By Paul Eales
Newton Aycliffe Sports Club FC opened the 2017-18 season with an 8-6 win over local rivals Shildon Three Tons in the Wear Valley Sunday League Division Two.
The Aycliffe side got off to a flyer with the first of Kyle Allen’s (pictured) six goals coming in the eighth minute with a cheeky lob from outside of the box beating the home keeper to make it 1-0.
The second goal came on 15 minutes with the home side putting through their own net and a third quickly followed when Jimmy Cameron broke free and slotted home.
It was soon 4-0 to the visitors with Allen getting his second after rounding the keeper on 22 minutes to make it look like it was going to be a comfortable afternoon for the Sports Club.
However, complacency kicked in and a few mistakes helped the home side back into the game and it was 4-2 as half-time approached.
The sports club made sure there was still a comfortable gap going into the break though, with Allen grabbing his hat-trick just before the interval.
A strike from outside the box for the home side managed to get past goalkeeper Andy Hartley to make it 5-3, but again the Sports Club stepped up a gear and made it 6-3 shortly after.
The Three Tons then started to apply some much needed pressure and quickly managed to get back into the game, clawing it back to 6-5 by the 70-minute mark.
Last season’s Player of the Year and top scorer Allen grabbed his fifth of the game to make it 7-5 but a quick return from the Tons made it 7-6 with 10 minutes remaining.
To cap off a Man of the Match performance, however, Allen quickly gave the Aycliffe side the two goal cushion again to make it 8-6 and that’s how the game eventually finished.
This week sees the team away to Darlington RA.
Team Ratings: A Hartley 7, J Clegg 6, R Durr 6, D Griffiths 7, G Boyes 6, J Cameron 7, R Whitworth 6, C McMullen 7, A Campbell 6, D Teder 7, K Allen 9. Subs Used: D Farnworth 6, O Gell 6, A Gittins 6, S McKerr 5.
NASC FC would also like to take this opportunity to thank Home kit Sponsor for 2017-18, TR Fastenings.
