Newton Aycliffe made it a hat-trick of first round cup exits with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Team Northumbria.
Glen Robson gave Aycliffe a one-goal lead at the interval, but the former Darlington striker’s second-half sending-off proved costly as the second division side progressed through to the next stage of the Brooks Mileson League Cup.
Graeme Carrick – brother of Manchester United and England midfielder Michael – had equalised for the visitors before Robson’s dismissal, and the Students made the most of their numerical advantage with further goals by Arron Brookbanks and Daniel Riley to seal victory.
Aycliffe welcomed back Darren Craddock to the defence, while there were starts for Stuart Owen at left-back and Chase McMullen in midfield. However, the game-plan was disrupted after just 10-minutes as McMullen limped off with a hamstring injury, which resulted in Anthony Campbell entering the fray and Owen being moved back to his more accustomed midfield role.
Both sides traded neat passing moves early on, but neither was able to muster a serious shot on goal in the first 25-minutes. When the first real chance arrived, it fell to the home-side and Robson made no mistake with the finish. Craddock’s cross from the right was chested down by Dale Jardine into Robson’s path, and the striker tucked away his fourth goal of the season.
Aycliffe went close again five-minutes later. A lovely passing move involving six players ended with midfielder Josh Knox firing a left-footed drive just past Andrew Jennison’s left-hand post.
But the away side were by no means being outplayed, and Andrew Spence was forced into a smart-stop from Brookbanks’ close-range header five minutes before the interval.
The second-half started much the same as the first-period finished, with the visitors dominating possession but lacking a cutting edge. Eight-minutes into the half and Aycliffe’s defence was finally breached. Carrick received the ball into feet on the edge of the area, before turning smartly and firing past Spence from 18-yards to level the tie.
The turning-point happened in the 71st-minute, as Aycliffe were reduced to 10-men. Robson chased a long ball but was held-of by the visitor’s captain, Gavin Donoghue. The pair then clashed, with Robson seemingly aiming a kick at his opponent, and he was promptly shown a straight-red.
It took seven-minutes for Team Northumbria to make the extra-man count. Spence saved brilliantly from Peter Watling, but from the resulting corner the Aycliffe defence failed to clear and Brookbanks was able to turn the ball into the net from six-yards out.
Aycliffe pushed for an equaliser as they sought to force extra-time, with Campbell firing wide from the edge of the area. But the tie was settled as the game entered its final minute, when former Darlington midfielder Riley picked up a loose ball 30-yards from goal and skipped past a couple of challenges before slotting home past Spence.
The result leaves Aycliffe with the Durham Challenge Cup as their only chance for a long cup-run this season. League action returns at the weekend with a trip to Newcastle Benfield.
Star Man Andrew Spence – resistance!

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