By Paul McGeary
Jekyll and Hyde Newton Aycliffe crashed to defeat on Teesside, although the scoreline flattered Guisborough.
Allan Oliver was without key defenders Mark Wood (broken ankle), Darren Craddock (suspended) and Mark Peck (sickness), while forward Danny Earl failed a late fitness test with an ankle injury.
And the inexperience showed, although three goals in the last 20 minutes put a shine on the scoreline for Town.
The Priorymen started brightly and in the sixth minute there was a let-off for Aycliffe as Luke Bythway coasted along the byline, and his pull-back was met by Mikey Roberts who side-footed against the bar from six yards.
Aycliffe’s first show came in the 12th minute when Stuart Owen’s diagonal ball was headed over by Paul Broom.
But Town’s opener came in the 16th minute after good build-up play between Bythway and Roberts, who played Lewis Wood in to fire home from 10 yards.
An unbelievable sequence summed up Aycliffe’s luck in the 21st minute. Broom’s point-blank header, from a brilliant Owen cross, was saved by Town keeper Dan Nixon, who then receovered quickly to smother Broom’s goal-bound rebound. Then, when another loose ball is squared, Fred Woodhouse’s shot was blocked on the line by Jamie Poole.
To rub salt into the wounds, the home side made it two in the 24th minute when Liam McWilliams’ corner was missed by Sean Tarling and Scott Pocklington, leaving Gary Wood free to stab home at the back post.
Aycliffe pulled it back to 2-1 on the half-hour mark when Kris Hughes played a short corner to Owen, and his measured cross was headed into the bottom corner by Tom Hinchley.
Pocklington brilliantly denied Austin Johnston in the second half, but Guisborough scored the third in the 71st minute after Aycliffe failed to clear a corner, and Poole hammered a left-footed effort into the roof of the net from 25 yards.
Town then bagged two late goals – both in the last two minutes. Roberts latched on to Gary Wood’s ball to ease past the stranded Pocklington to slot into an empty net.
Then Roberts chased a lost cause before pulling back to Johnston to stroke home.
Aycliffe: Pocklington, Gibson, Owen, Hinchley, Oliver, Tarling, Broom, Young, Hughes, Lambert (Knox, 69), Woodhouse. Unused: Mellanby, Earl.
