The Seasiders had to show both resilience and character after falling behind early on, but a much-improved second-half display saw them overturn the deficit and leave Staffordshire with all three points.

Leek made the brighter start and took the lead after 13 minutes. Alex Panter got goal-side of Leon Gibson-Booth inside the penalty area and, despite the best efforts of Jack Norton, calmly slotted the ball home to give the hosts an early advantage.

The home side looked dangerous in the opening stages and nearly doubled their lead midway through the half when Josh Bickerton drilled an effort narrowly wide from a tight angle.

Whitby gradually grew into the contest, however, and came close to finding an equaliser on 26 minutes. Ben Turner burst through on goal after a promising attacking move, only to be denied by a superb last-ditch challenge as he prepared to pull the trigger.

Leek continued to threaten and Norton was called into action twice in quick succession. The Whitby goalkeeper produced an excellent low save to keep out Bickerton before confidently gathering an effort from Liam Buckley moments later.

As half-time approached, Dino Visser survived a nervous moment when a poor touch almost carried the ball into his own net, while Whitby came agonisingly close to levelling on the stroke of the interval. With the flag staying down, Stuart Rose raced clear and squared for Callum Hickman, but Visser reacted sharply to deny the Whitby forward. Sam Kay then tried his luck from distance deep into stoppage time, although his effort drifted wide.

The visitors emerged from the break with renewed purpose and were rewarded just three minutes into the second half. Muhamet Gashi showed determination to win possession back in midfield before finding Turner who threaded a perfectly weighted pass into Hickman. The attacker lifted his head and delivered an inviting ball to the back post, where Rose arrived to finish emphatically and register Whitby’s first goal of the new season.

With momentum now firmly on their side, Whitby pushed for a winner. Stan Hewitt came close with a dipping free-kick that cleared the crossbar by inches before the decisive moment arrived on 67 minutes.

Joey Phuthi produced an exquisite delivery from the right, and Hickman timed his movement perfectly to peel away from his marker before calmly slotting beyond the wrong-footed Visser to complete the turnaround.

Whitby almost added a third a minute later when Turner attempted an audacious lob from distance. With Visser beaten, the effort looked destined for the net, only for the bounce on the 3G surface to send the ball dropping the wrong side of the crossbar.

Leek responded by throwing men forward in search of an equaliser, but Whitby’s defence stood firm. Norton produced another smart save to deny Buckley, while Charlie Stirland made a superbly timed challenge to stop Panter in a dangerous position. Buckley then squandered a golden chance at the back post, blasting over from close range.

Deep into stoppage time, Norton preserved Whitby’s lead with a brilliant near-post save from a dangerous cross-shot, ensuring the Seasiders opened their league campaign with a hard-earned and thoroughly deserved victory.