Stocksbridge Park Steels 1, Newton Aycliffe 1
By Bob Wood
Newton Aycliffe recorded a 1-1 draw against Stocksbridge Park Steels on Saturday.
It was a frustrating, niggly game which wasn’t really one for the neutral.
While a point away from home would otherwise be a good result, a feeling of “what if” will pervade in the Aycliffe camp due to several missed late game chances.
The first 20 minutes or so featured Stocksbridge trying to fire high crosses into the Aycliffe box, but Jim Pollard consistently dealt with them.
The home side kept Aycliffe to their own half for a majority of the first 30 minutes.
Stocksbridge eventually opened the scoring when Joao Silva used his pace to pickpocket the Aycliffe defence and get passed Pollard to score into an empty net.
Despite the first half not having too many chances for either side, Aycliffe would score with arguably their best one.
Liam Jarvie used his skills to get into the Stocksbridge box and while his initial shot was saved by Ben Towsend, Dean Thexton successfully got on the follow up to make it 1-1.
The rest of the first half was similar to how it started, with two teams struggling to pass on a heavy pitch, thus making both teams resort to frequent crosses and headers.
The second half saw a chance for Aycliffe within the opening minutes when a free kick resulted in a wide header from Jake Petitjean.
Shortly after Petitjean fired a shot from out the box that was easily saved by Townsend. He had a similar shot in the 74th minute which Townsend once again saved.
Stocksbridge substitute James Morrison had a golden opportunity to change the game in the 86th minute, but his shot in the Aycliffe box flew well wide, summing up a game where two sides struggled to muster any noteworthy chances.
In the 90th minute and beyond all the possession was Aycliffe, in a game where Stocksbridge had held the majority.
Had this attacking spell came earlier, the game’s complexion might have changed, with two missed Aycliffe chances late in the game summing up a frustration afternoon as the score remained 1-1.
Aycliffe have a midweek trip to Bridlington before returning to Moore Lane on Saturday (November 23), when Garforth Town will be the visitors.
That game will be followed by a Race Night in the Sports Club at 6pm. Entry is free so please stay on after the game.
- The above picture, by Yvonne Wood, shows Joe Ferguson taking on the Stocksbridge defence.
