Steels 1-0 Newton Aycliffe
Stocksbridge Park Steels claimed a 1-0 victory over Newton Aycliffe in the Northern Premier League East Division at Bracken Moor on Saturday.
While only one goal separated the two sides in the end, it was an eventful affair with one of the biggest talking points of the game happening as early as the eighth minute. Tomas Poole was through on goal when Newton Aycliffe’s Dale Elgie challenged him from behind. Despite the game being in its infancy, the referee deemed the foul to be a clear denial of a goalscoring opportunity and showed no hesitation to pull out the red card.
The Steels came close to taking advantage of the resulting freekick as Newton Aycliffe goalkeeper James Winter failed to gather the ball, which fell to Charlie Ogblesby in front of the goal. The defender, though, could not find the back of the net, with his effort going off target.
Despite the visitors playing with 10 men, it was rather an even affair for the rest of the first half with both goalkeepers having little to do. Dolman came the closest to finding the back of the net for Stocksbridge in the first half. The winger displayed a brilliant bit of footwork in front of the goal before having a tame shot, which missed the target by a whisker.
Much like the first half, the Steels began the second period on the front foot, with Newton Aycliffe goalkeeper Winter forced into action twice in the first five minutes.
Manager Ian Richards evidently wanted to keep the momentum up as he threw Olly Nowak and Luke Rawson into the mix after the one-hour mark. The substitutions paid off immediately as Stocksbridge took the lead a minute later.
Rawson turned provider just seconds after coming on, playing Dolman through down the right-hand side. The winger, who was a headache for the visitors all afternoon, charged towards the goal before slotting the ball past Winter, making it two in two for himself.
The Steels showed some signs of sloppiness after going ahead but managed to keep the Newton Aycliffe attackers at bay. Ben Townsend pulled off a brilliant save to deny the visitors a quick equaliser in the 71st minute. Luke Hogg, meanwhile, was a stalwart at the back and was rightfully named the Man of the Match.
Rawson notably came close to doubling the lead in added time after 90 minutes. His shot from the edge of the box was goal-bound – only to be denied by Winter’s outstretched leg.
Stocksbridge soon claimed all three points as the referee blew the final whistle.
The victory takes the Steels 12 points above the drop zone, although 19th-placed Winterton Rangers have two games in hand.
Richard and Co. will look to make it three win in three when they lock horns with Consett away from home next Saturday (March 23).
Written by Dakir Thanveer
