Whitby Town 2 Stafford Rangers 1 - Report

Play-off hopefuls Whitby went ahead on the 25th minute when the referee played the advantage following an alleged foul and Matthew Tymon netted.

Tymon tried his luck again on the half-hour mark but this time saw his effort drop the wrong side of the bar.

Moments later the Boro survived an almost own goal but for goalkeeper Jonathan Brown palming the ball over his own crossbar and behind.

However, the hosts did double their lead five minutes before the break with Paul Blackett scoring from the penalty spot.

In the second half Brown was forced into another smart save to deny Paul Blackett from a tight angle.

With 20 minutes remaining Rangers came back into the tie and Whitby goalkeeper Shane Bland had to make two smart saves.

Firstly, he stopped Alex White from conceding an own goal before moments later denying Thomas Thornley’s long range effort.

However, with 11 minutes remaining he was helpless when Berti Diau pulled a goal back with a header from a free-kick.

Despite late Boro efforts for an equaliser they couldn’t muster a second goal and suffered a 2-1 defeat.