Newton Aycliffe FC v Whitley Bay

By Paul McGeary
So the anticipated big crowd stayed away, but the 233 in attendance were served up a real ‘edge-of-your-seat’ spectacle as Newton Aycliffe defeated FA Vase giants Whitley Bay 2-1.
Dale Jardine and Elliot Gardner got the goal, either side of Robbie Dale’s leveller, as the game bore fruits in the last 20 minutes.
However it was Aycliffe custodian Scott Pocklington who stole the headlines with a string of top-drawer saves coupled with a commanding presence in the home goal.
Bay boss Ian Chandler named a strong side, as Bay looked to go top of the table after back-to-back wins in the past week. Allan Oliver named an unchanged team to that which defeated then league-leaders West Auckland eight days prior.
The visitors were the better of the two sides during the first period, with Dale volleying the game’s first real opportunity wide having been well found by Craig McFarlane’s cushioned back-post header.
Pocklington made the first of his wonder saves on 23 minutes when he superbly dived to his right to keep out Lee Kerr’s glancing header following McFarlane’s right-wing centre.
Gardner almost found the top corner with an acrobatic effort on 25 minutes while Pocklington again proved Kerr’s nemesis with a splendid diving save from the Bay playmaker’s 20-yard curling free-kick.
The second period saw a rejuvenated home side yet it was Bay, and Wembley legend Paul Chow who fashioned the first opportunity on goal. Again Pocklington was at his best as he dived to his left to keep the forward’s strong header out.
Paul Broom turned acrobat next but his superbly executed volley was well kept out by visiting ‘keeper Kyle Hayes, diving low down to his right.
Jardine opened the scoring on 71 minutes when he fired home from six yards. Stuart Owen’s right-wing corner was never dealt with properly by Bay and following Darren Craddock’s cut-back, Jardine fired home for the third game running to break the deadlock.
Bay equalised on 78 minutes when Dale got the final say on a game of pin-ball inside the Aycliffe area and Kerr almost snatched the points but once more found Pocklington in fine form, the 21-year-old former Darlington ‘keeper taking off to claw the telegraphed effort from his top corner.
Oliver rolled the dice and his gamble paid off, having introduced two strikers from the bench as the game closed out.
While many managers would have settled for the point, Oliver’s decision to bring experienced former Football League pair Dan Mellanby and Glen Robson off the sideline proved masterstroke as his side took the points with an 87th minute winner.
Phil Gray, playing the last game of his loan spell from the Quakers, took a quick free-kick, finding Mellanby in the right-hand channel of the area. The 32-year-old, returning after a six-week absence, turned his marker before feeding a square ball onto Gardner’s toe, allowing Aycliffe’s record goalscorer the opportunity to smash home the winner through a crowd of legs.
Star Man
Scott Pocklington – unbelievable!