Newton Aycliffe FC have been rocked by the news that hot shot striker Jamie Owens has a broken ankle and faces a spell on the sidelines.
Owens was replaced midway through the second half in the last home game against Crook. At the time, although it was uncomfortable for him, no-one realised quite how bad the injury was.
But the news filtered through last week that an x-ray had revealed the break, and Owens now faces a spell on the sidelines, expected to be around 6 weeks.
“It’s a blow for us” said Manager Allan Oliver.
“Jamie has been terrific for us this season, being one of the leading scorers in the League. But we’ve brought young Tom Atkinson in and he has been scoring regularly, and of course we have Dan Mellanby with all his experience as well as others I can use in there”.
In a season where injuries have been a theme throughout, Stephen Gibson has stepped up his rehabilitation work, and looks set to boost Oliver with a return to the squad in the coming weeks.
Off the field, the Club are working on a range of exciting upcoming events. They are looking to bring a Sky Sports PDC Darts player to an event at the Sports Club in the spring, as well as working with The Sports Club on a ‘Party in the Park’ music event at Moore Lane Park.
It is expected the all day open air live music event will take place shortly after the end of the season, and is expected to be a hit, following the success of similar events at the Sports Club in the past.
Following a free weekend last week, Aycliffe are back in action this week as they host Durham City at Moore Lane Park.
The game on Saturday kicks off at 3pm. Admission is £6 for adults, £4 concessions, with u12s going free.