Shane Bland stars as Whitby Town open home campaign with 0-0 draw with Stocksbridge

Gary Liddle's side were indebted to goalkeeper Shane Bland, who pulled off a crucial save in second half stoppage time just a minute before Whitby twice struck the crossbar.

Whitby were dogged when they needed to be and disciplined throughout as they stood firm against newly promoted Stocksbridge, but equally could have won the game themselves had their attacking play come to fruition.

The hosts were comfortably on top early on at the Towbar Express Stadium, and had Donald Chimalilo directed his 35th-minute header slightly better, they could have led at half-time.

Lewis Hawkins also went close with a volleyed attempt earlier in the half, albeit not a strike that would trouble Benjamin Townsend.

It was actually the away side who sounded the first warning from range but his cross/shot was well watched clear by Shane Bland, who later had to thank Connor Smith for some heroic defending on the stroke of half-time when he cleared off his own goal-line following a corner.

Player of the Match, Nathan McGinley, had to throw his body at a Luke Rawson effort from close range as the chances started to come for Stocksbridge midway through the first half.

Chimalilo's shot was nodded wide, while James Harrison called Townsend into action with a routine low save with the half-hour mark looming.

Town then had to endure some defensive tests on the back of Rawson's aforementioned attempt - the same player fizzing a shot narrowly wide of the post on 37 minutes.

Layton Watts then took on an opportunistic attempt following a delightful Chimalilo flicked pass.

After just three minutes of the second-half, there was a substantial break in play following a small fire on one of the floodlight pylons. The event then resulted in the remainder of the match being played with one set of lights out of action.

After the stoppage, it took Whitby some time to reset and click back into gear, however they responded with Harrison and Chimalilo seeing efforts well blocked by Stocksbridge - the side with the best defensive record in the Northern Premier League Division One East en route to promotion in May.

Chances started to arrive a bit more frequently; one such opening falling the way of Ronnie McGrath, who forced Townsend into a save, albeit a comfortable one.

Liddle introduced Jarrett Rivers for the final stages as they sought a greater foothold in the Stocksbridge half, however his big chance wouldn't arrive until the seventh minute of added time.

Just before that, the visitors' best chance of the match fell to another substitute, James Morris, who ghosted into the box to meet Jack Watson's enticing cross. With the ball already behind Bland, he somehow managed to scoop the ball into his grasp.

And deep into added time, Whitby broke, with the ball falling to Rivers inside the box. His shot was fierce and looked to be flying in, but the crossbar denied him, before McGinley also found the same blockage in front of him from his headed follow-up to deny those in blue a second straight win to start the new campaign.