Lee Bullock praises Whitby’s commitment as Seasiders end six-game winless run

All the goals came in the first half. Layton Watts netted his fourth of the campaign inside eight minutes, before Jake Charles added a brace, including a penalty in added time, to take the game away from the hosts.

That being said, Cleethorpes did come out and put Whitby under pressure in the second half, and the Seasiders manager was just as pleased with the defensive commitment as he was with his side's free-scoring first half.

“[In the] first half, we were brilliant. And then in the second, we had that willingness to not concede,” he said post-match.

“We knew they were going to come and have a right go at us, and the lads were throwing their bodies on the line. To come away with the points, after the day they’ve had… I’m so proud of them.

“There have been sacrifices today. Lads are taking half-days off work and days off tomorrow. Matty Tymon drove four-and-a-half hours across the country to be here, and performances like this make it worthwhile.”

The four-and-a-half-hour round trip was worth it for the travelling Whitby fans too, as they left knowing that they now have a seven-point buffer to the drop zone following their first win in seven.

Next up is another long trip to another side sat just above the relegation zone, Rushall Olympic. 

Bullock hopes that his side show the same determination to win, while also showing some class on an artificial surface, following Tuesday's difficult game at the HPS Plant Hire Stadium.

“We came here with a dedication to play hard and win, but we need to do it again Saturday, and the following week. We can’t just do it now and again,” he continued.

“We showed today that we can mix it and do the ugly side, and now we have a bit of breathing room to continue our hard work and express ourselves on a 3G surface, so I’m really looking forward to Saturday now.

“But, we can’t just do this tonight and think we’ve cracked it. We’re a long way from that - but we are getting there.”