Whitby Town v Blyth Spartans (Match Preview)

FA CUP THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND

Venue: The Turnbull Ground, Whitby (YO21 3HZ)
Date: Saturday October 15, 2011
Kick Off: 3pm
Score Updates:

Official Blyth Spartans Twitter feed

Admission Details:

Adults - £8
Concessions - £5
Under 16s - £2

GROUND DIRECTIONS

Follow the A171 from Middlesbrough and take it all the way to the roundabout, with the A169 Pickering road. Go over this roundabout and take the next left.

Follow this road until you come to a Spar shop/filling station on your left and a Lidl supermarket on your right-hand side. Take the next left - where the small war memorial is opposite Lidl - onto Love Lane (signposted Sandsend.)

Follow this road to a mini roundabout with the A174. Turn right, and follow this road for about three-quarters of a mile and the ground will be on your left, after the shops.

Sat Navs: The postcode for the ground is YO21 3HZ.

TEAM NEWS

Richard Offiong is poised to make his Spartans' debut this weekend, after receiving International Clearance earlier this week. He will hope to line up alongside captain Graeme Armstrong, who should make a return to the first-team following an injury.

Both Phil Bannister and Glen Taylor are back in training - after picking up injuries against Harrogate at the end of August - and will hope to be involved.

This game will be the second of Wayne Phillips' four-match suspension and John Alexander is cup-tied, after representing Spennymoor Town in an earlier round.

Whitby should welcome back three players from injury, with defender Kevin Burgess and midfielders Sam Hodgson and Dave McTiernan expected to shake off minor injuries in time for the game.

Latest starting line-ups:

Whitby Town (3-4 v Worksop Town, October 12): Courtney, Leeson, White, I Hassan, Burgess, Hawkins (Hodgson), Martin, McTiernan, Tymon, C Hassan (Faichney), Robinson. Subs not used: Williams, Marron, Campbell.

Blyth Spartans (1-2 v Worcester City, October 8): Knight, Groves, Cave, Jones, Robinson (Purvis, replaced by Slaughter), Buchanan, Mason, Hooks, Alexander, Emms (Forster), Tait. Subs not used: Anzevui, Hunter.

MATCH PREVIEW

Blyth travel to Whitby this weekend, as they look to progress into the last round of qualifying for this season's FA Cup.

After suffering from a lack of strikers last week against Worcester, Blyth manager Steve Cuggy will be spoilt for choice this weekend, with no less than five strikers looking for to be involved.

A number of fans will be making the trip down the coast and they will be hoping Blyth can see off the Northern Premier League Premier Division side - who, incidentally, were Spartans' Second Qualifying Round opponents in 2008/09, the season in which they got to the Third Round.

Blyth saw off Northern League neighbours Bedlington Terriers 2-1 in the last round, while Whitby prevailed with the same score line against North Ferriby United. Whitby also beat Parkhead 3-1 in the First Qualifying Round (for which Blyth received a bye.)

Please note:

if a replay is required, this will take place at Croft Park on Tuesday October 18 (kick off 7:45pm.)

DANGER MAN

Callum Hassan

Hassan has been signed on loan from Hartlepool United, after his loan spell at Harrogate Town expired.

The 18-year-old is a big and strong bustling forward, but he has yet to make his first team debut for Hartlepool, but he did score three times during the League One side's pre-season friendlies, including one at Croft Park in Pool's 3-1 victory.

He then got on the score sheet at Croft Park, when he put Harrogate 2-0 back in August. Hassan will be hoping to make it a hat-trick against Spartans this weekend.

PREVIOUS CLASHES

2008/09 - FA Cup Second Qualifying Round replay - Blyth Spartans 5-2 Whitby Town (Dale 3, McCabe, Williams)

2008/09 - FA Cup Second Qualifying Round - Whitby Town 2-2 Blyth Spartans (McCabe, Dalton)

2005/06 - FA Trophy Second Qualifying Round - Blyth Spartans 2-0 Whitby Town (Leeson, McCabe)

2005/06 - Northern Premier League - Blyth Spartans 1-0 Whitby Town (Dale)

2005/06 - Northern Premier League - Whitby Town 0-4 Blyth Spartans (S Bell, Fenton, Dale 2)

2004/05 - Northern Premier League Chairman's Cup - Whitby Town 1-0 Blyth Spartans

2004/05 - Northern Premier League - Blyth Spartans 2-2 Whitby Town (Crutwell, Pearce)

2004/05 - Northern Premier League - Whitby Town 4-2 Blyth Spartans (Thompson, Armstrong)

2002/03 - Northern Premier League - Whitby Town 2-1 Blyth Spartans (Burt)

2002/03 - Northern Premier League - Blyth Spartans 1-1 Whitby Town (Laws)

MUTUAL FRIENDS

Harry Dunn (Blyth Spartans: 1994-1996 & 2004-2009)
Andrew Leeson (Blyth Spartans: 2003-2009)
Alex White (Blyth Spartans: 2008-2009)
Alex Gildea (Blyth Spartans: 2005-2009)
Liam Gildea (Blyth Spartans: 2005-2008)
Richard Forster (Blyth Spartans: 2000-2007)
Craig Price (Blyth Spartans: 2005-2008 & 2009-2010)
Steve Pyle (Blyth Spartans: 1992-1997)
Aron Wilford (Blyth Spartans: 2006-2007)
Mark Bell (Blyth Spartans: 2008-2010)

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: R.Wootton
Assistants: G. Mellor & G. Scott

BLUE SQUARE BET MATCH ODDS

Whitby Town win: 9/4
Draw: 5/2
Blyth Spartans win: 10/11