By Glen Robertson
Newton Aycliffe manager Allan Oliver is eagerly anticipating tonight’s historic clash with Premier League side Sunderland.
Oliver’s Northern League outfit will host the Premier League club for the first-ever time in front of an expected bumper crowd.
The club have put a lot of preparation into the game, both on and off the field, and the club’s manager is looking forward to the event.
He told Aycliffe Today: “It’s great for this town getting a Premier League club coming here. I’m really looking forward to it and we hope it’s the first of many.
“We’ll treat them right and it’ll be a football match, not a physical encounter. We hope they enjoy themselves and want to come back.
“I’m excited for the game and the whole season because of the general youth of the team. The young ones keep you going and they’re all really looking forward to it and looking to step up from what they have done.
“We think we can do really well this season. We need a bit more know-how but we’re really looking forward to tonight’s match and that will kick-start us on to the other friendlies and the start of the season.”
Oliver added a fifth new signing to the squad last night, with former Newcastle United striker Paul Robinson joining Kris Hughes, Martin Young, Gavin Barton and Tom Hinchley at Moore Lane Park.
Aycliffe’s manager is delighted with his transfer business so far, and believes Robinson will be a great addition to the club.
“I’m over the moon we’ve got him,” he said. “His track record and his goalscoring are well known, but it’s also a bit of know-how and experience that we’ve lacked in the young team we have.
“He lights up the changing room too. He’s a proper character. He doesn’t just talk the talk, he delivers, so we’re delighted to get him.
“We’re still talking to somebody but it wouldn’t be bad to kick off the season with what we’ve go. There’s a lot of talent and a lot of youth. There’s not a lot of pressure on us to do well and that’s great. I’m not saying we are going to do well but we’re optimistic we can improve on last year.”
Oliver has overseen the transformation of the club, from playing ‘park’ football to welcoming Premier League clubs. But he is not happy with stopping there and wants to provide a club the youngsters of the town can dream of playing for.
He said: “We’re not the richest club in the Northern League, it’s a well-known fact, but there’s a big catchment area in Aycliffe and there’s a lot of kids that are playing football and we want to give them something to strive for.
“If they can play on a surface like ours and for a well-supported team, it’ll be a great character dangle for them and that’s what they can aspire to.
“We want to fetch the kids and make them think, yeah I fancy that. They all won’t make professional footballers but this is the next best thing, playing in front of a decent crowd on a lovely pitch for your home town.”
● Aycliffe’s game against a Sunderland XI tonight kicks off at 7.30pm, with admission £5 adults and £3 concessions. Fans are strongly urged to arrive in plenty of time to avoid lengthy queues.