The last man to win silverware for a North-East club has told how preparation is the key to winning any big game. Steve McClaren guided Middlesbrough to League Cup glory back in 2004. The weekend marked the 10th anniversary of Boro’s historic victory at the Millennium Stadium, as fellow North-East side Sunderland lost the same cup...

Newton Aycliffe FC have had a week to forget, with two heavy defeats plunging them right back into a relegation struggle with the final 10 games of the season approaching. After a 5-1 defeat at home to Durham City last Wednesday, the Newtonians were beaten 4-1 at Consett on Saturday. Possibly the only bright point to have emerged from...

By Martin Walker Woodham Golf Club has been put up for sale by an estate agent acting on behalf of the administrators for the troubled course. Woodham closed last November after mounting financial problems took their toll and it was plunged into administrations by its Irish owners, Washington Developments Ltd. Now, estate agents...

By Martin Walker iPad trickster Kirsty Cox has been ordered to pay back just £37,000 to her victims by a judge. As revealed by Aycliffe Today last week, Cox was released from HM Low Newton in Durham in February month after serving just five weeks of a two-year sentence. A spokesperson for the prison told us the 37-year-old qualified...

By Martin Walker Manchester-born Sunderland legend Gary Bennett says there's only one side he'll be rooting for at Wembley this weekend. The Black Cats take on Manchester City in the Capital One Cup Final tomorrow, hoping to end a 41-year wait for a trophy. Bennett was brought up a Man City fan but played 443 games for the Wearsiders...

By Martin Walker Former Sunderland defender Dickie Ord will miss out on a dream Wembley trip again this weekend. The 43-year-old – who played 285 games for Sunderland between 1987 and ’98 – had his FA Cup dreams shattered in 1992 when injury ruled him out of his boyhood club's final v Liverpool. And Ord, who's set to appear at a...

By Martin Walker This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of Middlesbrough winning the League Cup – as Sunderland prepare to win the same trophy. The Black Cats will take on mighty Manchester City in the Capital One Cup Final at Wembley this Sunday – exactly a decade after Boro won their first-ever piece of silverware. Gus Poyet...

By Martin Walker Sunderland legend Gary Bennett admits the "flutters" are already starting as the countdown to Wembley cranks up. The Black Cats take on Manchester City in the Capital One Cup Final at Wembley on Sunday. And Manchester-born Bennett - who lost three times at Wembley during his 11 years on Wearside - is hoping Sunderland...

By Martin Walker Sunderland legend Dickie Ord reckons the Black Cats will repeat their 1973 giant-killing victory with a memorable cup win at Wembley this weekend. The Wearsiders take on Manchester City in the final of the Capital One Cup on Sunday. And Ord, who's set to appear at a Three Legends event in Newton Aycliffe on Friday...

Garden waste collections in County Durham are due to resume from Tuesday 18th March. Residents who are part of the scheme will receive a leaflet detailing their specific collection dates, which can also be checked using the My Durham facility on the council’s website at www.durham.gov.uk Residents are advised to put their garden waste...