Whitby Town joint-manager Lee Bullock left ruing mistakes after derby loss to Scarborough Athletic

The Blues started the game the brighter of the two teams, finding a lead early on. Jake Hackett’s ball forward found Jacob Hazel, who beat his man and fired a powerful drive across Ryan Whitley into the top corner, writes Paul Connolly.

They could have had a second too shortly after courtesy of a start Bullock was pleased with, with Whitley just getting to the ball ahead of Hazel in time to clear, when Hawkins’ pass broke the lines.

“The first half they’ve done everything we asked,” Bullock said.

“It was like we were at FC United. Fluent, attacking well and on the front foot.

“We looked like we were causing them all sorts of problems and got a great goal, and could have had another.”

The hosts managed to turn the momentum in the first half, and found a leveller just before the half-hour mark.

Whitby failed to defend a throw-in properly, unable to clear on two attempts, allowing the ball to fall to Luca Colville.

The tricky Boro forward drove a low effort goalwards just inside the box which scrambled under Bland.

“Slowly they edged their way back into the game, as seemed to be the case the last couple of seasons,” Bullock added.

“They got a goal that we weren’t happy with, an overload at the back post. We knew second half we’d have opportunities, but obviously it didn’t work that way.”

With the game balanced going into the break, a game-changing incident would tip the balance in Boro’s favour.

Following a challenge on Adam Gell, a melee ensued between the offending party, Kieran Glynn, and Whitby’s Malik Dijksteel, with the latter sent off for being adjudged to have punched his opposite number.

“The situation has blown up and Malik has got caught up in the pace and importance of the game, you can’t do that,” Bullock continued.

“It’s killed us, he’s left the lads having to do an extra man’s running. He’s a young lad, he’s come here and he’ll learn from that and remember it. He’s just had to learn at our expense.

“I spoke to the ref and their player started it with a push, he finished it with a forearm to the back of the head, you can’t do that.”

The Seadogs, as expected, had the lion’s share of the second half, Lewis Maloney particularly forcing Bland into action, the Whitby custodian tipping over his 25-yard free-kick. And it was a set-piece that was Whitby’s undoing for the winner.

Harry Green’s foul on Glynn 20 yards from goal was given to Boro skipper Ryan Watson, who drilled a low effort off the Whitby wall, wrong-footing Bland and sending the home support into raptures.

“In the second half with 10 v 11, the only chances they had came from free-kicks,” Bullock said. “The winner is a free-kick that’s gone through the wall, it’s unacceptable really.

“If you’re going to get beaten, you would rather get broken down by good play but that’s gone through the wall and killed us.”