The hosts made a bright start and threatened inside three minutes when Ben Dale rose highest from a free-kick, only to head over the crossbar. West Auckland did not have to wait long to take the lead, however. Former Whitby player James Harrison struck in the sixth minute, keeping his composure to finish from close range despite pressure from the visiting defence.

Joshua Scott tested Jack Norton three minutes later, although the goalkeeper was only required to make a routine save. The Seasiders thought they had drawn level on 10 minutes when Callum Hickman converted after Adam Gell's low delivery into the box, but celebrations were cut short by an offside flag.

Whitby grew and started to carry a threat and Ben Turner forced Matthew Cassap into action with a long-range effort on 14 minutes, while at the other end Norton was able to watch James Hughes’ low strike roll safely wide a minute later.

As the half progressed, Whitby began to enjoy more possession and nearly found a way back into the contest on 29 minutes. A trialist midfielder drove forward on the counter-attack before curling an effort narrowly wide of the target.

The hosts doubled their advantage late in the first half. Gell first drew a low save from Cassap in the 37th minute, but from the resulting pressure Finley O’Gorman raced through on goal and finished confidently one-on-one against Norton to make it 2-0.

Whitby emerged for the second half looking for a route back into the game, but West Auckland continued to create chances. Norton produced an excellent save five minutes after the restart, getting down well to tip away a low effort from Hughes.

The Seasiders continued to battle and enjoyed spells of possession, but clear-cut opportunities proved difficult to come by against a well-organised West Auckland side.

The home side completed the scoring three minutes from time. A miscued clearance from Norton allowed Josh Scott to regain possession and square the ball across goal, leaving Connor Shields with the simple task of finding the empty net to seal a 3-0 win.

While the result marked Whitby Town’s first pre-season defeat ahead of the 2026/27 season, the fixture provided another valuable test as preparations continue for the new campaign.