Newton Aycliffe 2, Penrith 4
By Paul McGeary
D-Day came but unfortunately it was more doom for Aycliffe as boss Peter Dixon’s first game in charge ended in familiar defeat for Newtonians fans.
A new era was hearalded for the club but it was the same old story as Penrith continued their 100% record at Moore Lane Park with a comfortable 4-2 victory.
Dixon included new signings Paul Garthwaite, Ashley Coffey, Ryan Cummings and Stuart Banks, but within nine minutes his plans were turned upside-down with the dismissal of skipper Dan Mitton.
As Ryan Hall closed in on goal, Mitton scythed the forward leaving the referee with little choice but to send the 27-year-old for an early bath on a miserable, wet night.
From the resultant free-kick, Hall produced a moment of magic and unleashed an unstoppable shot into Will Jones’ top corner to give the visitors the lead.
Grant Davidson added a second on 32 minutes before Banks halved the deficit a minute later with a well taken debut strike.
The second half was no better and after Davidson added his second, Penrith’s third on the hour mark, Jason Hope notched a fourth to kill the tie beyond Aycliffe’s grasp.
A late Tom Atkinson strike gave Aycliffe a glimmer of hope but Matt Henney’s men saw out the game to extend their current unbeaten run to six games.
Aycliffe: Jones, Oliver, Oldfield, Young, Mitton; Archer, Garthwaite, Coffey, Cummings, Banks; Boagey. Subs: Atkinson, Lowes, Storey, Clough, Butterworth.