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Sat 14 Aug 2010
Thornaby
Newton Aycliffe FC
0
4
P Stout (0'), E Gardner (0'), W Byrne (0'), (0')
Newton Aycliffe FC v Thornaby
Stephen Cunliffe14 Aug 2010 - 15:00
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Match report
By Paul McGeary
Newton Aycliffe tonight sit proudly on top of the skilltrainingltd Northern League's second division after humbling Thornaby 4-0 on their own patch.
A vintage performance from ex-Darlington striker Dan Mellanby ensured Aycliffe reached another historic milestone in their Northern League infancy.
Recent signing Warren Byrne hit his first two goals for the club whilst goalkeeper Scott Pocklington's two World Class stops at the other end preserved his - and the club's - unblemished start to the campaign.
The first half was in the large part forgettable, with Paul Stout's headed goal the only real showing for the visitors. The Aycliffe skipper coolly nodded his side in front from Chase McMullen's left wing corner after just 10 minutes.
Stuart Owen - recalled to the starting line-up - was called into action in his own box after 25 minutes, superbly clearing from under his own crossbar after Pocklington mis-judged a cross in the blinding sun. The ex-Quaker dropped the ball under pressure but Owen spared any blushes with a tremendous piece of defending.
Aycliffe started the second half much like they did last week at North Shields, and again found themselves breaching their opponents within 60 seconds of the restart. Mellanby turned provider this time, exquisitely back-heeling Josh Knox through and Aycliffe's former youth-team captain in turn found Elliot Gardner and last year's top scorer turned the ball home from four yards, in improvised fashion using his right shoulder.
Cue Byrne's introduction with 19 minutes remaining and finally the strong Aycliffe contingent got a glimpse of what the ex-Shildon goal-getter was all about as he opened his account just four minutes later. Mellanby fed Paul Broom - another change - down the right and the ex-Coxhoe man's first time cross found Byrne at the back post, who simply steered the ball back across goal with a cushioned header into Paddy Pisani's bottom left-hand corner.
Thornaby rallied and almost made something of a game of it when new-signing Adam Livingstone's fierce free-kick tore through the Aycliffe wall from 20-yards. Pocklington however was equal to the ex-Chester-le-Street man's drive and superbly kept the ball out with a strong one-handed save low to his left.
Byrne had a goal wrongly chalked off two minutes later when he was adjudged to have breached the offside line in turning home another Broom centre but the 27-year old did get his second in injury time when he latched on to a defence splitting Mellanby pass - his umpteenth of the day - and calmly advanced upon Pisani before slotting home left footed from 10 yards.
Pocklington again was called into action and again proved equal to anything asked of him as he saved one-handed from Paul Gibson's goal-bound effort in the 94th minute to maintain his, and the club's record third successive clean sheet.
Star Man - Dan Mellanby
Former Quaker got over a slow start to prove orchestral in everything Aycliffe conducted well on an afternoon when Pocklington, Gardner, Heckley and Tarling all ran the ex-pro close for the spoils.
Newton Aycliffe tonight sit proudly on top of the skilltrainingltd Northern League's second division after humbling Thornaby 4-0 on their own patch.
A vintage performance from ex-Darlington striker Dan Mellanby ensured Aycliffe reached another historic milestone in their Northern League infancy.
Recent signing Warren Byrne hit his first two goals for the club whilst goalkeeper Scott Pocklington's two World Class stops at the other end preserved his - and the club's - unblemished start to the campaign.
The first half was in the large part forgettable, with Paul Stout's headed goal the only real showing for the visitors. The Aycliffe skipper coolly nodded his side in front from Chase McMullen's left wing corner after just 10 minutes.
Stuart Owen - recalled to the starting line-up - was called into action in his own box after 25 minutes, superbly clearing from under his own crossbar after Pocklington mis-judged a cross in the blinding sun. The ex-Quaker dropped the ball under pressure but Owen spared any blushes with a tremendous piece of defending.
Aycliffe started the second half much like they did last week at North Shields, and again found themselves breaching their opponents within 60 seconds of the restart. Mellanby turned provider this time, exquisitely back-heeling Josh Knox through and Aycliffe's former youth-team captain in turn found Elliot Gardner and last year's top scorer turned the ball home from four yards, in improvised fashion using his right shoulder.
Cue Byrne's introduction with 19 minutes remaining and finally the strong Aycliffe contingent got a glimpse of what the ex-Shildon goal-getter was all about as he opened his account just four minutes later. Mellanby fed Paul Broom - another change - down the right and the ex-Coxhoe man's first time cross found Byrne at the back post, who simply steered the ball back across goal with a cushioned header into Paddy Pisani's bottom left-hand corner.
Thornaby rallied and almost made something of a game of it when new-signing Adam Livingstone's fierce free-kick tore through the Aycliffe wall from 20-yards. Pocklington however was equal to the ex-Chester-le-Street man's drive and superbly kept the ball out with a strong one-handed save low to his left.
Byrne had a goal wrongly chalked off two minutes later when he was adjudged to have breached the offside line in turning home another Broom centre but the 27-year old did get his second in injury time when he latched on to a defence splitting Mellanby pass - his umpteenth of the day - and calmly advanced upon Pisani before slotting home left footed from 10 yards.
Pocklington again was called into action and again proved equal to anything asked of him as he saved one-handed from Paul Gibson's goal-bound effort in the 94th minute to maintain his, and the club's record third successive clean sheet.
Star Man - Dan Mellanby
Former Quaker got over a slow start to prove orchestral in everything Aycliffe conducted well on an afternoon when Pocklington, Gardner, Heckley and Tarling all ran the ex-pro close for the spoils.
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