees 11th place to 22nd place separated by only 11 points. Prescot Cables remain in deep trouble firmly in the relegation zone. Congratulations Whitby Town!Full Time:
Prescot Cables 2 – 4 Whitby Town
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