Darlington RA stayed top of the second division with a 3-0 away win at third placed Alnwick.

They got off to a great start when Alnwick defender Tom McPherson put through his own goal after 11 minutes, but the RA were forced on the defensive after that until half time.

However, they caught Alnwick twice in the second half when Freddie Huscroft and Michael Barnett scored twice in the space of three minutes to keep them a point clear.

Darlington RA manager Nick Harrison said: “It was a tough game in tough conditions. We worked hard, dug in, and got the result.”

Brandon stopped Ryton’s revival with a 4-0 away win. They started well with an own goal by Connor Whickham and a second by Mark Brischuk in the first 15 minutes, and after half time Mark Nichol and Jake Nicholson scored further goals.

Team Northumbria are in second after beating Birtley 4-1. Peter Watling and John Sherlock put them 2-0 up before half time, and after Dan Smart pulled a goal back, Mark Fenwick scored twice for TN.

Birtley manager Scott Oliver said: “We have no complaints. We had key players missing, but we didn’t do enough to hurt them.”