Whitby Town boss Nathan Haslam laments lack of creativity after home loss to rivals Morpeth

The Seasiders slipped to a 1-0 defeat on Tuesday night, with Ben Sayer's free-kick just after the hour mark separating the two sides, writes Paul Connolly.

Whitby have now lost eight of their 13 home league matches this season, with only Nantwich Town and Liversedge losing more in front of their home supporters.

And it was a performance that disappointed Haslam again, particularly in the attacking third of the field, along with a lack of consistency.

"We're up and down, that's us," Haslam said post-match.

"We put in an exceptional performance at Gainsborough, and then against Morpeth Town it wasn't good enough, particularly in the final third.

"Defensively we were sound, they didn't look like troubling us; in midfield, we tended to be winning the battle most of the time.

"We just had no idea going forward. We didn't create anywhere near enough.

"It took me bringing the two big lads Connor [Simpson] and Jake [Day] on and then all of a sudden we looked a different team.

"I'll take that one. I think I got the selection wrong. I went with a mobile team of footballers. Looking at the pitch it looked a lot firmer than it had been but it wasn't 'til we went direct that we caused Morpeth any problems."

The opening 45 minutes were something of a slog, both for the players and anybody in the stands watching. Neither side could get any real control of the game, and chances were at a premium.

It would be the visitors who came closest to threatening first, Andrew Johnson hitting a tame effort for Shane Bland to easily take a hold of low to his right.

Jack Foalle would go closest next, volleying over the crossbar inside the Whitby area just after the half-hour mark.

Whitby's first real chance of the game came four minutes before the break courtesy of their skipper Daniel Rowe. Aaron Haswell delivered from the right, with Rowe's initial header blocked before he drilled the rebound just wide of the upright.

After a cagey first half, the game opened up in the second. Callum Morris headed wide for the visitors nine minutes in.

Minutes later, a vital hand from Daniel Lowson stopped a lurking Jake Day from nodding home Coleby Shepherd's left-wing cross from close range.

It would be the visitors who would open the scoring, however, just after the hour mark. The Highwaymen won a free-kick in-line with the edge of the 18-yard box from the left, Ben Sayer curled the ball low round the wall and past a number of bodies, including Whitby gloveman Bland.

Debutant Joe Wheatley was the first to have a go for an equaliser for the Blues, though he could only strike high and wide from a twenty-yard free-kick.

Shepherd was then called into defensive duties for Whitby, blocking Jack Foalle's shot inside the area.

The final 15 minutes were pretty much all Whitby, as they threw the kitchen sink at Morpeth in search of a leveller.

Connor Simpson came as close as anyone with ten minutes left on the clock. Good work from Brad Fewster saw him get to the byline and cross for the 6ft 5" centre forward, who headed down only to see Lowson pull out an outstanding save low to his right to deny him.

It seemed as though if anyone was going to put the ball in the net for Whitby it'd be Simpson. Five minutes later the ball fell to the big forward in space in the box, though he could only drag his attempt well wide.

He would go close again with only a couple of minutes left of normal time. Whitby pressure saw Lowson clear poorly, with the ball hooked back into the box. Simpson, however, headed over the bar.

With the clock ticking down, Whitby were desperately trying to rescue a vital point. A poor clearance again from Lowson dropped to Adam Gell, who tried an audacious effort from 25 yards with the Highwaymen gloveman off his line. The effort was agonisingly close, bouncing back off the post before Morpeth got the ball to safety.

The defeat sees Whitby drop back into the drop zone, with a trip to another struggling side on Saturday in Stalybridge Celtic.

Whitby Town: Bland, Wheatley (Griffiths '77), Shepherd, Cunningham, Rowe (C), Beeden, Hawkins, Gell, Fewster, Haswell (Simpson '68), Green (Day '51). Subs not used: Storr, Braithwaite.

Morpeth Town: Lowson, King, Robson, Morris, Henderson (C), Turner, Cornish (Ramsey '75), Sayer, Foalle (Thomson '90+2), John, Johnson (Fishburn '79).