FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

NEWTON AYCLIFFE v GARFORTH TOWN - 16 August 2014

Tradition is maintained with a visit to Moore Lane Park, Newton Aycliffe, for the start of the FA Cup. The first game of the season is usually a shirt-sleeve job but today is cloudy with a cool breeze more like early autumn than late summer.

The visitors are Garforth Town from the Northern Counties East League, provide a touch of the exotic, particularly when they line up in a strip of purple (more puce actually) and black.

Newton Aycliffe start well and dominate the early exchanges forcing the tall Garforth keeper into a save and winning a couple of corners. From one of these the ball goes in and out of the box a few times before the diminutive Paul Broom nods a cross into the net for 1-0 lead.

More goals threaten but by the mid-point of the half Garforth have found their feet and are giving as good as they get. Just before half time they get a free kick on the left outside the box; Jason Davis screws a shot into the near post where keeper Jake Johnson makes a bit of a hash of it, allowing it to squirm under him and into the goal.

It could get worse as Garforth press for another, but Newton Aycliffe hang on until the break. On the resumption the home team start well but miss a couple of half chances. Then a poor Aycliffe clearance presents Jason Davis with the ball within 35 yards of goal; he dances through a couple of tackles, steps into the box and slots home a good goal to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.

There is plenty of time left and Newton Aycliffe swap a few players and press hard but without really threatening, in fact as time goes on a breakaway goal for Garforth looks the more likely.

So that is how it ends, and one of my thirteen teams is out of the Cup.

OTHER MATCHES ROUND-UP

Of the other eight teams in action, four played each other with Shildon beating Crook Town 7-1, and Durham City winning 2-1 at Billingham Synthonia. Two other teams progressed with straight wins, West Auckland Town 2-1 at Nelson, and Marske United 7-1 at home to Billingham Town. The remaining two clubs, Guisborough Town and Bishop Auckland, both squandered home advantage giving up 1-1 draws to Armthorpe Welfare and Sunderland RCA respectively.

FA Cup state of play: 4 yet to start, 4 through, 2 replaying, 3 out.