Newton Aycliffe bounced back from more cup heartache with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Northern League heavyweights Whitley Bay.
A brace from in-form Jamie Owens and a Danny Lambert strike extended the Royal Blues’ unbeaten run at Moore Lane Park in Division One to seven games.
A fifth win of the campaign moved Allan Oliver’s men up to seventh in the table after 11 games.
It was the perfect response to the midweek defeat to Team Northumbria in the Brooks Mileson League Cup, when a 94th-minute Peter Watling goal knocked the Newtonians out of the competition at the first hurdle.
New signing Dan Wilson was handed a debut in attack following his arrival from Tow Low Town and almost opened his account immediately, drawing a good, early save out of Whitley Bay goalkeeper Tom Kindley.
Aycliffe went ahead in the 26th minute when Dion Raitt’s ball released Lambert through on goal and the winger made no mistake, firing the ball passed Kindley into the back of the net.
Craig McFarlane hit the crossbar and Paul Chow headed wide as the visitors looked to get back on terms but the Newtonians held on until the break.
And immediately after the break, the Royal Blues doubled their lead. Wilson found strike-partner Owens running through on goal and the former Shildon man clinically sidefooted the ball past Kindley.
The visitors eventually got back into the game with 13 minutes left when Bay legend Chow headed past Gareth Young from close range.
But any fears of an Aycliffe collapse were put to bed in the 80th minute when Owens rose highest to nod in Lambert’s corner.
