Newton Aycliffe 3, Brighouse Town 0
By Ryan Livingston
It took a mere four minutes for Aycliffe to break the deadlock against Brighouse Town on Saturday.
Captain Ethan Wood weighted the perfect pass to Liam Jarvie who outpaced all those in an orange shirt and fired a shot with initially hit the post but soon found its way into the back of the net to make it two goals in three games for the returning forward.
Brighouse would have the next attack of the game when Curtis Morrison tried to break away.
Jim Pollard expertly tackled the ball away on the edge of the box however, and this was arguably the visitors only chance for the entirety of the first half.
Whilst the first goal saw great link up play between Wood and Jarvie, the second goal saw Jarvie combine with Dean Thexton.
Jim Pollard’s long kick found Thexton’s head, and Thexton’s header fell to the feet of Jarvie, Jarvie managed to outsmart Brighouse’s Curtis Senior and backheel the ball to Thexton which allowed him to out pace Brighouse’s Cole Wildin and fire it home to make it 2-0 in the 28th minute.
It seemed even at that point, Newton Aycliffe were on course for three points. The first half would finish 2-0.
It was the third Aycliffe goal scored in the 76th minute that was the best play of the day, Wood’s great run found Jake Petitjean who gently passed the ball to Cole Kiernan, Kiernan then ran past Brighouse keeper Trenerry, stood firm while getting jostled by Ethan Vaughan and chipped it into the top corner of the net.
Brighouse did get the ball in the net once, Harry Wood whipped in a cross that found Joshua Waldram, Pollard parried Waldram’s shot but it found the feet of Niah Payne, but Payne’s rebound was immediately deemed offside.
The game finished 3-0 to Aycliffe. In a game where both great defending and attacking in equal measure had won them the game.
This report (and many others) doesn’t do justice to the great defensive shifts put in by Toby Pascoe, Alex Nelson, Joe Ferguson and Ryan Lincoln-Barrow throughout many games this season.
Aycliffe now travel to Cleethorpes Town for a midweek game and Belper on Saturday before returning to Moore Lane on Tuesday, October 22, when Consett will be the visitors.
• The above picture, by Yvonne Wood, shows Wayne Whitfield on the ball against Brighouse Town.