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...

By Glen Robertson Gary Farley believes his side can carry on their unbeaten record, as they face Northern League leaders Sunderland RCA this weekend. Sunderland beat Allan Oliver's side at Moore Lane Park back in December, but since then the Newtonians have gone on a 10-match unbeaten run to climb into the top six of the first...

Police have named the man whose body was found in a Darlington park on Thursday morning. He has been identified as Simon Harvey, 42, of Hutton Avenue in Darlington. A post-mortem examination has been held into his death and police confirmed they are not treating it as suspicious. A file is being prepared for the coroner and an inquest...

By Martin Walker Youngsters in the region will be able to visit Old Trafford as part of an exciting Easter soccer course. The Martin Gray Football Academy (MGFA) is holding the four-day course during the Easter break. Children will enjoy football sessions with qualified and CRB-checked coaches between 10am and 3pm, Monday-Wednesday...

County Durham and Darlington Fire Authority has secured government funding to invest in a new £1.8m control system. The Authority submitted a bid to government for funding to invest in a new command and control system. And they’ve been awarded £1.8m to improve efficiency with state-of-the-art technology for 999 call-handling and...