W AUCKLAND 4 WHITLEY BAY 3 Veterans of Vase in game to remember
WEST Auckland Town and Whitley Bay know all about the contrasting emotions that the FA Vase can provide.
This visitors came into the tie as four-time winners of the competition, with their hosts making it to Wembley on two occasions without success.
And they went through every single emotion during the course of a quite wonderful 90 minutes.
Both sides took time to settle into the game, showing plenty of endeavour without creating any real chances until the 13th minute.
It fell to the hosts as Nathan Fisher collected a pass from strike partner Ben Wood and fired a shot at the near post that Tom Flynn managed to parry to safety.
The scoring was opened on the quarter-of-an-hour mark and it was Alex Kempster who gave Whitley Bay the lead from the penalty spot after Adam McHugh had brought down Kyle Patton.
The attacking midfielder was clearly Bay’s spark and he doubled his tally and lead on 21 minutes.
Kempster turned inside Lewis Galpin on the right before curling a shot past McHugh at his near post.
West were handed a lifeline after half an hour as they were awarded a penalty of their own after Matthew Cornish tripped Aaron Wearmouth in the area.
However, they were back into the game just eight minutes into the second half.
Adam Mitchell sent in a dangerous free-kick from the right and Nathan Fisher flicked a header past Flynn and into the far corner of the net.
Bay restored their two-goal advantage as Kempster completed his hat-trick just after the hour.
The winger rose to head home a Tom Potter cross from the right and left McHugh with no chance.
A frantic second half showed no signed of letting up and West pulled one back six minutes later.
Mitchell was again the creator, with a dangerous free-kick that was met by Darren Richardson and he beat the their advancing Flynn to head into the unguarded net.
And former Darlington winger Mitchell made it a hattrick of assists as he set up Richardson for his second of the day.
The defender set off wild celebrations lashing home a loose ball after Mitchell’s freekick caused issues in the visitors defence.
Whitley had a credible shout for a penalty as the clock ticked into injury time.
Denver Morris cleared a goalbound shot from the line with Seahorses players and supporters claiming a hand ball.
Their protests were waved away.
The winner didn’t arrive until the eighth minute of injury time.
It was West who progressed as Arran Wearmouth pounced on a loose ball and lashed a left-footed shot into the roof of the net to put his side through to the Fourth Round.