Layton Watts hits crucial injury-time winner for Whitby Town at Lancaster City

Keeper Shane Bland celebrates the late crucial win for Whitby at Lancaster City.

Layton Watts' 96th-minute penalty earned Whitby Town a huge victory on the road at Lancaster City.

A cagey affair saw Whitby Town lift themselves out of the NPL Premier Division bottom four, writes Liam Ryder.

The game yielded few chances for either side, with Watts' spot-kick being the only thing to separate the two sides.

Seasiders boss Gary Liddle made three changes to the side that lost to Hyde United at the weekend. He returned to the line-up himself, while Nathan McGinley and Michael Woods also returned to action. Kasper Williams, Aaron Haswell, and Matthew Tymon dropped out.

Layton Watts scored the late winner for Whitby Town at Lancaster City on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts started the game as the better side, going close in the opening ten minutes when Conor Haughey nodded Sam Bailey's cross over the bar.

Former Seasider Harrison Beeden looked to get in on the action minutes later, poking Crispin McLean's cross wide, before the latter's cross had to be dealt with by Shane Bland, punching a teasing ball away from the danger area.

Clear-cut chances came at a premium for either side, though the hosts enjoyed more of the ball in Whitby's half. Nic Evangelinos saw an effort blocked by McGinley.

At the other end, Woods turned Whitby's only real chance of the half over the crossbar, just before half-time.

Jassem Sukar in action for the Blues at Lancaster City.

Shortly after the restart, Whitby were let off. Lewis Mansell's cross was headed on by Dom Lawson, though a Whitby man got to the ball before an awaiting Charlie Cox.

Lawson was among the action again on 65 minutes, feeding sub Marcus Cusani. The forward found himself one-on-one, though could only fire over the bar.

Cusani could have won it for the hosts with just three minutes of normal time remaining too, though his header from Bailey's long throw only found the roof of the net.

However, it was Whitby who would be the ones to snatch all three points at the death. Hawkins played the ball into Gell, with the Town midfielder upended by Haughey, leaving the referee no option but to point to the spot.

Watts stepped up from 12 yards, hammering the ball down the centre and into the roof of the net with almost the last kick of the match, clinching a massive three points for Whitby to lift them out of the bottom four.