Whitby had got themselves level in the first half through Jacob Hazel after he was played through on goal by Marcus Giles on 18 minutes.

But that composed finish wouldn't have any baring on the ultimate outcome of the game as Stafford won comfortably and Whitby dropped to sixth in the table.

Lee Bullock and Nathan Haslam were forced into one change to the starting eleven from the team that began in the goalless draw at Warrington Town, with Jake Hackett coming in for the injured Lewis Ritson.

The opening stages of the game were quiet, but Stafford did take the lead in the 15th minute. It was a long throw in from Tonks that Whitby failed to deal with and James O'Neill headed home beyond Shane Bland unchallenged.

Whitby didn't let their heads drop though and they were level within three minutes - Hazel running onto Giles' ball over the top to slot home beyond Luke Pilling.

They could have snatched the lead after 21 minutes, too, when Josh MacDonald's strike took a deflection before being palmed behind by Luke Pilling.

But Stafford were back in front shortly after. Jake Charles was played onside and went down in the box after competing for the ball with Jonathan Burn. The referee fell for it and gave one of the softest penalties you'll see.

Charles was at the heart of the controversy and he stepped up to convert past Shane Bland.

Stafford began the second half brightly and could have extented their lead through both Tonks and Theodore Bailey-Jones, both of whom saw their shots flash wide and blocked respectively.

There could have been a second penalty, this time in Whitby's favour, on the hour mark but it only resulted in Hazel being booked for simulation.

But with ten minutes remaining, Rangers made sure of their victory. After a foul on the edge of the area, Tonks stepped up to fire a free-kick beyond Bland into the top corner.

With all three substitutions made, there were no remaining options for the Whitby management and the game somewhat petered out.