The returning Daniel Rowe helped to make Town look a much strong outfit defensively, however the Blues still came up short against Marske - with their own captain Adam Wheatley's second-half goal proving decisive.

The away side enjoyed the better of the first half although Whitby looked like they could have had some joy on the counter attack. But, after Marske did take the lead, they looked comfortable and ultimately, the Blues' poor start to the new campaign continued.

The visitors looked bright from the outset with ex-Blue Dale Hopson getting involved straight away, seeing his effort deflected behind for a corner off Aaron Cunningham. Marske then went close through Wheatley but he could only head over the bar following Hopson's corner.

Town began to grow into the game and had some joy out wide with Aaron Haswell who cut inside, before pulling the ball back to Nicky Waker who could only strike high and wide. But, at the other end, Marske almost took the lead when Dominic Curl struck the crossbar from the edge of the area.

After this let off, Town looked to turn the screw as the interval loomed. Harry Green broke into the area, only to see the ball nicked off his toes by a defender before he was able to strike towards goal. Then, Priestley Griffiths' free-kick took a nick off Kevin Burgess and onto the head of Rowe whose header went agonisingly wide of the post.

The last big chance of the first half fell to a Marske player in Curtis Round, who forced a fine save from Shane Bland to tip his strike around the post.

The second half took a while to get going, but on the hour mark Green was able to connect with Bradley Fewster's through ball but Ryan Catterick was swiftly off his line to gather the ball.

But Marske, who hadn't got into their stride up until this point, took the lead in controversial style. There appeared to be a foul on Malik Dijksteel in the build-up, but this was ignored and the possibly offside Rob Guilfoyle's cross found Wheatley who swept the ball home acrobatically. To top it off, referee Kirk Freeth admitted he was in the wrong after the match and that he should have awarded a free-kick to Whitby.

Once play resumed after a lengthy stoppage, Adam Boyes chipped the ball over Bland's goal, before Whitby started to show signs of a response, Green's cross just evading the head of Fewster.

Any momentum the Blues looked to build up was hampered, though, with the away side taking the sting out of the game by slowing the match down.

Catterick gathered Fewster's 78th minute header before collapsing on the ball, and then in stoppage time, it was the Whitby striker once again involved, but he was unable to reach Rowe's flick-on.

Marske could and should have wrapped the game up deep into the eight added minutes but somehow both Connor Smith and Josh MacDonald struck the woodwork.