If ever the cliché 'potential banana skin' was true of a game this was it.

Just three days after the agonising exit from the FA Vase, Whitley faced the only team to complete a league double over them last season.

Moreover, they went into the game with a debutant 16-year-old goalkeeper as well as four other changes from the side that met Lowestoft at the weekend.

West Auckland meanwhile were still needing points to stay clear of the relegation places at the foot of the table.

Whitley had a scare early on when a shot rebounded off the post as the visitors clearly set out to test Tom Kindley, who was given his chance in goal as Terry Burke was suffering from a back injury.

Whitley were playing into a strong and cold wind in the first half but they were more than holding their own.

Paul Chow had a shot saved after 15 minutes but when an Auckland defender committed a rather cynical foul outside the penalty area shortly before the half hour, they paid the price when Brian Rowe got on the end of a free kick from Paul Robinson and left keeper Mark Bell stranded as he scored only his second goal of the season.

Three minutes later, the visitors goal had a charmed life as first Andy Dugdale then Paul Robinson struck shots against the post with Bell beaten.

A second goal at this stage might well have put the game beyond the south west Durham side but as so often happens in situations like this, the defending side broke away to score.

The equaliser came when Kindley showed his lack of experience by trying two touches on the ball before clearing it.

A first time clearance would have averted danger but Neil Robinson closed in on the teenager and robbed him of the ball before putting it into an unguarded net.

Four minutes later Auckland were ahead after Kindley raced out of his area in an attempt to clear the ball after his defence had left him exposed.

He was just beaten to the ball and when it was crossed into the penalty area, Paul Freary found himself unmarked in front of an open goal and accepted the easy chance.

Shocked by this sudden change in fortunes, Whitley battled back and Robbie Livermore was only just short of connecting with a cross from Chow.

After the interval, with the wind at their backs, Whitley pushed forward and Bell was forced to push a header from Chow over the bar.

Dean Douglas then produced a moment of magic with a run down the left that ended with him taking the ball past two defenders near the by line before he played it back for Robbie Livermore to fire home from ten yards.

Shortly after coming off the bench, Mark Minto saw a shot blocked at point blank range by Bell following a cross from the right by Chris Moore.

At the other end, Kindley was not seeing much of the action at this stage but when required, he showed confident handling of the ball and made two good saves.

With ten minutes remaining, Chris Moore put Whitley back in front with an excellent 20-yard shot that found the bottom corner of the net.

It was Moore who got the winner the last time Whitley beat West Auckland at Hillheads three years ago, and on that occasion it was also a 3-2 victory.

Lee Kerr, who also came off the bench in the later stages, was out of luck five minutes later with an effort that on another day would have found the net.

In the end this did not matter as Whitley deservedly picked up all three points after an entertaining game.

The only disappointment was the size of the crowd, which was less than one tenth of the 2,059 that turned out to watch the FA Vase game.

Whitley deserve more than the 172 loyal fans who cheered them to victory on Tuesday evening.

Whitley Bay: Kindley, Dugdale, Douglas (Minto 65 mins), Rowe, Coulson, Graham (Kerr 65 mins), Moore, Robson, Chow, Livermore, Robinson (Bell 80 mins).