Match Report: Newton Aycliffe 1-4 Redcar Athletic

Another away win, another 3 points, and another great performance, but now with an added bonus of top of the league!

One must wonder when this scoring run will start to dim, as right now it seems like it will just continue forever.

Boyes, Fewster, Johnson and Round have all bagged a brace for the club in our last 3 games, which is an insane stat by itself, but the Steelmen have scored 32 goals since the start of September, and we have only played 7 matches, meaning we are averaging 4.6 goals a game since that date.

The match against Newton Aycliffe kicked off under some impressive floodlights, and from the beginning it looked like the hosts had figured out a system, with fast breaks seeming to be their focal point.

These breaks paid off as in the 7th minute Danni Lay received a booking as he brought down an onrushing attacker, and just a few moments later we conceded a penalty.

Chaos in the box, and to be honest, I still don’t know exactly what happened, but the ref pointed to the spot, and it looked to be 1-0 to Aycliffe.

Except, we have Josh Mazfari.

A brilliant save down to his left kept the scores even, much to the rejoice of the away fans, players and staff!

Following that penalty save, the game started to open up a bit more, the hosts still trying the fast break method, with a shot cannoning into the side netting, and Redcar also starting to fashion more chances as well.

The 15 minutes before the interval saw the Steelmen click into gear though, as in the 31st minute a floated ball to the back post was headed by Bartliff, but ultimately saved by the keeper’s feet.

A minute on from that Burlace threaded a stunning ball down the wing, and Adam Boyes was able to slide and reach the ball, flicking it back into the mix where it was frustratingly cleared.

Bosh however, wasn’t going to be kept at bay for much longer, and in the 36th minute he was in the right spot to meet a shot by Fewster that was parried by the keeper, and the league’s top scorer added another to make it 1-0 Redcar.

2 minutes later and it was 2-0, thanks to Boyes again. The Aycliffe keeper received the ball, but was rapidly closed down by Adam, and a skewed kick allowed our striker to nab it off his toes and put the ball into the net, doubling our lead just before the break.

That doubled lead was then halved as a deflection left Mazfari stumped, meaning Aycliffe went into the break with a slight morale boost.

Another 45 minutes to go, and instantly that Aycliffe morale was shredded as Fewster was able to smash in a whipped ball from Curtis Round.

Boyes was also now on a mission to get himself a hat trick, constantly getting in good positions as he tried to manufacture another goal for himself, and the team.

However, as the game ticked on, it started to grow quieter, with a lot of the play hanging around the middle of the pitch.

Mark Anderson, Bryan Taylor and Louis Johnson all came on for Bradley Fewster, Kev Burgess and Owen Burns, and these changes seemed to revitalise the Redcar XI as we began to press much more, with Johnson’s pace providing an outlet on the right wing, and Taylor and Anderson both linking up with Round on the left of the pitch.

We grabbed a 4th goal in the 76th minute, as after quite a few near chances, we finally made one count as Anderson and Taylor linked up via a short corner routine, with the ball being whipped into a crowded box, where Round was able to slam the ball into the back of the net, albeit with a slight deflection on the way in. Still another goal for Curtis, though, and it counts all the same on the scoresheet.

That was the last bit of action from the game, and so the final whistle came with the Steelmen grabbing another 3 points.

With Bradford PA also losing, it meant we went top of the league, a spot we now hold with a 1 point advantage over 2nd placed Matlock, but also a +17 goal difference lead over Matlock (+30 vs +13).

As for our opponents, they have now dropped into the relegation zone, though they are level on points with Blyth Spartans.

Up next, we are back at home on Saturday, where we take on Grimsby Borough for a 3pm kick off!

Match preview will be out tomorrow, hope to see you at the Hollou this weekend!