Lacklustre Whitby Town slump to 3-0 loss at home to Leek Town

After a few days of snow, the hallowed turf at the Turnbull Ground had been submerged. A terrific effort from the groundsman and volunteers, followed by an early morning pitch inspection, saw Whitby get the match underway in a fresh wintry wind.

Starting brightly, Whitby had the better chances in the first 20 minutes. The first chance fell to Adam Gell, who flashed a shot low across Dino Visser but narrowly missing the far post.

Moments later Jake Charles latched onto a floated ball from Connor Smith. With Visser rushing out of his goal, Charles chipped the ball over him, but like Gell before him, he finished narrowly wide of the goal.

Charles was in again; this time a neat piece of skill by Layton Watts ended with a low driven ball being played across the goal but it was intercepted before Charles could get on the end of it.

After a showing of dominance in the opening 25 minutes the tide was beginning to change. Leek began to grow into the game, with their first scoring opportunity coming on 34 minutes. Callum Leigh received the ball calmly on the edge of the box before shifting the ball onto his right foot and curling the ball into the top right-hand corner from 25-yards out.

Much like the cold windy conditions in North Yorkshire, the game began to freeze, seeing both teams struggle for possession in what became a cagey end to the first half.

The Seasiders did, however, have a chance to equalise just a minute before half-time. Watts played a ball from the left across the six-yard box which was met by Smith, who could only fire over the bar after finding space at the back post. The away side went into half-time with a one goal lead.

After the break it was again the home side who started on the front foot, twice getting in behind but being denied by the offside flag.

On 57 minutes the first yellow card of the match was produced after Liam Buckley tripped the advancing Donald Chimalilo, on the left wing.

Substitute James Harrison made an impact from the off, beating Thomas Curl, before swinging the ball into the box ahead of the back-peddling Leek defence but also evading the Whitby forwards.

Moments later, Leek broke free with Tunde Owalabi beating the defence but was stopped by Shane Bland who was there to take the ball cleanly.

It didn’t take long before Leek had another opportunity to double their lead. This time a deflected shot in the 63rd minute fell to the feet of Owalabi who smashed the ball past a stranded Bland to make it 2-0.

With 20 minutes left to go, both teams made several changes trying to get a hold of the game. Owalabi recieved a yellow card for an off-the-ball incident before being gifted an opportunity to make it three but his header from three yards out sailed over the bar to Whitby's relief.

With less than 10 minutes left it was now or never for Whitby to get back in the game. Substitute Jarrett Rivers attempted an overhead kick, but missed the ball and clashed with Curl, resulting in a yellow card.

The win was sealed, and the scoring was rounded off in the 86th minute with a header from Connor Heath into the right corner after a pinpoint cross from Adam Porter.

Leek saw the game out in the final few minutes to win 3-0 as the hosts were made to rue missed chances in the first half.