FA VASE 1st ROUND
WESTELLA & WILLERBY 1 WHITLEY BAY 5
Saturday 21st October
Whitley overcame an early setback to progress into the next round of the FA Vase with a comprehensive victory in difficult conditions on Humberside.
Callum Anderson, who had missed the previous five games with a groin injury, passed a fitness test and took his place in the centre of defence, while Josh Nearney, Matty Cornish and Kyle Patton also returned to the starting eleven.
A strong and blustery wind was blowing diagonally across the pitch making the ball swirl unpredictably and the conditions were a factor in the opening goal when Westella & Willerby took a third minute lead. The Hull side had never previously reached this stage of the competition and they began in lively fashion, soon forcing a right wing corner. When the ball was played into the goalmouth, it was caught in the wind and there was a goalmouth scramble which resulted in Gary Flounders forcing the ball over the line to put the hosts in front. Two minutes later it could have got worse for Whitley but they were rescued by keeper Dan Lister who made a tremendous double save, firstly blocking a 20 yard shot from Rob Petch before leaping to keep out another attempt from the rebound.
This sparked Whitley into action and within a minute, Scott Jasper only just failed to make contact with a ball across the box from Tom Potter. Matty Cornish then had a shot saved by keeper Liam Taylor. The pressure continued and Whitley deservedly drew level in the 14th minute when Alex Kempster’s cross from the right was slotted home at the near post by Jasper.
Jack Walker’s ball down the left almost put Kyle Patton clear but when Callum Anderson cut out an attack by the home side, he played the ball down the right to Josh Nearney who raced away and outpaced the Westella defence before drilling home a low shot to give Whitley a 22nd minute lead with his first goal for the club. Within 60 seconds it was 3-1 when Kempster fired a 15 yard shot past a static keeper into the far corner of the net following good work from Walker.
The side from the Humber Premier League were struggling to keep their discipline and a nasty challenge on Ross Wilkinson earned Petch a yellow card. Further punishment was to follow in the 29th minute when Peter Glen-Ravenhill’s free kick from fully 30 yards out on the left completely deceived Taylor and flew beyond his grasp into the bottom corner of the net to give Whitley a three goal advantage, delighting the large Bay contingent who made up the vast majority of the Haworth Park crowd. Four goals had come in just 15 minutes, leaving the home side shell-shocked and with no realistic hope of saving the game.
With the wind strengthening further, both sides struggled to control the ball and there was no addition to the score before half time.
Six minutes after the interval Cornish supplied a cross into the six yard box but Jasper’s header was saved by Taylor. Potter then tried his luck but his shot went narrowly over the bar. It was a battle against the elements and in an effort to combat the conditions, Whitley made two changes midway through the half, bringing on strikers Andy Robertson and Liam Brooks to put pressure on the home side. The move paid off as Brooks very nearly extended the lead 11 minutes from time, weaving his way through the Westella defence before firing in a low shot that was only just kept out at the near post. Seconds later Kempster was tripped as he cut into the box and Tom Potter comfortably beat Taylor from the penalty spot for Whitley’s fifth goal.
Teenager Kieran Brannen, who made his debut from the bench in midweek, came on for the final ten minutes for his first taste of Vase football. Westella were a well beaten side but they kept plugging away, launching several high balls into the box and Lister needed to be alert to push an effort from substitute Kashilembo over the bar in the closing stages.
WHITLEY BAY: Lister, Nearney, Walker, Glen-Ravenhill, Wilkinson, Anderson, Potter, Cornish(Robertson 70mins), Jasper(Brooks 70 mins), Kempster, K Patton(Brannen 80 mins)
Substitutes not used: Hall, Summers
Referee: Luke Watson
Caution: Wilkinson
Attendance:122
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