Newton Aycliffe guaranteed Northern League division 1 football for next season with a fine home win against a strong Consett side.
Aycliffe were the better side in the first half; Consett came into the game in the second half, but didn’t trouble Aycliffe keeper Jack McLaren. Aycliffe started well and had the first chance on 4 minutes, when Thibault Charmey got a shot away that just missed the target.
Centre half Liam Browne got a volley in on 20 minutes, that brought a good save from Consett keeper Hayes. Consett were restricted to a couple of long range shots over the bar from centre forward Sweet. On 32 minutes, Jordan Jewson crossed to Craig Hutchinson, who controlled the ball and got a shot away.
Hayes saved, but only succeeded in knocking the ball back to Hutchinson and he made no mistake for 1-0. He hit a great volley a minute before the break, but Hayes made a good save. Consett upped their tempo in the second half, and had more possession than in the first. However, they couldn’t create any clear-cut chances; centre half Purewal headed over from a corner on 71 minutes, but otherwise McLaren had an afternoon off in the home goal. Consett appealed for a penalty on 75 minutes, but the referee deemed that centre half Andrew Grant-Soulsby had got a touch on the ball as he tackled Mackay.
Aycliffe man-of-the-match Kurt Matthews was causing the Consett defenders some problems and he was unlucky with six minutes to go. He got in a good header that Hayes saved well, at the expense of a corner.
Aycliffe went on to secure the victory and three points; they now lie in 14th place with one game to play.
