Newton Aycliffe 8, Whitley Bay 0
By Bob Wood
Newton Aycliffe took their first three points under Brian Atkinson with an emphatic 8-0 win over Whitley Bay at the Beaumont Landscapes Stadium on Tuesday night.
The win was a huge lift for the club, having lost seven of their last eight games.
Aycliffe took the game to Bay from the start and were 4-0 up in the first half hour.
The first goal came in nine minutes with a fine strike from the edge of the penalty area from Ethan Wood.
The second goal was scored on 16 minutes with Andrei Ardelean latching on to a loose ball and slotting passed the keeper from a tight angle.
Within a few minutes it was 3-0. Bay keeper Daniel Lister could only parry a Ben Dibb-Fuller free-kick with Liam Jarvie reacting quickest to score from the rebound.
Just before the half hour Dibb-Fuller was felled in the box with Jake Petitjean making no mistake from the penalty spot.
Within five minutes it got even worse for the visitors when a Bay defender turned a Jarvie cross from the left into his own net.
Whitley Bay came out for the second half looking to get something out of the game.
Within two minutes Adam Shanks had the ball in the net but fell foul of the offside flag.
Shanks continued to press with a looping shot held under the bar by Aycliffe keeper Adam Pickford.
A minute later the same player attempted an overhead kick but it sailed harmlessly wide.
Atkinson made some changes to his team with Alexander Walker, Jack Naylor and Adam Burnicle all coming on.
The fresh legs helped the home side push on and with 20 minutes to go Dibb-Fuller broke through the visitors’ defence before rounding the keeper and sliding the ball home.
With two minutes to play a defensive error gifted Aycliffe their seventh goal. A defender attempting to keep the ball in play only managed to pass to substitute Walker who tapped into the goal from six yards.
Aycliffe’s delight was completed in the last minute when Petitjean again scored from the spot, this time having been fouled himself.
The result was a fantastic tonic for Aycliffe lifting them up to fifth in the Northern League first division table.
They’re hoping to carry on in similar fashion on Saturday (December 4) when Seaham Red Star visit the Beaumont Landscapes Stadium. Kick off is 3pm.
