Newton Aycliffe 3, Whitley Bay 0
By Ryan Livingston
Newton Aycliffe booked their place into the next round of the FA Cup with a confident win against Whitley Bay.
It was a game where Newton Aycliffe were dominant throughout and the gap in leagues between the two sides was clear to see as Whitley Bay struggled to challenge Aycliffe for a great majority of the game.
The win earned Aycliffe a trip to Bamber Bridge, playing in the FA Cup First Qualifying Round for only the third time in their history. The game will be played on Saturday, August 31.
Aycliffe’s first chance led to their first goal on Saturday. A corner whipped into the box found the head of Alex Nelson.
Nelson’s header was blocked by Whitley Bay’s keeper Daniel Gladstone, but Gladstone couldn’t retrieve the ball from the feet of Jake Petitjean who easily tapped it home to make it 1-0 in just seven minutes.
In the few times Whitley Bay broke through, Aycliffe’s defence stood firm. Alex Nelson and Ryan Lincoln Barrow were particularly effective at snuffing out Bay attacks in the first half.
On the cusp of half time it looked as though Liam Adamson was about to be one on one with Gladstone after he outpaced several Bay defenders, forced into making a quick decision Gladstone ran out his box to try and intercept Adamson head on.
Gladstone was successful in chesting the ball away from Adamson, but the ball immediately fell to the feet of Dean Thexton, who promptly took advantage of the misplaced keeper and lobbed him from long range to make it 2-0.
The second half was mostly more of the same, with Aycliffe managing the game perfectly and keeping Bay threats to a minimum.
The result was put beyond doubt in the 64th minute when Toby Pascoe teed up Thexton for the perfect shot. Gladstone blocked Thexton’s low shot, but Ethan Wood scored a perfectly placed low strike to make it 3-0 in the 64th minute.
In comparison to Tuesday night against Emley it was a much easier afternoon for Jim Pollard.
His superb double save, initially from a Jake Forster shot and then a Thomas Wilson rebound was the last noteworthy incident of the contest.
It turned out to be a very comfortable win for Aycliffe, and they go into the next round of the FA Cup.
Before that, however, Aycliffe have two important league games with Ossett United visiting Moore Lane on Saturday (August 24) before Brian Atkinson’s squad make the short trip to Bishop Auckland on Bank Holiday Monday. Both games kick off at 3pm.
• The above picture, by Yvonne Wood, shows man-of-the-match Alex Nelson in action against Whitley Bay.