Newton Aycliffe (H) - Saturday, 19th October 2024

The Opposition - History
The club joined the Wearside League in 1984–85 and spent just under a decade in that league, their best finish being in 1988–89 when they finished in seventh place.
They folded in March of the 1993–94 season after picking up two points from their opening 20 games.
The team competed in the FA Vase in every season, their best run being in 1991–92 when they got to the third round.
The club reformed and played in local football before joining the Durham Alliance. They won that league in 2007–08 and joined the Wearside League.
The club was elected into the Northern League for the 2009–10 season, after finishing first in their previous season in the Wearside Football League.
Finishing in ninth place in their first season in the second division of the Northern League, they went on to become the Champions of the division with three games remaining.
Having anticipated the possibility months before, the team were required to make more improvements to the home ground to be eligible to play in the First Division of the Northern League.
Upon ensuring their place in the top division, they finished in ninth place and participated in the FA Cup for the first time.

The club remained in the Northern League First Division for the next twelve years, winning the Durham FA Challenge Cup in 2016.
In the 2019/20 season the club finished in its highest league position of fifth, despite the season being declared void following the outbreak of COVID-19.
The following season saw The Newtonians sitting in fifth place, once again, when that season was curtailed following the second lock down period.
The following season saw Newton Aycliffe finish in fourth place in the table.
The 2022/23 season saw the club win the First Division title and promotion to Step 4 having seen off the threat of big-spenders Ashington to win the championship by five points.
The club were promoted to the eighth tier in the 2022–23 season following becoming Division One Champions.
The club reached the semi-finals of the Durham Challenge Cup in 2024 but were eventually knocked out by Whickham on penalties.
(Source - Wikipedia)

Manager Brian Atkinson took over in November 2021.

A journey of around 130 miles awaits them today.

The Opposition - This Season
The Newtonians have had a solid start to the season which belies their position of 17th. They are currently at least one game behind all other teams in the league with the exception of Dunston.
They struggled to convert games into wins early on, drawing with both Sheffield and Emley. They progressed in the FA Cup against Whitley Bay and defeated Ossett but then went on a run of five successive draws which was ended when they exited the FA Cup in a replay at Warrington Rylands.
They bounced back with an impressive FA Trophy win over Emley but then conceded four goals against both Heaton Stannington and Liversedge.
A thrilling draw at home to Sherwood Colliery followed before a narrow win over Whitby back in the Trophy.
Recent results have been mixed, with a 1-1 draw at Hebburn in the Durham Senior Cup (lost on pens), a 3-0 win over Brighouse Town and a 3-2 defeat at Cleethorpes on Tuesday night, a match they led early through a Dean Thexton penalty but in which they conceded three goals just before and after half time.

Top of the goalscoring charts is Dean Thexton with nine, while Cole Kiernan and Jake Petitjean have six each. Cieran Jackson sits on three goals, a further three players have two each and two players are on one goal apiece.

The Nailers
Belper have had a very good start to the season.
Victories over Heaton Stannington and Bradford (Park Avenue) in the league were followed by an FA Cup win over Lutterworth but Emley inflicted a first defeat of the season on the 20th of August.
They responded with back to back wins before exiting the FA Cup at the hands of Bromsgrove Sporting.
A couple of wins followed but then a heavy defeat at home to Cleethorpes Town.
The bounce back was impressive, with five wins in a row but Tuesday evening saw a set back with a disappointing home defeat to Brighouse Town in front of a fantastic 527 attendance.
Harry Draper leads the way with nine goals. Nat Crofts has five and Curtis Burrows three, the same as Jacob Gratton before his move to Worksop. Keaton August and Luke Rawson have two goals each while a further six players are on one goal apiece.

Head to Head
The only previous meetings between the sides were both last season.
Firstly a midweek game in November and it was to be the first time the Nailers had lost back to back matches.
The Newtonians surged in to a three goal lead thanks to a 26 minute hattrick from Kyle Davis but Mason Warren's penalty on the half hour mark got Belper back in to the match.
The visitors quickly restored their three goal lead but that was their last goal of the evening.
Second half strikes from Cam Johnson and Kev Bastos weren't enough and the Durham side earned all three points with a 3-4 victory in front of 303 fans.
Belper gained revenge in March when goals from James Cadman and Curtis Burrows were enough to secure the points in a 2-1 win despite Brodie Litchfield's red card with 20 minutes remaining.

Form Guide (all comps)
Belper Town: (21st Sep)WWWWWL(15th Oct)
Newton Aycliffe: (28th Sep)LDWDWL(15th Oct)

Team News
There are no major injury concerns or suspensions.

Permutations
In order to secure top spot Belper will need both a win and for Emley to drop points at home to Carlton.
A draw or more will guarantee at least 2nd spot while a defeat leaves the door open for Cleethorpes to leapfrog us if they win at Sheffield.
For Newton Aycliffe, victory could shoot them up several places as the middle of the table is quite tight. A few of the teams above them play each other meaning points are guaranteed for some teams which will hold them back.
Defeat could mean they end the day in the relegation zone if Bishop Auckland and Consett pick up points; both are at home.

Match details
Belper Town vs. Newton Aycliffe
Northern Premier League Division One East
Saturday, 19th October 2024 - 3:00pm kick off
Raygar Stadium
Bridge Street
Belper
Derbyshire
DE56 1BA
Tickets: Adults £11, Concessions (under 16 and 60+) £7, Under 11 (with paying adult) £0

Follow the match
Live commentary is available with Tom on Radio Belper Town - https://radiobelpertown.mixlr.com
Full coverage on X and Facebook.
Match reports to follow on the website and in the Non-League Paper.

NPL East fixtures
Belper Town vs. Newton Aycliffe
Bishop Auckland vs. Ossett United
Bridlington Town vs. Dunston UTS
Brighouse Town vs. Ashington AFC
Consett AFC vs. Bradford PA
Emley AFC vs. Carlton Town
Grimsby Borough vs. Garforth Town
Heaton Stannington vs. Sherwood Colliery
Pontefract Collieries vs. Liversedge
Sheffield vs. Cleethorpes Town
Stocksbridge Park Steels vs. North Ferriby