Newton Aycliffe 4 v Consett 1
Tuesday 22nd October
Newton Aycliffe completed an emphatic 4-1 win against local rivals Consett AFC. It was a brilliant performance where Dean Thexton shone as he bagged a hat trick and the Man of the Match award. It was the first time Aycliffe had defeated Consett since August 2021.
Aycliffe first had the ball in the net within the third minute, but Liam Jarvie’s rebound was quickly deemed offside. The home side were not discouraged however, as in the seventh minute Jarvie this time assisted a goal as his cross found an oncoming Thexton who easily headed it past Consett keeper Harry Moss. Consett equalised in the 22nd minute when a corner from Jake Orrell found the head of Brandon Holdsworth. This was probably the zenith of Consett’s night however.
The second half saw Aycliffe run away with the game and they were immediately the better side, as demonstrated when Liam Jarvie expertly weaved past Consett’s Calvin Smith to pass to Dean Thexton at close range who gently poked the ball into the bottom corner to make it 2-1. Aycliffe were simply free scoring now, in the 54th minute Thexton bagged his hattrick when Liam Adamson’s looped cross allowed the ball to find his head, which he easily headed home, making it 3-1.
The 88th minute saw Aycliffe undisputedly seal the points when Cieran Jackson broke away from Consett’s Liam College who struck the ball past Moss into the bottom right corner. Capping off a great home win for Brian Atkinson’s side against something of a ‘bogey team’ in recent years, with Consett’s last loss at Moore Lane coming in February 2020.
On Saturday, Aycliffe moved on to Stockton Town in the Isuzu FA Trophy. Aycliffe had achieved a fantastic win at Premier division side Whitby Town in the last round. However, their fellow Step 3 team, Stockton, proved too strong for Aycliffe on this occasion. Stockton opened the scoring with less than five minutes gone, subjecting Aycliffe to considerable pressure. However, they were unable to extend their lead. Aycliffe fought back in the second half and Dean Thexton headed an equaliser with twenty minutes to go. Just as the 850-strong crowd, including many travelling fans, were thinking of a penalty shoot-out, Stockton grabbed the winner on eighty five minutes. Despite the loss, Aycliffe can be immensely proud of their cup exploits this year.
Attention now turns back to the league with four consecutive home games: Pontefract Collieries on 29th October, Carlton Town on 2nd November, Bradford (Park Avenue) on 9th November and Ashington on 12th November.
Match report by Ryan Livingston.
Photos by Yvonne Wood – Action from the Consett game.