By Bob Wood
There were mixed fortunes for Newton Aycliffe over the Bank Holiday weekend with progression in the Isuzu FA Vase but derby defeat at Bishop Auckland.
On Saturday, Aycliffe welcomed Esh Winning to the SecuriCorp Stadium in the first qualifying round of the FA Vase.
Liam Jarvie’s 64th-minute goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and earned the Newtonians a place in the next round. That tie will be played away to Birtley Town on Saturday, September 24.
On Bank Holiday Monday, Ayclliffe made the short trip to Heritage Park to face Bishop Auckland.
For the fifth game in a row Ayclliffe played a 1-0 result but this time were on the losing end.
The solitary goal was scored by Dale Elgie in the 59th minute. Aycliffe had several chances but weren’t able to find the target.
They pressed to the end with Jack Naylor hitting the post in the dying minutes.
A draw might have been a fair result but in the end Ayclliffe suffered their first league defeat of the season.
They remain top of Division One, ahead of Bishop Auckland, but with teams below having games in hand.
Ayclliffe now have two away games, at Sunderland RCA and West Auckland, before returning to Moore Lane on Saturday, September 10, to play Thornaby.
The above picture, by Yvonne Wood, shows Ayclliffe keeper Adam McHugh in action at Bishop Auckland.