Well earned season's first win

Albion maintained their very impressive record at the Turnbull Ground, making it six wins and just the one loss, in their ten NPL top flight encounters when up on the North Yorkshire coast.

With Billy Smart serving the first of a three match suspension Danny McKenna was back in the starting line-up whilst Delial Brewster was unable to travel due to sickness.

The 40 or so travelling Wittoners, including the now regular ”Whitby Weekenders” feared it might not be their and the teams day as early as the 6th minute when referee Craig Dean thought, what was a run of the mill unfair tackle by River Humphreys on Carl Lawson, merited a caution. The very fact that River didn’t let this handicap affect his and with it his fellow defenders game spoke volumes.

On 14 minutes Rob Hopley fed the ball through for Will Jones but the striker was unable to get his shot away as he went down amongst a tangle of home defenders legs. The first save by either keeper didn’t come until the 37th minute when James Foley’s fierce drive was beaten away for a corner by home custodian Jack Norton. From the flag kick Foley received the ball back but could only find the top back netting with his lobbed attempt.

At the other end Greg Hall had a lucky escape when his rare poor clearance found Matthew Tymon but instead of planting the ball back over Hall he laid the ball off to skipper Dale Hopson whose shot was pushed out by the Albion keeper for a corner.

The first attempt in the second period came from McKenna but his half-hearted shot went wide of the target. The 52nd minute saw a cross from the left be pile driven at goal with the Albion rear-guard holding firm to first block and then clear the danger.

Five minutes later nice approach work instrumented by James Yates saw Hopley shoot straight at the keeper. Twenty minutes from time, this time from the opposite flank, Matty Devine’s cross brought the same end result by the Albion skipper. Jones was denied in the 82nd minute when his great attempt from the right was pushed away for a corner by Norton.

With three minutes remaining of the ninety Cesaire Lingouba, centrally positioned lobbed the ball into the danger area, Norton, central defender Jack Vaulks and Hopley converged on the ball with the Albion striker emerging triumphant as the keeper was baulked by his compatriot. Laying the ball across the box and after a bit of bobbing about up popped Tom Owens to get the vital touch and repeat scoring at Whitby, after netting the first goal last November in Witton’s 2-1 win.

So the first win of the campaign at the third attempt and despite having to wait for a brake part for the coach to be transported up from Manchester it was a very happy Albion party that arrived back at base at 9:30pm.