Whitby Town hit six goals past 10-man Hebburn to end five-match NPL Premier losing run


Quickfire responses ensured that the Seasiders didn’t trail for long in the first half, with the returning Adam Gell leveling matters a minute after Olly Martin opened the scoring for Hebburn, writes Paul Connolly.
Similar would happen at the back end of the first half, when the Hornets regained the lead following Paul Van-Zandvleit’s red card, through a Bailey Adamson header. Jake Charles would equalise however just moments before the break.
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Hide AdAnd the Seasiders’ man advantage would come to count in the second half, with a clinical display. Charles netted his second of the evening to put Whitby ahead for the first time in the clash, before Campbell Darcy, Stephen Walker and Joe Wheatley rounded off the scoring.
The early stages saw third-placed Hebburn look to take an advantage in the game’s infancy, much like a number of Whitby’s opponents in recent weeks.
Joe Posthill laid the ball off to Van-Zandvleit just five minutes in, though he could only fire over, before Martin’s pinpoint cross found Adamson, though he saw his header pushed wide by Shane Bland.
Martin opened the scoring, Posthill beating two blue shirts, before laying off to Van-Zandvleit. He sprayed a pass out to Martin who drove at the Seasiders’ defence before firing an effort past Bland.
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Hide AdWalker’s low cross from the right evaded Charles, but fell to Gell, who gratefully guided home at the back post to open his account for his fourth Town spell.


And the visitors would find themselves down to 10 men, 20 minutes later. Jassem Sukar and Van-Zandvleit challenged for a header, with the latter adjudged to have elbowed the Whitby captain when doing so, leaving Jamie Cann with no option other than to go to his back pocket.
Despite the red card, five minutes before half-time Michael Turner’s long throw into the box was headed on by Jack Conaghy towards Adamson in the six-yard box, who beat his man to the header and guided the ball past Bland.
But again the lead wouldn’t last long. Walker’s low cross was taken under control by Charles, before turning and guiding the ball past Kieran Hunter. Just moments before half-time, Walker couldn’t quite connect to turn home a third goal.
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Hide AdIt was the second half that would see Whitby really stretch the 10 men of Hebburn, as they opened their opponents up with their potent attacking threat.
Hunter was called into action 10 minutes into the half to palm Joe Gibson’s right-wing cross away, before the Seasiders took the lead for the first time, just two minutes later.
A ball dropped kindly for Charles on the edge of the penalty area, before the forward unleashed a powerful effort that left Hunter with no chance.
And six minutes later, the advantage was extended. Gibson’s corner from the right dropped perfectly inside the box for 18-year-old defender Darcy to roll home under Hunter.
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Hide AdCharles almost completed a hat-trick just three minutes after, though could only strike the upright with his left-footed effort.
By this point, the game was well and truly under the control of Nathan Haslam’s side, with Walker the next to go close. A ball in evaded the acrobatic attempt of Charles but fell to the former England Under-21s striker. He, however, lashed his effort wide.
But Walker would have his goal - the eighth of the season for the marksman - on 76 minutes. The ball was laid into his path before he calmly stroked home to make it 5-2.
And he could have had another two minutes later, though Hunter was alert to push this attempt wide of the mark.
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Hide AdWhitby’s sixth and final goal of the game would come from Wheatley, who pounced on Hunter’s spill inside the penalty area to drill home and wrap up an emphatic win on the road and end a barren run that saw the Seasiders lose their last five Northern Premier League Premier Division matches.