After going a goal behind after 20 minutes against the Silkmen, Town conceded again just five minutes later which left Liddle's side with a mountain to climb in the second half.

Two further second half goals followed, however the Seasiders could still be proud of their efforts against the Pitching In Northern Premier League winners, particularly on the back of four straight wins heading to the Leasing.com Stadium.

Liddle praised his players ahead of a big off-season ahead where he will look to assemble a squad worthy of competing towards the top end of the table in the 2025/26 campaign.

"It was a tough game and it was always going to be coming to the league champions," he said.

"It was a great challenge for us to go toe-to-toe with the proven best in the league and the remit for us going into the game was to test ourselves against them.

"We probably did alright on the ball, particularly in the first half when they allowed us to play a bit without creating too much. We huffed and puffed in the second half but the quality told for them."

Since stepping into the managerial hot-seat in November 2024, Liddle was able to guide Whitby Town to safety with two games to spare, something which looked unlikely at times throughout the season.

The Town boss admitted that it's been a tough first spell in management for him and his Assistant Jason Kennedy, but he's feeling confident ahead of the new campaign which kicks off in August.

"We've saved our best form of the season for the most crucial time, and the lads deserve a huge pat on the back for that," he added.

"Ultimately the aim is now to kick on and we won't rest on the management side as we've got an important time coming now where we need to build a team and build a squad who hopefully can start challenging at the other end of the league.

"That's my ambition and I certainly don't have plans to be fighting at the wrong end of the division like we have been this season as it hasn't been nice for players, staff and supporters."