CARSON’S ON THE SPOT FOR WHITBY
DAVEY CARSON’S 14th-minute spotkick proved enough for Whitby to win a match with much more goalmouth action than the scoreline suggests.
Barwell skipper Michael Townsend was adjudged to have pushed Carson in the back as the pair contested Danny McWilliams’ leftwing cross at the far post.
Carson kept his nerve, despite sub Declan Towers tying his laces on the penalty spot and Luke Bythway having to clear some tape from the same area, to send Liam Castle the wrong way from 12 yards.
Ryan Seal nodded across the face of goal from close range, but wide, for the visiting Canaries, before Castle pulled off a superb full-length save, low to his left, to keep out Carson’s goalbound piledriver from distance. At the other end, Jake Heath extended Shane Bland in similar fashion from 25 yards, but the Seasiders stopper was also up to the task.
Just before the break, the lively Matt Stenson forced Bland to block at his near post, with Craig Stanley nodding a free header wide from the resulting Tom Bates corner.
Early in the second half, Bland held tame efforts from Seal and Stenson, with Castle doing likewise after McWilliams’ neat break and shot.
Stenson came close to levelling when his goalbound header was nodded off the line by Kyle Fryatt, surely the smallest man on the field.
Whitby went on the counter attack, only for James Risborough to turn wide. He went clear again on the hour, but chose to square to Carson who had his shot charged down before Fryatt was denied from the loose ball. Kieran Weledji replaced Risborough up front and should have made it 2-0 on the break, but powered an angled shot wide.
With 15 minutes left, Fryatt beat Nigel Julian down the right and turned across goal, but Weledji’s shot lacked power and Castle just about held onto the wet ball.
Bland punched away from a high ball, with Towers turning the rebound over when well placed, while Weledji went through one-on-one, but Castle saved with his legs.
In injury time, Adam Gell fired wide when well placed after another superb Seasiders counterattack.
STAR MAN: Davey Carson (Whitby) ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★