League

Newton Aycliffe Stad
Spectators: 5000 (Terracing: 4000, Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) If Stuart Illingworth had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 6th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. 9 minutes into the match, Oakengates's Stuart Illingworth sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Pedro Featherstone narrowly saved just below the crossbar. In the 12th minute, Phil Poynton ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Gav Bayliff was frozen by the shot and now it was 1-0. An unexpectedly hard shot by Ben Croft in the 18th minute of play forced Oakengates's goalkeeper Gav Bayliff to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Pedro Featherstone took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Stuart Illingworth, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. In the 22nd minute, Stuart Illingworth got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. In the 40th minute Ben Croft shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Gav Bayliff saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. No-one was surprised that the home team were leading 1-0 at half-time.

When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Carl Pyrah made a kick off. When John Clegg fell near the penalty area in the 56th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Newton Aycliffe's protests and gave John Clegg a yellow card for diving instead. The supporters of Oakengates booed when Newton Aycliffe was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 56 match minutes in a wonderful position. John Clegg didn't get a good kick on the ball. After 60 played minutes Newton Aycliffe got a freekick which was hit by Tommy Auckland. After some careless play in the Newton Aycliffe defense, Carl Pyrah kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Pedro Featherstone. The Newton Aycliffe fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Pedro Featherstone should have stopped the shot. Gav Bayliff showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Phil Poynton in the 71st minute of the match. After having played for 82 minutes, Phil Poynton managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Newton Aycliffe's supporters crossed their fingers, but Phil Poynton was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Pedro Featherstone took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Carl Pyrah, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Oakengates's Gav Bayliff played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Phil Poynton in the 91st minute of play. Stuart Illingworth could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 93rd minute of the match, but Pedro Featherstone made a huge save. Stuart Illingworth in the 95thth minute had a little luck and got a chance for a shot in front of the goal. Without hesitation aimed to the right of Pedro Featherstone, who managed to lunge to the right direction and made a save. The final whistle blew with the score still tied, and both teams left the pitch thinking about the missed chances that could have given their team the win.