Darlington RA: The RA won the battle of Brinkburn Road, league leaders Northallerton came for a battle and got one, with long balls and physical tactics by the visitors, strong minds and even stronger bodies were required by the RA.
Tom Watson opened the scoring which clipped the under-side of the bar on its way past the keeper.
Northallerton produced two good finishes of their own to go 2-1 ahead, but the visitors crumbled as the RA found heroes all over the pitch, particulary Jack Ridley who followed last week's hat-trick with four more goals, this took the deadly striker's tally to 20, and man of the match captain Kiel Mellor who, along with the rest of the defence, battled for the full 70 minutes against a gigantic forward line.
A final score of 5-2 was well earned and deserved.
Darlington RA: Harrison, Williams, Hancock, Mellor, Ditchburn, Woods, Stammer, Grey, James, Watson, Ridley. Subs: Andrews, Cossins, White, Shann, Allen.
Spraire Lads
A fantastic performance by Spraire Lads Under-8s saw them run out 4-2 winners against Seaton Juniors to put them through to the third round of the Cleveland Cup. Spraire, sponsored by Astra Transport, went ahead inside two minutes with a goal from Liam McKue. A second followed shortly after, when the Seaton keeper could not hold onto a corner whipped in from captain Jonathan Dye and Keenan Alexander was quick to latch onto the dropped ball. Craig Edwards capped an outstanding display with a third goal for Spraire before half-time. Seaton came out strongly after the break and managed to pull two goals back but Spraire never really looked in trouble due to some great defending by man of the match, Aiden McDonough. Craig Edwards sealed the victory with a cleverly flicked goal to kill off any chances that Seaton may have had.
Spraire Lads Under-9s went down 6-0 to South Park Rangers in the League Cup. Spraire competed well in the first half and were only trailing by a lucky own goal at half-time. However, Spraire heads began to drop as South Park Rangers began to take control. Spraire man of the match was Justin Watt.
Spraire Lads Under-10s were away to Newton Aycliffe SC. In the first-half Spraire struggled against a resolute home defence and with five minutes of the half remaining, Newton Aycliffe broke to take the lead. Spraire changed things around for the second-half and almost from the kick-off, substitute Zac Tervit struck the equaliser. Spraire went looking for a winner but the home defence held firm. In the friendly afterwards, Spraire won 4-0 with goals from Matty Plumb (2), Danny Stead and Kerry Hedley.
Spraire Lads Under-13s had an emphatic 11-2 victory over Ferryhill Town Youth. Man of the match, Johnny Ward waded in with seven goals and he was well supported by Scott Hastie who scored twice, together with James Stockel and Luke Robinson who grabbed a goal apiece. Spraire were very sound in defence and Stokel and Robinson controlled the midfield.
Spraire Lads Under-14s also played Ferryhill Town Youth. Spraire ignored the cold, wet and windy conditions to produce a very determined display, using their power and pace advantage to great effect. Michael Barr and Man of the Match, Joe Clamp each helped themselves to a brace, with goals also from Sam Wootten, Michael Burton, Chris Tingate and Scott Leighton, resulted in a scoreline of 8-3 to Spraire.
A battling performance by nine men Spraire Lads Under-15 A couldn't prevent them from going down 2-0 to a very strong Marton Hall Drive team. The whole Spraire team deservedly took the Man of the Match award for the courage and effort.
Spraire Lads Under-15 B gradually overcame a battling performance by Grangefield to run out 4-0 winners. Borrowdale gave Spraire a 1-0 half-time lead with a fine glancing header and 'Tubs' Chandler clipped home a second, five minutes after the break. Grangefield held out until a hotly disputed penalty was converted by Thomson with 10 minutes to go. However, there was still time for Hind to crash in a rebound off the Grangefield crossbar. Man of the match for Spraire was James Krishnan.
Spraire Lads Under-15 C put in an excellent performance, despite going down 3-1 against a very strong Bedale. Matthew Hufford scored Spraire's consolation, whilst Paul Cornforth was awarded man of the match for his excellent debut performance.
Spraire Lads Under-16s, sponsored by Cummins Engines Ltd, were severely depleted by injuries for their encounter with Nunthorpe Athletic. Nevertheless, Spraire had much the better of the early play, creating several clear openings without scoring. However, a wind-assisted clearance by Nunthorpe was converted from close range to give them a 1-0 advantage at the break. With the wind at their backs, Spraire started the second half strongly but over- stretched themselves in the search for an equaliser and found themselves 3-0 down with 15 minutes left to play. Spraire stuck to their task and McDonald set-up Moscrop to reduce the arrears. However, as Spraire piled on the pressure, they again left themselves exposed for Nunthorpe to make the final score 4-1.
Darlington 21st Allstars
The Allstars Under-9s were away to Cleveland Juniors in the League Cup and pulled off a tremendous performance. Although Cleveland were a good strong side, the Allstars battled very hard and their determination shone through resulting in a fantastic 1-0 victory. The scorer was Cameron Hardy and Jonathon Burn was man of the match.
The Allstars Under-10s took on unbeaten Eldon Lions and gave a tremendous performance against this strong side. The Allstars showed true determination and some excellent attacking football to come away with a fine 3-0 victory. Scorers were Bradley Simpson (2) and Andrew Wilson with Liam Jarvie man of the match.
In the friendly, the Allstars continued their winning performance and the game ended in a 6-1 victory. Scorers were Wheldon (2), Whittaker, Roddy, Sweet, Husband. Man of the match was Stephen Husband.
The Under-11s were hosts to Washington Juniors in the Durham County Cup and gave a really good performance against this older team. The Allstars had a fantastic first half and were leading 4-0. Washington came back stronger in the second half and scored two goals, but a tremendous display by the back four and two fantastic saves by 'keeper Lee Greaves, kept the Allstars in the game and winners of this cup-tie. Scorers were man of the match Jack Whittaker (3) and Callum Woodcock.
The Allstars Under-11 Colts were away to New Marske Juniors in the league. This was an evenly contested game, with both sides playing well. The Allstars fought hard and with two goals in the last ten minutes came away with the points and once again, a fantastic all round team performance.
Scorers were Tom Gillan (2) and Thomas Airey with Jack Woodcock man of the match.
The Allstars Under-12s were away to East Durham Boys in the Durham County Cup. The Allstars went 2-0 up in the first 20 minutes and had to pull out a hard gritty performance against this well organised team to keep the lead and win this cup-tie. Goals came via Jack Johns and an own goal and Mark Grey was man of the match.
The Allstars Under-12 Colts took on Belassis Juniors away, in this weekend's league game. The Allstars started slowly, with a depleted squad, in the first half and although they came out stronger in the second half, they had too much to do to win the game. Robert Fox scored a tremendous solo goal and a late goal by Ryan Bowes, made the final score a 3-2 defeat for the Allstars. Sam Hird was man of the match.
The Allstars Under-13s were away to Nunthorpe in the league. The Allstars fought hard in this evenly contested game and after a very good all round team performance, earned a well deserved draw. Man of the match Michael Pattison pulled off a tremendous defensive display.
The Allstars Under-13 Colts travelled to Belasiss in this weekend's league game. The Allstars found it hard to settle and Belassis took an early lead. Although the Allstars tried hard to get back into the game, Belasiss proved too strong. Matthew Shaw was man of the match.
The Allstars Under-15s were hosts to South Bank Juniors and although the Allstars fought hard, Southbank proved to be too strong and came away with a 3-1 victory. Scott Willson was the scorer and Brendan Lalley was man of the match. The squad and club would like to wish Richard Hughes a speedy recovery after his injury in the game.
The Allstars Under-16s were away to Billingham Town in the league and found it hard to settle against this strong Billingham side. Although the Allstars fought to get back into the game with a Darryl Roberts goal, the final score was a 4-1 defeat. Stevie Richards was man of the match.
The Under-16 Colts were away to Brompton Juniors in a league game. Although the game was evenly contested, the Allstars did not take their opportunities and were punished by Brompton. Nathan Robinson was man of the match.
Darlington Mount Pleasant Rangers
The Under-12s, Sponsored by Magnet Ltd, played away against Hartlepool Brinkburn Eagles in the County Cup. Rangers were weak to begin with, going two goals down within the first five minutes. Rangers did not lose their shape though and fought back with some good movement on the ball. Rangers winning convincingly 4-2 to put themselves into the next round. Rangers scorers were Craig Swainston (2), Mikey Gillender and Richie McAllum with his first competitive goal for Rangers. Rangers man of the match was Craig Swainston.
The Under-11s, sponsored by Direct Glass & Door Panels (Darlington), played at home in the League against Ferryhill Town. Rangers played some lovely football, creating chances when they could. The pressure paid off when they won convincingly 6-0. Rangers scorers were Matty Able (3), Ben Hastie, Sam Curran and Nathan Blair. Rangers man of the match was David Woodward.
The Under-10s, sponsored by MKM (Darlington), played away in the league against Leven FC. Rangers were the strongest team playing the passing football. Rangers wanted the win in this game to continue their unbeaten league record. They certainly did just that with a magnificent 3-0 win. Rangers scorers were Danny Longstaff (2) and Stephen Richardson. Rangers man of the match was Danny Longstaff.
The Under-9s, sponsored by Dutton Forshaw (Stockton), played away against Cumby Rovers in the cup. Rangers started this game well, moving the ball with accuracy and confidence. This paid off as they booked the next round with a 3-0 win. Rangers scorers were Lee Hastie (2) and Jim Wilson. Rangers man of the match was Euan Legg.
A friendly that followed saw Rangers win 2-0, with goals from man of the match, first team keeper, Bradley Richmond.
The Under-8s, sponsored by LEX Transfleet, played away in the league against North Ormesby. Rangers played some good football from the start and looked the stronger team, however the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Rangers scorer was Danial Shaw who scored with a well taken free kick. Rangers man of the match was Scott McLean.
A friendly that followed also saw Rangers win. The final score 1-0 to Rangers with Danial McIntyre scoring and Tom Kelly was man of the match.
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