NEWTON AYCLIFFE 2 WHITLEY BAY 1
Saturday 28th September
A 93rd minute penalty cost Whitley a point after a hard fought game at Newton Aycliffe. Fortunate not to be behind after a poor first half, they improved dramatically after the interval and took the lead but Aycliffe came back to claim all three points scoring twice in the last 11 minutes.
Josh MacDonald, signed on a one month loan from FC Halifax Town, made his debut while Liam Doyle, a substitute in the midweek League Cup tie, was handed his first start. Aycliffe, whose early season form has been impressive, included two summer signings from Whitley – Ryan Redford and Lewis Walton – in their starting eleven.
The tone for a poor and lack-lustre first half by Whitley was set inside the first minute when an error by Luke Taylor almost gifted the home side the lead but hesitancy by Aycliffe and determined last ditch Bay defending kept them out.
Whitley were being pegged back in their own home and forced to defend in depth, and they were dealt a blow with less than 15 minutes played when Callum Anderson went down with a hamstring injury and was unable to continue.
Despite dominating possession, the hosts were not getting shots on target and it was only after 28 minutes that Shaun Ryder brought a save from Dan Lister. Having created very little up to this stage, Whitley eventually broke out of their own half in the 37th minute, good approach work ending with Doyle having a close range effort blocked by keeper Adam Pickford. Three minutes later Aycliffe had a great chance to break the deadlock but the ball was played across goal and beyond the far post. Finishing the first half strongly, the home side created two more chances, Lister stretching high to collect a headed effort before making an excellent save to push Thexton’s powerful shot over the bar.
Fortunate to be level at the interval, Whitley looked a different team when play resumed, creating more in the first five minutes than they had throughout the first 45 minutes. Pushing forward almost immediately, MacDonald’s cross from the right deflected goalwards off a defender and was only kept out by the feet of Pickford. The keeper then made a diving save to get his hands to Doyle’s curling shot from just inside the left corner of the box. Seven minutes after the restart, MacDonald gained possession out on the right, just inside the Aycliffe half and used his electric pace to burst through into the box. Holding off the challenge of a defender, he cleverly chipped the ball over Pickford from the narrowest of angles to put Whitley in front.
Stung by the goal, Newton Aycliffe gradually fought back but the game was being more evenly contested and MacDonald produced another fine run down the right as Whitley looked to strengthen their lead. The loanee, making a comeback from injury, is still building up his fitness and unsurprisingly he was substituted with just under 20 minutes remaining. His replacement was James Proctor, another player on the comeback trail from injury.
While Aycliffe were battling for an equaliser, Whitley were looking to counter attack in search of a second goal and substitute Nathan Stephenson got in a strong shot that Pickford pushed wide.
With eleven minutes remaining, Aycliffe drew level after Whitley failed to clear the ball and when it was played back in from the right, substitute Sam Read drilled it home to set up a tense finale. Having used all three substitutes, there were anxious moments for Whitley when Liam Doyle picked up a bad knock and needed treatment, but he was eventually able to continue. On the counter attack, Proctor drove a shot wide with five minutes left, and solid defending looked to have earned Whitley a share of the spoils, but three minutes into stoppage time, they conceded possession inside their own half and when Aycliffe burst forward, Tom Bramley’s clumsy challenge inside the box resulted in a penalty which Thexton converted to give his side the victory that they probably deserved on the balance of play, but for Whitley, to lose the game in this manner so late in the contest was hard to take.
WHITLEY BAY: Lister, Smith, Bramley, Kerr, Anderson(Bexton 14mins), Taylor, Orrell(Stephenson 67mins), Spooner, Doyle, Robinson, MacDonald(Proctor 73mins)
Substitutes not used: Hird, Salmon
Cautions: None
Referee: Craig Chatten
Attendance: 163
