By Paul McGeary
Newton Aycliffe began 2012 as they finished 2011, with three points to further cement their spot in sixth place while also closing the gap on the top-five to a solitary point.
It took a modest, yet professional performance to despatch basement side and whipping boys Stokesley 3-0, on a bitter cold afternoon in the North Riding.
First half goals from Stuart Owen and Nathan Wilson - his second in as many games - gave Allan Oliver’s side control of the game, with Dale Jardine crowning a fine individual display with a late third.
Dan Mellanby and Ben Wood missed out through illness and injury respectively, while Stephen Gibson and John Close were relegated to the bench as Oliver shuffled his pack, giving game time to James Oliver, Paul Broom and Owen, all regulars on the sidelines in recent weeks.
Aycliffe started brighter and after just five minutes Jardine broke following a long punt forward from Mark Peck, but ‘keeper Justin Hutchinson smothered the former West Auckland striker’s effort.
Rob McDermid showed why the hosts are rooted to the bottom of the table with just one point when he missed a guilt-edged header from four yards on the quarter hour mark, and shortly after Aycliffe made their opponents pay.
Broom found Jardine down the right and in swinging a deep cross to the back post, Jardine picked out Owen who cleaned up the scraps of an aerial challenge with Dan Jones to tuck home with ease.
Josh Gray twice came close as Aycliffe searched out goals against a side that had conceded a huge 119 prior to today but had to wait until five minutes before the interval to double their advantage.
Skipper Sean Tarling cutely lifted a through-ball to the dangerous Jardine who outstripped his marker and advanced on goal. In rounding Hutchinson, Jardine was scythed in two giving the referee no option but to point to the spot.
Hutchinson escaped with just a yellow card but Wilson made him pay further as he calmly sent the stopper the wrong way with the penalty, to add to his goal last week against Bishop Auckland.
Wilson almost got another mid-way through the second period but having superbly wriggled himself into space on the edge of the area, could only watch as Hutchinson took off and finger-tipped his curling effort wide for a corner.
From the resultant centre, Broom found Peck only for the 22-year-old defender to see his header cannon off a motionless Hutchinson before being scrapped to safety.
Jardine’s crowning glory came in the 86th minute when his hard work paid dividends. Involved in both goals, he seized upon Jones’ weakly hit back-pass to round Hutchinson before running the ball into the empty net for his ninth goal in Aycliffe colours.
Star Man
Dale Jardine - involved

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