Mariners end Bay’s unbeaten start

SOUTH SHIELDS    4          WHITLEY BAY       2

Saturday 3^rd September

Whitley’s unbeaten start to the league season came to an end against big spending South Shields at Mariners Park but it was only in the final twenty minutes that the home side took control of the game, coming from behind after two goals from Adam Shanks had given Whitley an interval lead.

A huge crowd of 1409 fans witnessed a thoroughly entertaining game played at a rapid pace on an excellent playing surface.

Whitley had Kyle Fryatt back in the starting eleven but Ross Wilkinson was unwell and Nicky Allen missed out through injury.

Whitley had the first real chance of the game when Alex Kempster had a shot saved by Carmichael in the fourth minute. However, the Mariners quickly responded and new signing Ben Clark thought he had scored with nine minutes played, getting his head to Julio Arca’s free kick but the goal was ruled out by an offside flag.

Keeping up the pressure, they did take the lead two minutes later following good play on the left by David Carson. His ball into the box almost cleared Callum Anderson who could only nod it into the path of Jon Shaw and the former Gateshead striker calmly drove the ball in the bottom corner of the net.

Apart from a header from Eleftheriadis that went wide from a left wing corner, Whitley could make little headway during the next fifteen minutes as Shields played the ball about with confidence but could not break down a determined Bay defence.

Slightly against the run of play, Whitley drew level just before the half hour when Kempster made a good run down the left and his low cross into the goalmouth was poked home from close range by Adam Shanks.

Back came the Mariners and Tom Flynn produced a fine save, pushing clear a header from Shaw, while Arca had a shot blocked by a packed Whitley rearguard. The hosts were then penalised three times in quick succession but the closest Whitley came to capitalising was when Chris McDonald’s free kick was saved low down by Carmichael. Back at the other end, Flynn made another good save to deny Baxter before Whitley took the lead with what was almost a carbon copy of their first goal.  Kempster again broke down the left but this time his pin-point cross was met by a bullet header from Shanks, getting between the Shields defenders and giving Carmichael no chance. The goal came just one minute before half time but there was still time for Palmer to attempt an equaliser but Flynn saved low down and it was Whitley who held the advantage at the interval.

Three minutes into the second half Whitley so nearly went 3-1 ahead when a flowing move culminated in their man of the match Alex Kempster rifling in a fierce shot that crashed off the bar. The rebound fell to Aiden Haley who was only denied by a fine save from Carmichael.

Soon after coming off the bench, Carl Finnigan brought an excellent save from Flynn while minutes later, Kyle Fryatt had a glorious chance to extend Whitley’s lead after being played though by Shanks but he placed his shot inches wide of the far post.

Flynn again kept out an effort from Palmer but the growing pressure from the hosts paid dividends four minutes after they made two changes and it was one of the substitutes, former Bay winger Wayne Phillips, who brought the Mariners level, slotting home at the back post after a tremendous ball played from defence by Arca found Palmer, whose crossed the ball low into the goalmouth.

Six minutes later, South Shields regained the lead when Finnigan flicked on an excellent cross from fellow sub Briggs and the ball was deflected into the net off the legs of the unlucky Steve Gibson.

Worse was to follow for the Whitley four minutes later when Eleftheriadis was dismissed after receiving a second yellow card, leaving them to play out the last ten minutes one man short. Shields were now full of confidence and made the game safe with a fourth goal after 82 minutes. Following several determined challenges in the Bay 18 yard box, the ball fell kindly for Finnigan and he slotted the ball past Flynn from ten yards. There was still time for both Shaw and Briggs to go close for the Mariners while at the other end, a 25 yard shot from McDonald brought a fine save from Carmichael in stoppage time.

The difference between the sides was the strength in depth of the Shields’ squad, whose substitutes all contributed to their side’s second half recovery.

For Whitley, despite the disappointment of losing their unbeaten record, there was no disgrace in defeat by a side that will surely be challenging for honours at the end of the season.

WHITLEY BAY: Flynn, Gibson, McDonald, Haley, Anderson, Eleftheriadis, Potter, Fowler, Shanks(Patton 75mins), Fryatt(Blake 75mins), Kempster

Referee: Adam Nichol

Cautions: Gibson, Haley, Anderson.  Sent off: Eleftheriadis

Attendance: 1409

Bay manager Ian Chandler commented: “It was always going to be tough. They’ve got a lot of good players and a lot of depth but at 2-1 at half time I thought we’re in it, we’ve got a chance and we’re creating chances. Then we had two more chances after half time, Alex hit the bar and Kyle screwed one wide and then it was saved. That was all the difference really, but I think we were missing big Ross.

“We did as well as we could, we were just a bit weak in the squad we didn’t have the reinforcements to put on defensively. Losing Nicky Allen was a big miss. If we’d had a full squad it might have been a different result.”