Newton Aycliffe 1, Seaham Red Star 2
By Bob Wood
Newton Aycliffe’s winning run came to an abrupt halt at Moore Lane on Tuesday night.
Despite taking the lead Aycliffe failed to make the most of the advantage and conceded two goals before half-time.
The home side made a good start with both Matty Moffat and John Campbell coming close to scoring in the first ten minutes.
But it was Dennis Knight who got the first goal after 17 minutes. Advancing towards the Seaham penalty area Knight unleashed a shot which crept inside the post. The excellent shot was a fitting way for Aycliffe to reach 500 goals since joining the Northern League.
The home supporters were expecting a good night but it wasn’t long before the tide turned.
Just before the half hour Seaham scored an equaliser. A misplaced kick from keeper James Winter allowed the visitors to take possession. David Palmer, who had an outstanding game for Seaham, took advantage and placed the ball past Winter.
The last action of the first half saw Seaham take the lead. A counter attack led to a cross field ball allowing Craig Lynch to tap in. Winter got a finger to the ball but not enough to prevent the goal.
The second half didn’t get any better for Aycliffe and there were few opportunities to pull level.
The best chance came with 20 minutes to go. Seaham’s Robbie Bird missed an open goal and Aycliffe immediately headed down the other end only for skipper Paul Garthwaite’s shot to be cleared off the line.
A final effort came to nothing in added time when Aycliffe sub’s Neil Pattinson’s shot was tipped round the post by the keeper.
The result was a huge disappointment to Aycliffe who had won the four previous games.
They will be keen to return to their winning ways as soon as possible with a further home game this Saturday against Dunston UTS.
That will be followed on Tuesday 1 March with a visit to South Shields for the Durham Challenge Cup semi-final.