By Paul McGeary Newton Aycliffe stretched their latest unbeaten run to 11 games as their patched-up side produced a dogged display at league-leaders Sunderland RCA. Without 'keeper Scott Pocklington, winger Paul Broom, midfielder Josh Knox and 11-goal Dale Jardine, the Newtonians shaded the few chances in an otherwise lacklustre...

By Martin Walker Darlington slipped into the relegation places with a 1-0 defeat at home to Stockport County. Alfreton Town's 0-0 draw at home to AFC Telford United was enough for them to leapfrog Darlo after a frustrating afternoon at the Northern Echo Arena. A crowd of just over 2,200 watched Craig Liddle's side lose their 17th game...

By Martin Walker Brian Atkinson has spoken to Aycliffe Today for the first time about leaving Newton Aycliffe. The 41-year-old left Aycliffe as coach last November – this week he was appointed assistant manager at local rivals Spennymoor. In our exclusive video interview with Atkinson, the former Sunderland midfielder explains his...

By Martin Walker Police are appealing for witnesses after £127-worth of razor blades was stolen in Newton Aycliffe. The razors were stolen from the Wilkinson’s store in the town centre just before 1pm on Tuesday February 14. Police have issued this CCTV image of a female suspect they’d like to speak to in relation to the...

By Martin Walker Craig Liddle admits Darlington’s form is “horrendous” – but he’s adamant the Quakers can turn it around. Darlo were deducted 10 points for entering administration in January, and a nine-match winless run has seen them slide down the Blue Square Bet Premier table. They’re now fourth-bottom and only keeping...

By Martin Walker Aycliffe chairman Gary Farley has thanked former coach Brian Atkinson for the “phenomenal” work he did for the club. Atkinson was appointed assistant manager at Northern League title-chasing rivals Spennymoor this week. The 41-year-old, who joined the club as coach four years ago, played a major part in the...

Aycliffe’s top tipster backed Nacarat last Saturday and he romped home in the 3.05 at Kempton. These are his two tips of the day... Racing 3.10, Newbury AERIAL 4/1 Paddy Power There’s few better partnerships in the world of racing than the trainer-jockey pair of Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh. The duo team up again in this one with...

Newton Aycliffe could be at the centre of another multi-million pound contract bid by Hitachi – on top of the Intercity Express Programme. Hitachi has been named as one of four shortlisted bidders to supply 60 trains for the £14.8bn Crossrail project, a 73-mile route to link west and east London and Europe’s largest building...

Our resident North-East football expert has cast his opinion on the games around the region this weekend. Try our feedback button, and see if you can beat him! Newcastle vs Sunderland Premier League (Sunday, 12 noon) With both North-East giants experiencing their best campaigns in recent years, both in the top-nine of the Premier League,...

County Durham is one of the two best performing areas in the country for services to care for and keep children safe, councillors have heard. Members of Durham County Council’s Cabinet heard this week that safeguarding and looked after children’s services in the area have been rated as outstanding by Ofsted and the Care Quality...