Durham Amateur Football Trust (DAFT) opened an exhibition at Newton Aycliffe Library on Friday 6th July highlighting the town’s footballing heritage.
A display outlined the history of the game in our town with many photos bringing back memories for visitors. Among those attending the opening was Lenny Mutton, one of the most prolific scorers for Newton Aycliffe FC in its early days. The efforts of DAFT to research and put together such a fantastic display was much appreciated by everyone who attended.
The exhibition was opened with speeches from Pete Sixsmith and the Chairman of DAFT, Keith Belton, who was himself involved in the early days of football in the town and shared memories of staging film shows at Beveridge Hall to raise funds for the team.
Keith supplied reports to The Newtonian on the Club’s exploits under the byline “Haurel and Lardy”. Well worth a browse on the Archive section of the Newton News website!
Meanwhile the present day Newton Aycliffe FC are building towards the opening of the 2018-2019 Season with a series of preseason friendlies. The first of these as against Sunderland West End on Thursday 12th July at Nissan, followed by a game against Bedale FC on Saturday 14th at Longfield School. Full details of our fixtures can be found at newtonaycliffefc.co.uk
Please note that preseason games are often subject to change so please check the website, Facebook or Twitter for up to date details.
Pictures from opening of the exhibition including a photo of Fred Birtle & Lenny Mutton
