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Blues pull off the great escape
WHITBY Town are staying up. The Blues pulled off a surprise 3-0 last-day win over UniBond Premier title-chasers Ilkeston to stay in the top tier for another season.
But there is still a potential spanner in the works.
Cammell Laird, who were demoted by the Football Association last weekend because their ground was still not up to scratch, have appealed against the decision.
The outcome of that appeal is expected to be known later this week.
However, their demotion in the meantime meant only one club would be joining Prescot Cables and Leigh Genesis – who were relegated mathematically.
A week ago, Whitby looked done for but the decision to relegate Cammell Laird gave them an unexpected opportunity.
The Blues' 1-0 midweek win over Witton Albion allowed them to leapfrog their Cheshire opponents and meant the Blues only needed to match Witton's result to stay up, although a win would guarantee their safety.
And the Blues did it in style by stuffing Ilkeston, although Witton's defeat by Guiseley meant the Blues were safe in any event.
Speaking to the Whitby Gazette yesterday, Blues' boss Graeme Clark, was relieved and delighted to have finished the season with a comfortable win – but said he was confident his troops, a full strength, could pull off the result.
"This is the same side that beat Guiseley away," he said.
"It's the first time in a long time I've been able to put out that sort of squad.
"We didn't just win, we won comfortably and it could have been six or seven.
"The lads were jubilant.
"We won our last two games back to back without conceding a goal under pressure and it was no dead rubber on Saturday – Ilkeston were a team going for the title."
Clark said the UniBond League is an increasingly tough one to play in and the Blues had finished two points better off than last season's tally of 44, where they also beat Ilkeston on the final day to guarantee survival.
Clark, who is meeting with chairman Graham Manser this week to discuss their aims for the summer, hopes to add two or three quality players to the squad while retaining the players he says have started to gel.
He is also hoping to secure the permanent signing of keeper Nick Liversedge, who has been on loan from Darlington since the turn ofthe year, as well as fending off interest in left-sided midfielder Leon Scott.
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Weather for Whitby
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light snow
Temperature: -0 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South
