By Martin Walker
Newton Aycliffe went down to a tragic defeat at Whitley Bay with a 97th-minute smash-and-grab clincher by the Northern League stalwarts.
The Newtonians mustered their best performance of 2012 – and arguably one of their best displays of the season – at Hillheads, only to lose to a last-gasp header.
Aycliffe camped out in the Bay’s half for the entire second half in a performance reminiscent of their memorable 4-1 cup win here last season.
And the home side couldn’t have had any complaints if Allan Oliver’s side walked away with the same scoreline after this hands-down contest.
Inspired by the retuning skipper Sean Tarling, who led by example throughout, Aycliffe dictated the play for most of the first half before completely overwhelming the hosts after the break.
But experience came to the fore, and with seven minutes added on, huge defender Brian Smith – lumped on by the struggling Bay as a last resort – nodded in a dramatic winner.
It was a cruel and unfair defeat for Aycliffe as they slumped to a fifth consecutive loss.
Bay tried to set the tone for the game as early as 16 seconds in when Lee Kerr hit a speculative effort from 25 yards, which Scott Pocklington managed to gather easily.
Josh Gray brought the ball down exquisitely in the 12th minute before laying off for Warren Byrne, but his shot was saved.
James Oliver flicked on a long ball in the 26th minute but Byrne’s left-footed effort was wide.
Byrne was in the thick of it again nine minutes later, turning and shooting wide from the edge of the area.
The best chance of the first half came in the 37th minute. Stuart Owen sent in a delightful floated free-kick to the far post, but Darren Craddock headed over from the close range. It was a big miss.
Bay produced half a chance in first-half injury-time when Chris Fawcett skinned Steve Gibson down the left and looped a cross to the far post where Kerr headed over.
But Aycliffe’s second-half performance was superb. Four minutes in, and a brilliant move involving Gray and Byrne set Tarling up about 25 yards out, and keeper Kyle Hayes could only parry his rasping drive away.
Freddy Woodhouse was sent clear a minute later and squared for Josh Knox instead of opting to shoot, and Bay managed to clear under pressure.
Gray then had a shot well saved by Hayes after the blinded keeper reacted well to get a hand to the deflected shot after good work by Byrne.
More good build-up play shortly before the hour, involving Tarling, Woodhouse and Byrne set Owen up, but his curling shot was over.
In the 67th minute, Craddock glanced Owen’s corner towards Byrne but his scissor-kick flashed wide.
Bay prouced their first chance of the half in the 71st minute when Paul Chow did well to meet a left-wing cross but flicked his effort wide.
That elusive goal almost came in the 77th minute when John Close, who enjoyed another gargantuan display at the back, latched on to a loose ball in the box to hit an uncharacteristically stunning over-head kick which had Hayes scrambling back towards goal – he managed to get a finger-tip to it, denying Close a rare goal, and Bay cleared again.
It seemed Aycliffe would have to settle for a point, but they were denied even that when Gray conceded a corner in the 97th-minute (no complaints with the corner or added-on time, unfortunately) as towering defender Smith met the set-piece with a quality header to beat Pocklington.
Team: Pocklington, Gibson, Gray, Craddock, Close, Tarling, Oliver, Knox, Byrne, Woodhouse, Owen (Campbell, 89).
Subs (not used): Mellanby, Wilson, Black, McMullen.
