WHITBY TOWN 2, ASHTON UNITED 1
Harry Green turned in a man-of-the-match performance for in-form Whitby Town as they beat Ashton United to register their fourth successive win at the Towbar Express Stadium.
The young winger, until last summer on the books of Middlesbrough, scored the Seasiders’ opening goal and provided the assist for the second which turned out to be the matchwinner.
Whitby, not long ago in the relegation places, have climbed to 12th place and overhauled the Robins who are two spots below them and only five points clear of the relegation places.
Ashton were without the suspended Dale Whitham and slotted Craig Hobson into their forward line on a dry, still evening on the North Yorkshire coast.
Green was in the action as early as the 12th minute as a decent run to the edge of the area was only stopped by Nathan Lowe before Malik Dijksteel teed up Shaun Tuton who fired over.
The hosts were clearly in the ascendancy and after Shaun Newton had conceded a corner Priestley Griffiths saw his shot charged down with the rebound from Josef Wheatley striking the left-hand post.
Keilen Adams then reached the by-line but couldn’t reach a colleague with his pull back and after Newton had provided a last-ditch tackle the half ended with Jack McKay’s long throw falling for Matty Regan to fire off target, the Robins first shot of the match.
After a couple of changes at the interval, the visitors started the second half in brighter fashion and Jason Gilchrist glanced a header wide from Lowe’s free kick.
Dijkstell, the former Middlesbrough player, burst to the by-line with substitute James Baillie cutting out his cross.
With the game opening up, Hobson released McKay whose left foot effort glanced away off the angle and Hobson’s left wing cross then saw Coleby Shepherd slice his clearance resulting in him needing to clear Gilchrist’s header off the line.
With 20 minutes left Dijksteel’s shot was blocked from a promising position but immediately Green played a one-two with the centre forward and was brought down by Harry Bunn with the winger picking himself up to squeeze his spot kick under goalkeeper Andre Mendes.
The hosts doubled their advantage with seven minutes left as Green’s left-wing cross was glanced home by substitute Bradley Fewster, Mendes again getting a hand to the ball.
In added time Rob Guilfoyle was fouled outside the area with Baillie curling home a fine free kick to half the deficit and the substitute attempted to repeat the trick from 40 yards but put his effort well wide.
Ashton United: Mendes, Milner, Newton, Baird (Baillie 46), Regan, Bunn, Gilchrist, Hobson, Adams (Lonsdale 46), Lowe (Guilfoyle 72), McKay. Subs (unused): Hough. Culkin.
Report: David Robinson.