After the Storm
Today would see me heading to Whitby, a town I have wanted to visit for many years.
The great British seaside is often overlooked, with holidaymakers understandably, preferring the sunnier climes abroad. However, there are nuggets scattered around the United Kingdom’s coastline, and Whitby is one of them.
Steeped in history, with a gothic flair thanks to Bram Stoker, the town flourishes with tourists flocking to see ‘where Dracula landed’.
Following the blasting from Friday’s Storm Eowyn, Dracula might well have been blown off course, were he still flying around the North Yorkshire coast.
The Northeast was only on the periphery of the storm and it still gave us a mighty buffeting.
Enough to drive anyone… batty. (Sorry!)
Apart from the town, there is also a new football ground to check out!
Whitby Town was facing Workington AFC, a club that welcomed us when we visited the Cumbrian town in March 2023. Mainly thanks to the wonderful Les Byers, who I was hoping to run into today.
I never saw him at the game and there has been no update to his Twitter account since March 2024. I do hope he is ok. If someone could let me know, I’d be grateful.
So, let’s see how we got on at Whitby, shall we?
Whitby – The Journey
After yesterday’s high winds and rain, the weather was the proverbial calm after the storm.
Lovely blue skies and a blazing winter sun awaited me as I made my way to the bus station. That winter sun is a double-edged sword, isn’t it?
On the one hand, it feels good and keeps the temperature up but it is also incredibly irritating when in your eyes. With it being so low on the horizon during winter, walking towards it is like someone shining a powerful torch in your face.
This lasted for most of the day, up until the second half of the game and it’s surprisingly exhausting to deal with.
I caught the 09:20 X1 to Peterlee, only to be told by the driver that the bus didn’t go to Peterlee!
That’s when I realised I had tried to board the northbound bus on autopilot. I hurriedly made my way to the correct stop to catch the 09:22 south… DOH!
What am I?
The bus arrived in Peterlee at 09:50, leaving a fifteen-minute wait for the X10 connection to Middlesbrough.
I rode the X10 to its terminus at the bus station, arriving at 10:55.
After feeling a little queasy, I picked myself up with a sausage roll from Milligan’s (£1.05) at the bus station and felt better again.
Just as well, because there was still over an hour of travelling ahead of me.
The X93 to Scarborough arrived at 11:20 and we set off once more. The bus entered the North Yorkshire Moors, which is what makes Whitby such a difficult place to get to by train from Durham and the reason I chose the bus route.
Bleak, yet spectacular, the Moors were designated as a National Park in 1952.
Out the Other Side
We started to descend and I got a first glimpse of the sea off to my left, visible through the troughs and peaks of the moors.
The road comes out of the moors and immediately descends into Whitby.
Blue skies, sun shining and a blue sea to the left. Storm? What storm? It’s lovely!
I left the bus at Arundel Place and walked uphill to Upgang Lane.
As I strolled, the lovely weather altered my plans. I had intended to go for a quick look at the cold, wet and blowy seafront, take a couple of photos and head to the Whitby Town clubhouse.
Now, I wanted to explore the town a little bit. I made a right, into Argyle Street, which took me to the seafront, and some spectacular views of the Whitby coastline.
I followed the seafront east, heading toward the town proper, hoping to get fish and chips.
Despite being January, plenty of tourists milled around, enjoying the ‘relative quiet’ and weather.
I looked at the ‘touristy things’ and took a few snaps, before heading down the hill toward the Silver Street chip shop. When I got there, typically, it was closed.
Ah well, onto the next…
Mentioning no names, but the next chip shop I looked at was asking for £15.50 for cod and chips, so I moved on again.
*Cough, Terry’s Fish Bar, cough.*
I saw a pub next door and decided to console myself with a pint.
The Pier Inn
Inside, it was partway between being a traditional pub and a restaurant, with an eating area off to the left.
Ah well, my legs were aching after walking up and down the hills of Whitby and it sold beer.
I asked for a pint of Guinness and was asked for £6.70 in return… What?
Did I miss the news about an explosion at St James’ Gate in Dublin? Is Guinness scarce?
I reluctantly tapped my card against the payment square and sulkily walked to a table to watch the football on TV.
Why is everything so damned expensive these days? Wages are not keeping up with costs at all.
I took my mind off the sense of injustice by watching Bradford City versus Walsall, with the league leaders surprisingly beaten 3-0 by the Bantams.
The problem with Guinness is that it goes down far too quickly and there was no way I was paying for another at that price.
One for Sorrow, Two for Joy
Or so the rhyme about Magpie’s goes.
I didn’t see a second magpie but the one I did find brought me joy anyway.
Fish and chips at the Magpie Cafe!
Still not the cheapest, but with mushy peas added to the mix for £13.50, I caved in and got some.
I’m well aware of seagulls and their aggressive chip-snatching policies, so I took my precious haul along the quayside, up the steps and back to the top of the West Cliff, where I had taken my touristy photos earlier.
With the whale bones and Captain Cook’s statue at my back, I sat on a bench with one hand covering my food, while I ate my fish and chips with the other, under the glorious blue sky.
Perfect and peaceful (apart from a potential seagull attack, of course.)
While I finish up my food and stroll to the Turnbull Ground, I will leave you to read about the town of Whitby.
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town on the North Yorkshire coast.
It sits on the mouth of the River Esk.
The town is 31 miles southeast of Middlesbrough, with York 46 miles to the southwest.
Following a string of earlier names such as Streanæshalc and Streunes-Alae in Lindissi in the 7th to 8th centuries, the village in the area got its first recognisable names Hwitebi and Witebi in the 12th century. These names were taken from the Old Norse language, meaning ‘hvítr‘ (white) and býr (village).
Whitby Abbey
The first monastery was constructed in Whitby around 657 AD and was one of the most important religious centres in the Anglo-Saxon world.
Due to Viking raids in the 9th century, the monastery and village were destroyed and abandoned, with the area coming under Danish rule.
After the Norman invasion and conquest in 1066, the land was granted to William de Percy who had a Benedictine monastery built and dedicated to St Peter and St Hilda.
Between the 13th and 15th centuries, the abbey was rebuilt in the Gothic style. Henry VIII dissolved the abbey in 1539 as part of his suppression of monasteries around the country.
Despite being bought and part-lived in by the Cholmely family, when they left in the 18th century, the elements completed their work and it fell to ruin.
To rub salt into the wound, the abbey was targeted by the German battlecruiser, Derfflinger, during World War One, with a 12-inch shell destroying the west front.
The ruins are now maintained and run by English Heritage.
The trade in alum and coal from the Durham coalfield helped Whitby grow from a small fishing village and the riches that came its way allowed them to expand to shipbuilding.
By the end of the 18th century, only London and Newcastle built more ships by tonnage, and by 1795 Whitby had also become a major whaling port.
Captain Cook
James Cook learned seamanship as a ship’s apprentice on the trading boats off the Whitby coast, where his later life vessel, the HMS Endeavour was also built, with which he explored the oceans.
You can read more about Cook’s voyages and achievements at the following link.
Whitby became a spa town in Georgian times, drawing in wealthy tourists to take in the waters known for their medicinal and tonic qualities.
During the 19th century, a rail link was established between Whitby and York, which helped bring more tourists to the town.
Jet, a mineraloid mined in the area, was also a popular form of jewellery in Victorian times. No longer mined, jet can still be obtained in the area due to coastal erosion.
The last wooden ship built in Whitby, the Monkshaven, was launched in 1871 and a year later the harbour was silted up.
The tale of the Monkshaven’s last voyage can be read here.
Count Dracula and Goths
Bram Stoker wrote Whitby into literary fame when he used the town as the landing site for Count Dracula in his 1897 novel, Dracula.
The Whitby Goth Weekend, founded in 1994, is an alternative music festival where ‘goths’ descend on the town in large numbers. There is little doubt that the Dracula story and the ruined Gothic abbey made Whitby the perfect place to hold such a festival.
Whitby is part of the area known as either the Dinosaur Coast or Fossil Coast. This is a stretch of coastline between Staithes to the north and Flamborough to the south. Numerous fossils have been found here, including many dinosaur footprints and the petrified bones of an almost complete crocodile and a plesiosaurus.
Incidentally, three snake stones (or ammonites – old fossils, often found on Whitby beach) decorate the club (and town) crest.
Whitby is twinned with the following towns in the world – Anchorage, Poirua, Stanley, Whitby (Canada), Nuku’alofa, Kauai County and Osterode am Harz.
Notable People from Whitby
Arctic explorers, William Scoresby Senior and Junior – Lioness footballer, Beth Mead – singer/songwriter, Arthur Brown – Saint Hilda – marine artist, George Chambers, rock drummer, Mark Richardson and novelist, Storm Jameson.
Whitby Town – the Turnbull Ground
While you were getting acquainted with Whitby, I had made my way to the Turnbull Ground.
Getting In
Cash or card is accepted at the turnstile and entry was £12.00.
I also picked up the last copy of the matchday programme from here, although more were available in the club shop.
Programme
The ‘Talk of the Town’ programme cost £2.50.
It has 40 slightly glossy, matt paper pages, fourteen of which are non-club-related adverts.
There are words from the boss, a player feature on Nathan Thomas, six pages on today’s visitors, Workington, plus a head-to-head record of the two clubs.
A league table and results/fixtures are also included.
Overall rating – not great, not bad, but thank you for producing one!
South End
The ground is entered via the west side but I will start at the south end.
This is an open, one-step terrace with a large ball-catching net strung along its length.
A snack and refreshment hut is in the southeast corner.
East Side
Four uniquely designed floodlights dominate the east side, with a covered terrace standing in their shadow.
The covered section of the terrace runs roughly between the edges of the two penalty boxes, but not quite that long.
A two-step open terrace is at the northeast corner, with a few picnic benches placed on the top section.
Two technical dugouts are on either side of the halfway line on this side of the ground.
North End
Another giant net spans the north end, with a flat standing area between it and the border fence.
West Side
Now we are back to where we entered on the west side.
This side contains two more large floodlights, with extra lighting on the main stand’s roof.
The 505-seater main stand spans the halfway line and runs approximately one-third of the pitch length.
The club shop, dressing rooms, a clubhouse and a snack/refreshments hut are also on this side of the ground. There is a small, open terrace at the northwest end of this side and a hospitality hut.
You can read about hospitality at Whitby Town here.
The players enter the pitch from the southwest corner. Metal gates are pulled across the entrance when the players are due to come out.
From the club shop I managed to buy a pin badge for £3.50 and it was big! Approximately half as big again as a regular-sized pin badge. I also picked up a free team sheet from inside the shop.
I noticed old programmes were for sale in the shop, although I didn’t have time to browse them thanks to my yearning for Whitby fish and chips!
Sorry, not sorry!
The Turnbull Ground, also known by the sponsored name of the Towbar Express Stadium, has a capacity of 3,500.
I didn’t have time for a drink in the clubhouse but I did pop inside to get a photo for our regular reader.
Whitby Town – the Turnbull Ground Gallery
Whitby Town Tidbits
The Whitby Town Football Club was formed in 1880, then known as Streaneshalch Football Club.
This name didn’t last long and they changed to Whitby Church Temperance.
In 1882, the name changed again, simply Whitby Football Club, now preferred.
The club played friendly games in its early existence, although an intense rivalry developed with local rivals, Scarborough.
This rivalry resulted in one of football’s first riots, on January 10th 1890. A disagreement over a disallowed goal led to Scarborough fans invading the pitch and attacking Whitby players, who were chased all the way to the train station.
Albert Drabble, a 19-year-old Whitby player who had been beaten up in the riot, died of a heart attack a month later. With Whitby due to face Scarborough St. Mary’s that day, Albert was discovered dead in his home.
In 2018, ten men were arrested following further violent episodes when the two sides faced each other.
In 1893, the Seasiders briefly joined the Northern League for two seasons. They returned in 1899, winning Division Two in their first season back. Unfortunately, the travel costs incurred forced the club to regress to playing friendlies.
In 1926, the town’s two clubs, Whitby Whitehall Swifts and Whitby Town merged and became Whitby United, rejoining the Northern League.
Their name reverted to Whitby Town in 1949.
In 1965, the club made it to the final of the FA Amateur Cup, where they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Hendon.
In 1983/84, the Seasiders beat Halifax Town 3-2 in the First Round of the FA Cup, before losing to a late penalty against Wigan Athletic in the Second Round. They also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy that season.
Success Arrives
1992/93 saw Whitby win the Northern League for the first time but were denied promotion to the Northern Premier League.
In 1996/97, they again reached the First Round of the FA Cup drawing 0-0 against Hull City. They were winning the replay 4-3 at Boothferry Park, but with 49 seconds on the clock, the Tigers equalised and went on to win the tie 8-4 after extra time.
This was their best season to date and they also won the Northern League again. The cherry on the cake was an FA Vase win at Wembley Stadium, beating North Ferriby United 3-0.
They continued to do well the next season and won the NPL First Division, seven points clear of the runners-up.
Whitby played another FA Cup First Round game with the Match of the Day cameras in 2001/02, holding Plymouth to a 1-1 draw before losing the replay.
In 2004, the Conference North was created and Town reached the playoffs to enter it. They lost out to Radcliffe Borough and remained in the NPL.
In the 2005/06 season, the club played in front of their impressive new main stand for the first time.
The club plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football. In October 2024, former player Gary Liddle was appointed manager, after previously being assistant.
The club plays in a blue shirt, with a deliberate nod to the Sampdoria shirts containing white red and black.
So far, Whitby Town has never been relegated in their history.
Scampi Skipper
The club also has a great mascot that wanders around entertaining the younger spectators.
Scampi Skipper is based on Whitby’s association with shrimp scampi and there are even tenuous claims that the dish was invented here, though Genoa in Italy seems to have a better claim.
They Played for Whitby Town
Michael Allen – Matty Appleby – Simon Betts – Neal Bishop – James Brown – Lee Bullock – Andy Campbell – David Carson – Mitch Cook – Darren Craddock – David Currie – Jim Dobbin – Craig Farrell – John Francis – Jonathan Franks – Ian Gibson – Ray Hankin – Graeme Hedley – John Hickton – Evan Horwood – Jordan Hugill – Denny Ingram – Richard Jackson – Rob Jones – Chris Leadbitter – David Mills – Andy Monkhouse – Lee Nogan – Adam Rundle – Jeff Smith – Kevan Smith – Steve Swales – Mark Tinkler – Garry Watson – Byron Webster and Darren Williams.
Amazingly, three Leeds United legends of the seventies Don Revie team have played for Whitby Town – namely, Peter Lorimer, Eddie Gray and David Harvey.
Ex-Sheffield United goalkeeper, Paddy Kenny has also played for the Seasiders.
Whitby Town – Pre-Game View of the Turnbull Ground
Whitby Town v Workington – The Game
Form
Before today’s game, Whitby Town were 13th in the NPL Premier League. Visitors, Workington were 16th, two points behind.
From 26 games, the Seasiders had won nine, drawn five and lost twelve, In those games they have scored 37 times, conceding 45.
Meanwhile, the Reds have played 26 times, winning eight, drawing six and losing twelve. They have scored 34 goals, conceding 44.
Since their 4-3 Boxing Day victory against Blyth Spartans, Whitby has lost 2-0 at Stockton, beat Bamber Bridge 2-0 at home and last time out, lost 5-0 at Ashton United.
During January, Workington lost 3-1 at Hebburn Town and 2-0 at home to Guiseley.
Last time out was a 4-2 win at home to Matlock Town.
With all this in mind, I foresaw a close game and a draw, with neither team able to keep a clean sheet.
Pre-Match Prediction: Whitby Town 2 Workington 2
Summary
Workington didn’t take long to make their mark on this game and in the seventh minute, they scored a stunning goal.
Of course, I had just stopped recording, thinking the ball had been cleared…
It fell to the left foot of David Symington who proceeded to hit it like it had annoyed him. The ball flew into the net, giving Town’s keeper no chance.
I did manage to record a controversial moment at the half-hour mark.
The Workington Alex Mitchell raced out of his box and appeared to elbow a Whitby player in the face. He then scythed down a second player as he scrambled to cover his error.
Despite this, he only received a yellow card and he can count himself a lucky boy.
Half-Time – Whitby Town 0 Workington 1
The halftime score was 0-1, setting the game up nicely for the second forty-five.
With the second half seven minutes old, I missed another goal for the Reds.
A lovely cross from the left was supplied by Symington who put it on the head of Kai Nugent to head into an unguarded net.
It’s time to up my game and record some of these goals!
The third was a fortunate one and again, it went to Workington.
A shot by Steven Rigg, just inside the area, struck a defender and looped into the net, past the helpless goalkeeper.
The celebrations were just as fascinating for me. One of the Workington fans climbed over the fence to celebrate with the players.
The funny bit was watching him trying to get back over afterwards. If I had to guess, I would say he’d probably had more than just one pint of incredibly expensive Guinness before the game.
With five minutes left on the clock, substitute, Matty Tymon grabbed a consolation goal for the Seasiders.
The ex-Workington player had a shot blocked but made no mistake with his second swing, placing it past Mitchell.
The closing minutes played out, with Whitby doing most of the attacking but failing to get a second goal.
You can read a full Match Report here, courtesy of the Workington AFC website.
Full-time – Whitby Town 1 Workington 3
Attendance – 403
Entrance Fee – £12.00
Programme – £2.50
Whitby Town v Workington – Match Highlights
League Table After Today’s Game
Up Next
Next up for the Seasiders will be another fixture at the Turnbull Ground, with Morpeth Town the visitors on February 8th.
Then a trip down to my home county of Staffordshire, where Leek Town will be waiting on the 15th.
February ends with a home tie against Hebburn Town (18th) and a trip to Prescott Cables (2nd).
For Workington, they will face Stockton Town at home on the 1st of February, before travelling to Ilkeston Town (8th).
Another away trip follows at Bamber Bridge (11th), with a home game against Hyde United (15th) and Worksop Town away (22nd), ending February’s fixtures.
Whitby Town Thoughts
Whitby is a nice non-league ground in a beautiful town.
It’s a place you could easily make into a great weekend trip.
I would have loved to cross the River Esk’s swing bridge and walk up the 199 steps to see the ruined abbey.
Okay, maybe not the 199 steps part!
The ground itself is decent, with plenty of standing areas, including a large covered section for rainy days.
If you prefer to sit, you should be able to find a spot in the main stand. Unlike some clubs, they don’t charge spectators extra to sit in the stand.
The programme isn’t great but nor is it bad and I’m thankful that someone takes the time and effort to put it together at a time when printed programmes are fast disappearing.
The halftime music wasn’t to my taste but that’s a personal thing, I’m sure others loved the racket. Get some proper heavy rock or Madness or something on guys! 😉
The club shop was small and not much in it stock-wise, although they had what I needed and I would have loved to rummage through the old programmes if I’d had time.
Having not been in the clubhouse for a pint, or eaten the food, I can’t comment on those.
I would heartily recommend Whitby Town to anyone who hasn’t been.
Whitby – After the Game
After the final whistle, I quickly made my way out of the ground to ensure I reached the bus stop on Upgang Road, in time for the bus.
I needn’t have worried, it was closer than it looked on Google Maps.
The 17:05 X4 to Middlesbrough showed up at 17:15 and with journey time tight, I was hoping it would still get me there in time for my connection.
It did! We pulled into Middlesbrough bus station at 19:05 and I hurried to Platform 19 to catch the 19:10 X10 to Peterlee.
Ah! Peterlee… what a place that bus station is. One in which I dread spending time after a certain point in the day.
Sure enough, it was full of feral kids, one of whom let off some sort of firework that banged like a shotgun going off and made me jump out of my skin.
The patrolling security guard was as much use as a chocolate fireguard, wandering around while teenagers were pushing each other around at speed in shopping trolleys.
Of course, this was the longest wait on the journey home. At least it wasn’t boring, I guess!
The bus arrived a fashionable ten minutes late at 20:35 and I gratefully got on board. Twenty minutes later I was back in Hetton and through the front door around 21:00.
Another successful Hop in the books.
Next Up for Hoppers Guide
Next week, I will return to the Daren Persson Stadium, home of North Shields.
This will be for the visit of Whitchurch Alport in the FA Vase 5th Round.
As I have only just visited the ground, there probably won’t be a Hoppers Tale.
It will be nice to take in a game without documenting it and worry if I’ve forgotten anything.
I also hope to visit Paul at Stadium Collectables before the game, to catch up on our phone conversation from my last visit.
So, the next Hoppers Tale will likely be from Markse United’s Mount Pleasant ground. The opposition on the day will be West Allotment Celtic, whose fan ownership scheme I have recently joined.
This will be my first game watching a team I am theoretically a part-owner of, so that should be interesting.
Hopefully, several more people will join the scheme and help keep a historic northeast club afloat in these trying times.
Onto the next!
