Jacob Gratton nets late 1-0 Boxing Day win for 10-man Whitby Town at Morpeth

Jacob Gratton netted a last-gasp Boxing Day win for Whitby Town on the road at Morpeth Town. PHOTO BY BRIAN MURFIELD

On a freezing Boxing Day afternoon in Northumberland, Whitby Town continued to turn up the heat on the play-off spots with victory over Morpeth Town.

Jacob Gratton's late strike was the only goal of the afternoon, despite the Seasiders playing the entirety of the second half with ten men following Junior Mondal's dismissal, as Nathan Haslam's men found a way to win even when the odds were against them, writes Liam Ryder.

Whitby, making two changes from the 1-1 draw with Marine with Alfie Doherty and Bradley Fewster returning, dominated early on, with the latter almost converting from a cross which was headed into the hands of Daniel Lowson in the seventh minute.

In the 10th minute, Mondal saw a powerful dipping strike rattle Lowson's bar, but this didn't dishearten the Blues who were on the front foot again shortly after, with Mondal once again involved, this time forcing the hosts’ keeper to tip his free-kick away from danger.

Junior Mondal was sent off for Whitby at Morpeth on Boxing Day. PHOTO BY BRIAN MURFIELD

But in the 34th minute, Mondal was shown a straight red card after getting involved in an altercation with Jeff Henderson which saw the Morpeth captain escape with only a yellow card.

Chris Reid was denied an opener with the first real sight of goal for Morpeth in the 41st minute as he curled over the bar from distance, however, as expected, the second half would pan out differently to the first.

With the numerical advantage, the home side started brightly, with Will Jenkins and Sam Hodgson both going close before Henderson rose highest to meet a Liam Noble corner, but he could only head into the hands of Shane Bland.

Andrew Johnson sent a piledriver wide of the mark as Morpeth looked to take the lead, but Whitby then started to show threats of their own on the counter-attack with both Doherty and Gratton coming close.

At the other end, Bland made an impressive reaction save to keep out a Daniel Barlow strike before Noble failed to trouble the Whitby gloveman with a strike from range.

Nathan Thomas squandered a chance for Whitby when he could only find the hands of Lowson with a curling strike, while his opposite number Bland came to the Blues' rescue once more to keep out Jenkins.

But the Morpeth Town goalkeeper was beaten late on, when Thomas played the ball out to Gratton, whose low strike found the back of the net; his 13th goal of the season.