Newton Aycliffe FC v Washington

By Paul McGeary
Aycliffe carried on where they left off at Whitehaven last week and for 45 minutes they looked like a side making a mockery of their bottom-eight berth.
On no fewer than six occasions did the visitors threaten Ben Starford's goal, the ex-Morpeth goalkeeper making three top drawer saves to deny Elliot Gardner, Christopher Renshaw and in particular Sean Tarling.
On 35 minutes, with Paul Broom felled in the area, Dion Raitt had the opportunity to open the scoring from 12 yards, but Starford beat away the stand-in skipper's spot-kick.

Just two minutes later Aycliffe took the lead. With the ball breaking to Dan Mitton in the inside right channel, a speculative 30-yard shot from the full-back ricocheted around the area before Gardner hooked it first time into Starford's top right hand corner for his ninth of the season.

If the first half was all Aycliffe, the second was all Washington, and in particular division top scorer Peter Watling, who could've had a hat-trick, screwing wide of Ste Richardson's post on two occasions when fed through.

Richardson himself proved something of a hero in preserving successive league clean sheets, with a treble save after 70 minutes.
Watling's header was tipped upwards from Aycliffe's custodian who was foced into hooking the resultant dropping ball off his line. In doing so he presented Watling with another bite of the cherry but from two yards, but Washington's number nine found Richardson unbeatable and the ball was parried and cleared from danger.

Aycliffe were clinging on near the death but sub Danny Robinson could've calmed nerves in injury time but he smashedoff the bar when put through by Dan Lennon and the side in blue were forced to hang on for a second successive league victory for the first time since August.