by Peter Scherer
Mickleover took their first win in five against Whitby Town, but it was far from plain sailing against the Seasiders.
Starting line-up: 1-Yusuf Mersin 2-Kwaku Donkor 3-Brandon Ferron 4-Will Atkinson 5-George Wilkinson 6-Tom Senir 7-Dylan Edwards 8-Cieron Keane 9-Andy Dales 10-Josh Carter 11-Marcus Barnes. Subs: Jake Bennett, Gaby Adebambo, Josh Maskell, Michael Hollingsworth, Marcus Etherington.
It was a fairly even start, but after five minutes Keane chipped the defence and almost sent Carter clear on goal, but keeper Bland just managed to intercept.
Just a minute later Barnes burst through the middle and fired a distance shot over the bar, before Whitby broke back to win the first corner of the game.
The visitors had started to break more from their own half, and 11 minutes in they had a run down the Mickleover right, but Donkor cleared any danger.
Whitby then earned a corner on the left, but as Watts cross came in, there was a player unmarked on the far post, he then found skipper Sukar, who placed it into the bottom corner, 0-1.
The visitors were straight back on the attack again after Donkor was outpaced on the right, but then Watts shot was comfortably saved by Mersin.
Mickleover were finding themselves hustled out of possession in midfield, keeping Wilkinson and debutant Senior busy in the middle of the defence, ably supported by Atkinson.
Mersin had to race out of his goal after 27 minutes to block a half chance for Whitby, but on the half hour, Keane put a nice ball through the middle to Dales, who took it past keeper Bland before slotting home at close range to make it 1-1.
Watts put a spectacular overhead kick over the bar a minute later, but after Mickleover won a corner, it was taken short to Keane, who put the ball into the middle to find Wilkinson, sliding in to make it 2-1 with 34 minutes gone.
Mersin had to charge off his line again to whip the ball off Woods toes and then another Mickleover corner threatened the visiting defence. Barnes and Dales started the build up to win the corner, it was taken short again, but the defence managed to clear.
But with two minutes of the second half left, Dales again made himself known, laying off a lovely ball to Edwards on his left. He had both time and space to place it neatly past Bland, ending the first half with sports 3-1 up.
Only seven minutes into the second half Whitby managed to pull one back, when Collins floated in a
cross finding Tymon with acres of space to head home and pull it back to 3-2.
But Mickleover were still pushing forward and two minutes later Carter found Ferron, who played Dales through. He then found Edwards but the shot was blocked and it went for a corner.
Barnes headed away a Whitby corner, just before Maskall became the first Mickleover sub, replacing Carter.
As play resumed Dales had a shot blocked after a Maskall pass and then Tymon charged through after a ball out of the Whitby defence went straight down the middle, only to be flagged offside.
Barnes and Dales threatened again as the hour approached, they couldn’t get a shot in, but Edwards finally struck sending Bland low to make the save.
But Edwards then got a break and charged down the right. He crossed to find Maskall in the middle, and it was 4-2 with a precise and crisp strike down the centre.
Edwards then found himself in space again after 64 minutes, but didn’t maximise the chance and Whitby broke back, with Smith forcing Mersin into another diving save.
Adebambo replaced Keane after 65 minutes and Bennett followed eight minutes later for Maskall, which moved Ferron into midfield.
77 minutes in and Ferron had a shot blocked, with Edwards and Barnes poised for a rebound. But Whitby were pushing everything forward to try and salvage a point.
Edwads was fouled on the edge of the box after 82 minutes, but the free kick came to nothing, and six minutes later Edwards found Dales, before Barnes came through and sent a good chance way over the bar.
Hollingsworth replaced Edwards for the final minutes and almost on the 90 minute mark a telling left hand overlap from Ferron found Hollingsworth, but he was timely tackled before shooting.
It still wasn’t over though as with one minute of the five added on, Woods made it 4-3, but the three points were finally secure in Mickleover’s favour.
