YOUR NEWTON AYCLIFFE 2020-21 Player profiles and club history, it’s all here

YOUR NEWTON AY CLIFFE 2020-21

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COLIN STROMSOY - HEAD COACH

Colin joined the football club in January 2019 having previously been part of the

Team Northumbria set-up before they withdrew from the league. He has impressed with his wealth of innovative ideas both on and off the pitch. A UEFA A licence coach, Stromsoy guided the club to their highest ever position before the season was brought to an end in March and has brought in a refreshing brand of football to the club.

MARK WOOD ASSISTANT SCOTT BRASSELL ASSISTANT

Mark is a former club captain Alongside Mark, Scott who guided the club to plays a key role at the successive promotions club and is Colin’s through the Durham right hand man on the Alliance and Wearside training pitch. Scott has Leagues. Despite a spell been with Aycliffe for a at Crook Town, Wood number of seasons now returned and has been and has been a part of a part of the fabric since the huge improvement in whether on the pitch or in some the club’s fortunes on the capacity on the training ground. Mark is a key pitch. figure around the club.

GOALKEEPERS

ADAM PICKFORD LIAM McGRATH

Adam has been with the club for Liam is a young goalkeeper a little over 18 months now who has recently joined the having intially joined as an club and ensures Pickford emergency goalkeeper for remains on his toes in the injured James Winter. A between the sticks with string of impressive displays competition. Liam is and a longer than expected keen to learn and both lay off for Winter later and he and Pickford have a Pickford has now made the good rapport. No. 1 jersey his own. Don’t be fooled by his size, as Pickford is comfortable with any range of touble he faces.

DEFENDERS

NICK GREEN

Nick is a very competent full back and can ply his trade on either side of the back four. Since arriving from Consett last summer, Green has really come into his own in recent months and has established himself as an important player in Colin Stromsoy’s side both defensively and offensively.

CONNOR PHELAN

The son of ex-Manchester City defender,

Terry, Connor was brought to the club by Head Coach

Stromsoy and alongside

Nick Green ensures we have two very strong options at right fullback.

Phelan likes to get forward and help in attack but is no stranger to his defensive duties.

YOUR NEWTON AY CLIFFE 2020-21

OSCAR ECKLEY-ALDSWORTH

Oscar is a young centre half signed during the summer with both a look to the future as well as offering strong competition for places already. Oscar has a calm head on such young shoulders and likes to play the ball out and impressed on his Northern League debut when keeping a clean sheet.

AARON BROWN

The skipper. Aaron is the heartblood of Newton Aycliffe having notched up over 250 appearances for the club since his arrival in 2014. A product of Hartlepool United’s academy, Aaron spent a season in Sweden at Ange IF having struggled in spells at West Auckland and Sunderland RCA. An ever present and an integral part of the team and system who can add the odd goal throughout a season

SAM READ

Sam is also a recent signing in defence having also joined the club just last summer. Sam is one of a number vying for a spot in the team in defence having arrived from Hebburn Town.

KEVIN CARR

Equally adept in defence, midfield or on the wing, Kevin is the versatile player every squad needs and is an asset to Stromsoy’s squad. No matter what role or position he is tasked with either from the bench or in the starting XI, Kev is fully committed and a useful player in the squad.

AIDAN McGEE

Aidan is a no nonsense centre back and has really come on leaps and bounds in his endeavours to make that position his own. Along with Oscar and Sam Read, Aidan finds himself in a healthy battle to keep his spot in the starting XI alongside Aaron Brown in the heart of the defence. Aidan can head the ball and is comfortable playing out from the back.

LEWIS WALTON

Lewis arrived at Moore Lane in 2019 having enjoyed spells with Whitley Bay,

Darlington and Jarrow

Roofing. He enjoyed a successful first season with the club last year and made the left back position his own. A lively character in the dressing room and a brilliant left foot, Lewis

is a big part of the squad.

LUCAS PILLING

Like Oscar Eckley-Aldsworth,

Lucas is another youthful summer recruit as Colin

Stromsoy looks to integrate young players into the squad. Lucas is keen to learn and improve and will only get better the more

MIDFIELDERS

appearances he makes.

RYAN REDFORD

Ryan is another handy utility man who will do whatever job is required of him when called upon.

Ryan wears his heart on his sleeve and is neat and tidy in possession as well as not being afraid to get stuck in. Can play either in a central or wide midfield role.

GERARD RICHARDSON

Gerard is another versatile player in the squad and is adept in a number of positions across the midfield. Gez joined

Aycliffe in the latter part of the 2018-19 campaign and is renowned for his strength in the air.

ETHAN WOOD

Ethan has been at the club for two years now having signed from Easington Colliery in 2018. The midfielder has developed into a key component in the team; neat and tidy on the ball with an impressive set piece delivery. Ethan has started to contribute goals and man of the match displays to his game making him a good all-rounder. adds to a talented midfield.

ANDREI-VASILE ARDELEAN

Following a short spell with Guisborough Town, Andrei joined Colin Stromsoy at Team North in 2017 where he helped them to promotion. Since then he has had spells with Blyth Spartans and Whitley Bay before reuniting with Stromsoy in January this year as part of a newlook Aycliffe frontline.

BEN REAY

A young exciting midfielder who impressed at Shildon last season. Ben joins an array of attacking prospects in the Aycliffe line-up with the 18-year-old comfortable across the attacking

midfield line.

MARC COSTELLO

The oldest player in the squad, Marc has been with the club for a number of seasons having joined the club from

Washington and has a wealth of experience at this level. ‘Cossy’ is the engine room in the midfield and never stops running. Good in the air and not afraid to do the dirty side of the game, every team needs a

JAKE PETITJEAN BEN DIBB-FULLER

Jake signed for the club in Signed during the summer to the winter last year after link up once more with the impressing for Crook Town Head Coach, Dibb-Fuller in Division Two. Jake is another technically has made the step up sound player. a division comfortably Comfortable as a and is fast becoming a number eight or a 10, regular in Stromsoy’s ‘Dibbsy’ has a lot starting XI. A technically of ability between the gifted player, Jake is lines. He joins the club comfortable with the ball at from Hebburn Town after his feet and can beat a man and impressing in pre-season.

FORWARDS

Marc Costello.

ARRAN WEARMOUTH

Arran is a new recruit this summer and offers another dynamic to

Stromsoy’s attack. A vastly experienced forward, Arran started his career at Middlesbrough and has had spells with Darlington and Blyth Spartans among others.

ADAM BURNICLE

Adam joined the club in January after a shake up in the forward line. Burnicle hit the ground running in style scoring eight goals in his first 10 games with the club to quickly become a favourite at Moore Lane. With spells at Shildon, Morpeth and West Auckland under his belt, Adam is an experienced centre forward who knows where the net is.

LIAM JARVIE

Liam arrived in October last year when he made the jump from the Wearside League with Darlington

Town. Jarvie is versatile across the forward line and loves running at defenders with the ball at his feet. A big character in the dressing room and on the pitch.

CLUB HISTORY

It is difficult to find the definitive date when Newton Aycliffe Football Club was formed. There is evidence of a Newton Aycliffe Rangers in 1951 playing in the Darlington and District League. In 1954-57 there was a NAFC playing in the Auckland and District League, firstly at Sugar Hill sports ground and then Burn Lane sports ground. There then appears to be a gap. There is a report in the Newtonian in 1965 setting out the Newton Rangers Club was formed in 1961/2 and playing home games in Darlington. A further team, Newton Aycliffe AFC was formed in 1964 as a soccer section of the NA sports club, playing its first season in 1964/5 in the Darlington Weekend League, playing home matches at Simpasture playing fields.

Newton Aycliffe Rangers later played on a pitch near Aycliffe Stock Car Stadium. In 1967/68 The Rangers won the Auckland and District League Division Two Championship (playing home games at

Croxdale Welfare). By 1968-69 they had moved to Moore Lane as part of Newton Aycliffe Sports Club and had a reserve team in the Auckland and District League Division Two. 1969 saw Aycliffe Rangers reach the Semi Final of the Durham Challenge Cup, losing to Ferryhill Athletic after beating another Northern League side Stanley United on a very heavy Moore Lane pitch.

In 1969-70 a team named Newton Aycliffe SC played in the Auckland and District League Division One and a reserve team played in Division Two. This team won the League Challenge Cup in both 1969-70 and 70-71.

As Newton Aycliffe FC the team later moved to the Teesside League and joined the Wearside League in 1984 before folding from it during the 1993-94 season. And although the current club was reformed a number of years ago, competing successfully in the Darlington & District League its re-emergence from 2007-08 was nothing short of phenomenal.

Having smashed their way into the Start To Learn Northern League in emphatic

fashion – winning back-to-back league titles; Durham Alliance (2007-08) and the Wearside League (2008-09) – Allan Oliver’s side built on their inaugural campaign at Northern League level by topping the table for a huge eight months as they finished seven points clear of their nearest rivals in the 2010-11 title race.

The club’s development off the field has been as rapid as that on it, as Moore Lane Park gradually transformed into a ground befitting a club at Step 5 of the National League “pyramid” System – the club averaged 191 attendance in 2009- 10, the fifth highest average crowd in the Northern League and 222 in 2010-11, again bettered by just four teams.

Of course, the club owes a lot to Sedgefield Council’s Local Improvement Programme and the Football Foundation for providing grants to afford the facilities but the football club are also indebted to the support received from Newton Aycliffe Sports Club who continue to be a massive backer and supporter of the club’s transformation.

Seated accommodation was delivered in the spring of 2010 and after the assistance from local firm Finlay Structures and a team of volunteers dedicated to the club, standing accommodation for over 100 persons was installed in February 2011, ready for the club’s transition into a top2015/2016 was the most successful season in Newton Aycliffe’s history. Under the management of Peter Dixon the highlight was winning the Durham Challenge Cup, but added to that we had our best ever runs in the FA Cup (2nd Qualifying Round Replay) & FA Vase (5th Round-last 16). We also had our highest finish in the Ebac Northern League ending the campaign in sixth.

In December 2016 Deano Browne & a returning Danny Mellanby joined as joint manager, steering the Club to ninth in Division One, following that with a 14th place finish in 2017/2018. For 2018/2019 Danny elected to move to a new role on the club’s committee concentrating on youth development. Andrew Jinks & former skipper Sean Tarling came in as Assistant Managers.

A poor start to the 2018/2019 season brought a change of management with former Team Northumbria manager Colin Stromsoy joining in early 2019. His input led to an improvement in form which resulted in a 12th place finish in the league. This was developed further with the team sitting fifth in Division One when Covid-19 brought the season to a premature end.

Further works to the ground took place over the summer of 2020.

New drains were laid to help reduce the number of postponements due to waterlogging. At the same time a grant from the

Great Aycliffe & Middridge Partnership allowed for the resurfacing of the path leading to the ground & the construction of a turnstile.