Whitby Town eye NPL Premier Division play-offs after lively first half of 2025-26 season

After a promising start to the campaign, with the Seasiders picking up seven points from their first three league games, Gary Liddle's men came crashing back down to earth with a poor run of results in late August, but pre-Christmas find themselves sat in tenth spot in the league, highlighting their inconsistency.

After leading Whitby to survival with a game to spare in the English seventh tier in 2024/25, Liddle, who had taken over from the sacked Nathan Haslam in October 2024, had an eye opener in his first managerial role and there was great optimism around the Towbar Express Stadium ahead of his first full campaign in charge.

The legendary Hartlepool United defender, who had played a key role in South Shields' promotion to the National League North in 2023, won four of his last five matches in April to help steer the Seasiders clear of the relegation zone, and subsequently built a stronger-looking squad in the off-season.

After a fast start to the summer, the Seasiders started to make some positive moves in the transfer market and the likes of Jarrett Rivers, fresh from spending several productive years at Step 2 with Darlington, James Harrison, Donald Chimalilo and Ronnie McGrath all arrived to bolster Liddle's ranks.

There was a sense that Liddle's no-nonsense manner and refreshingly focused approach to his transfer business might be just what Town needed.

Following a decent pre-season, Whitby made the long trip to Workington with a renewed sense of optimism as they prepared to begin their Northern Premier League campaign in Cumbria.

The trip made an inauspicious start when the team bus broke down and it took a delayed kick-off to get the campaign underway in the North West.

However, things were looking up on the pitch as Connor Smith's 90th-minute goal helped Liddle make a winning start to his first season at the helm.

Indeed, the Seasiders kept two clean sheets in their opening three matches as they accumulated seven points from their opening games but it wasn't long before the wheels started to fall off.

The Seasiders continued to score goals, but were shipping at an alarming rate, including five in a heavy defeat at Hyde United and three at FC United of Manchester. Defeat to winless Hebburn Town did nothing to help return optimism around the Towbar Express Stadium.

There was some reprieve following these three straight defeats as they returned to winning ways in the Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round at fellow Northern Premier League side Lancaster City.

In the end, Town returned to some form, backing up their FA Cup win with a hard-fought 1-0 triumph at Ilkeston Town, backed up by a well-contested draw with much-fancied Stockton Town. They did, however, exit the FA Cup at Hyde United just three weeks after conceding five at the same venue.

Despite a harrowing 4-1 defeat at newly-promoted Stocksbridge Park Steels, their first win of the season, at the end of September, Town have gone from strength to strength since this alarming loss, going on to become one of the league's most in-form sides throughout October and November.

Liddle appeared to use the Stocksbridge reverse as an alarm call with Town looking a lot more solid defensively since that encounter which saw them overpowered against physicality.

The likes of Alex Nelson, a defender who was struggling to adapt to life in the Northern Premier League's top flight since his arrival from Newton Aycliffe, have started to shine and Town even found themselves in the play-offs in mid-November.

The win over in-form Hednesford Town, who since that defeat at the Towbar Express Stadium have gone on an impressive run and now top the table, represented arguable the high point of Liddle's tenure so far and was probably the most complete performance of the campaign.

In fact, Whitby have gone unbeaten in five of their six games since the Hednesford win, losing just twice against Bamber Bridge in a game overshadowed by a shambolic refereeing display, and Leek Town who showed a clinical edge at the end of November.

Now, Town are starting to be touted as potential play-off contenders, with Liddle's side heading into the new year full of confidence and with plenty of momentum going into a hectic January following Boxing Day's visit of Morpeth Town to the Towbar Express Stadium.

The Seasiders still have a fair bit to do and are set to travel to Hebburn Town to kick off 2026, a side who have gone on an almighty run and find themselves second in the table. Incredibly, they had failed to win any of their opening five matches of the season.

The division is also fiercely competitive, with just seven points separating sixth placed Stockton Town and Prescot Cables, who are 15th.

After their trip to Hebburn, Town have a far more favourable run of fixtures and will fancy their chances of further closing the gap between themselves and the top five.

As Liddle has pointed out in his recent interviews, the Seasiders will need to improve their home form while continuing to take points away from home with solid displays them if they're to squeeze into the play-offs, but on current form that is starting to look more and more realistic, particularly using Saturday's draw at Stockton Town as an example where Whitby went to a usually free-flowing attacking outfit at home and came away with a clean sheet.