Aycliffe striker Dean Thexton enjoyed his day out at sunny Seaham scoring four of Aycliffe's five goals on Saturday. It was an excellent return to form for the Newtonians having been unceremoniously dumped out of the FA Vase a week earlier at Jarrow. This week, however, Aycliffe looked from the start that they meant business & the first 15 minutes saw plenty of attacking play, all too often thwarted by an offside flag.
The first meaningful opportunity came on 9 minutes but Shaun Ryder's shot flew high & wide. The failure to make the most of the overwhelming possession might have been punished when the hosts squandered two opportunities in quick succession. The first shot was comfortably taken by Aycliffe keeper Adam Pickford while the second was off target.
The scare seemed to spur Aycliffe on & after 22 minutes they made the breakthrough. A good ball through the defence from recent signing Lewis Walton found Thexton who calmly slotted the ball passed the Red Star keeper. Seaham had a chance to level on the half hour but Dan Wilson's shot was blocked by Pickford.
After 35 minutes Aycliffe were on the attack again with a long ball from Liam McNamara beating the Seaham defence & into the path of Thexton whose first time low shot made it 2-0. The visitors pressure continued with both Ryder & Gez Richardson coming close just before half time.
The second half continued as the first left off with Thexton almost completing his hat-trick on 47 minutes but saw a powerful header hit the post. As the hour approached Seaham put in a good spell forcing a flying save from Pickford then catching Aycliffe on the break before putting another shot over the bar.From that point it was all Aycliffe. On 62 minutes Ethan Wood jinked into the box before seeing his shot saved for a corner. A few minutes later a Richardson cross was almost turned into the net by a home defender. On 67 minutes Richardson got his reward with the last touch in a scramble which ended with Aycliffe's third goal.
Just four minutes later Thexton completed his hat-trick with another clinical finish. Aycliffe's last goal came from the penalty spot on 75 minutes. A run from Ryan Redford ended when he was tripped in the box. Thexton stepped up to claim his fourth and Aycliffe's fifth of the day.
The convincing win puts Aycliffe in 7th place in the Ebac Northern League Division One with a game in hand on the three teams immediately above them. Attention now turns to the Mitre Brooks Mileson Northern League Cup. The group stages continue this week and on Tuesday 24 September Aycliffe welcome Northallerton Town to the Beaumont Landscapes Stadium (kick off 7:45pm). This will be the third encounter between the two sides in three competitions so far this season with honours even at one win each.
Aycliffe then remain home for their next two games, both in the League. Whitley Bay visit on Saturday 28th September (kick off 3:00pm) followed by Ryhope CW on Tuesday 1 October (kick off 7:45pm).