FC United held at home by Whitby Town in frenetic fixture

FC United fought back to draw 2-2 with Whitby Town at Broadhurst Park on Saturday afternoon but the Reds will be disappointed not to take all three points after missing a hatful of good chances. 

However, they can also be slightly relieved to come away with a point from an entertaining game that produced three goals in a frantic three-minute second half spell and could easily have gone either way.  

With Whitby hovering above the relegation zone in the Pitching In Northern Premier Division, promotion chasing FC United were expected to win by most of the 1,765 supporters present. But the Seasiders had other ideas and put in a performance that belies their league table position. 

Lewis Hawkins gave the visitors the lead after just six minutes when he was given far too much room on the edge of the box and curled the ball into the bottom right corner. It took United until the 63rd minute to respond when substitute Charlie Ennis blasted home a penalty in trademark fashion after Regan Linney had been brough down in the box. 

The equaliser should have been the catalyst for United to kick on. However, Whitby went straight down the other end to retake the lead within a minute. Substitute Malik Dijksteel, a former Feyernoord and Middlesborough youngster, turned on the style as he dribbled through the United team and laid the ball off for Bradley Fewster to slot past Lavercombe to make it 2-1. 

Members of the FC United faithful barely had time to groan before the Reds were back on level terms through who else but Linney? The FC United talisman saved the day once again, this time with his 39th goal of the season. But it could, and should have been more. Ennis, Linney and Callum Gribbin all had chances to seal victory in the final half an hour but none of them could produce the cutting edge that the Reds have come to expect from them.

It was the story of the match. Linney should have broken the deadlock inside the first five minutes when Joe Rodwell-Grant played him through one-one-one with Shane Bland. Broadhurst Park waited for the back of the net to ripple, such is Linney’s potency, but on this occasion he hit his shot straight at the grateful goalkeeper. 

A minute later, Hawkins made no mistake down at the Lightbowne Road End to make it 1-0. The Seasiders could have doubled their lead 15 minutes later when Alex Wollerton miscontrolled a cross on the edge of the area to gift Whitby an opportunity, but Lavercombe made a fine save to deny the visitors. 

United then began to dominate proceedings. Andy Halls headed a Luke Griffiths corner against the crossbar on 37 minutes and moments later Gribbins made a good run on the right before curling his shot agonisingly over the bar. 

On the stroke of halftime, Wollerton was unleashed on the right but he shot straight at Bland. The Reds should have been level by the interval but were behind due to a lack of clinical finishing. 

Into the second half, Whitby were intent on slowing down the game and it took until the hour mark before United clicked back into gear. Wollerton made another fantastic run through the Whitby team and laid the ball off to Ennis, who curled an effort well wide of the back post.  

A minute later, Whitby had another gilt-edged opportunity to double their lead. Dijksteel broke through the defence on the right and forced Lavercombe into another fantastic save. The rebound fell kindly for the substitute with the goal at his mercy, but he somehow sliced his follow-up effort wide. It was a massive let-off for the Reds. 

Thankfully, United then got the equaliser their play deserved. Linney looked determined to take the game by the scruff of the neck and won the equalising penalty. However, a lack of concentration saw Neil Reynolds’ side concede immediately from the kick-off.

United had to do it all again. And they did so immediately, thanks to Linney. Both teams went in search of the winner and every credit to Whitby for that. The best chance fell to Gribbin with two minutes to go. The midfielder was through on goal but, under pressure from two chasing defenders and an onrushing Bland, he fluffed his lines to hit a soft shot well wide.

Gribbin kept his head up though and had another opportunity to steal the victory in stoppage time after winning a free-kick on the edge of the box. His free-kick deflected off the wall and forced Bland into a save. The goalkeeper bravely got to the rebound before being clattered by Linney, who was desperately trying to force the ball over the line for the winner, but it wasn’t meant to be as the match finished two-apiece. 

Finally, a special mention to fans' favourite Adam Dodd. The leftback came on as a substitute with 20 minutes to go to make his 100th appearance for FC United after incredibly recovering from a cardiac arrest, which he suffered last June. Welcome back Doddy.

Website man of the match: Regan Linney. Not quite at his prolific best, as he could have bagged a hat-trick, but he was still the main man for FC United. He won the penalty and scored the all-important equaliser. 

Report by Matthew Haley