Newton Aycliffe FC v Jarrow Roofing

By Paul McGeary

This wasn't so much the Hallow'een Horror Show as what the result would suggest but more of a game influenced by a refereeing performance which drew comparison to a classroom of adolescent teenagers under the charge of an aging supply teacher.

We may be on the fringe of the festive period but Mr Pearson was in no mood to give out any cards and as a result Aycliffe were time and time again subject to a tirade of late tackles, off the ball unniceties and some verbal abuse of the lowest ebb.

Some may say it was Northern League naivety, others may point to gamemanship tickling the line of unneccessary but the majority can't disagree that for the large part of the game, Jarrow Roofing treated their visitors to a volley of foul play beyond the realms of something that could have been condoned as anything remotely fair and just.

Cynical fouls on Chris Renshaw, Paul Broom and in particular Elliot Gardner went unpunished and as a result Jarrow grew more and more confident of pushing their boundaries while Aycliffe seemed to be affected both mentally and physically, dispelling the adage 'if you can't beat 'em...join 'em!'
Gardner, in particluar a victim, hobbling around for the last third having been studded badly whilst going up for an aerial with Brian Rowe.

It was the Roofers who took the lead, Rob Houghton Stuart Dixon stroking through Ste Richarson's legs after seven minutes, against the run of play.
Aycliffe levelled 18 minutes later when Man of the Match Mark Wood impeccably curled the ball into Gary Frater's top right hand corner from the edge of the box.
Aycliffe finished the half the stronger and both Wood and Broom went close in the last five minutes.

The second half started as the first ended, and Gardner was unlucky when Broom sent him clear. Aycliffe's number 10 hitting the inside of the post with Frater beaten.
From the clearance, Kris Hughes got a cross into Richardson's back post and top scorer Tony Thirkell rose highest to restore the Roofers' lead.

Aycliffe fashioned several half chances from then on in whilst at the other end two fine Richardson saves kept the game alive.
Alive until the 84th minute when a sublime piece of skill from substitute Michael Hepplewhite saw the game go from Aycliffe's reach.
Accepting the ball with his back to goal and some heavy shepherding from Dave Forrest, Hepplewhite took one touch to flick the ball over both his and Forrest's head before running round and slotting the dropping ball into Richardson's bottom right hand corner.