Blyth Town clinch Northern League Division Two title

Blyth Town has officially been confirmed as the winners of Northern League Division Two after a typically classy performance at Welfare Park.

With the title finally sealed, a Dan Lanning hat-trick for Newcastle Blue Star on Friday night saw the second-placed Scotswood side go four points clear of the Terriers in third, who saw their long-awaited return to Doctor Pit Park denied with another postponement.

Horden succumbing to a 4-0 defeat against the freshly crowned champions opened up the opportunity for Easington and Billingham Synthonia to climb the table, but the chance was grasped by just one of the two.

It was on away territory that Easington beat Newcastle University 3-2 to climb into fourth, with James Fairley scoring two of those to come back from trailing by two inside half an hour – for Synners however they were held to a one-all draw against Esh Winning.

A bright start for Chester-le-Street Town on Friday saw them two to the good in the opening five minutes as they continued their bid for the play-off spots, but their 3-1 victory over Prudhoe YC Seniors matched the result of Yarm & Eaglescliffe who hosted Brandon United who regained the seventh spot.

Also on Friday; a brace for the ever-prolific Levi Collins’, alongside one for Thomas Ions, helped Jarrow to a 4-1 win at Washy; with the ex-Boldon forwards arrival coinciding with an uptick in form that has seen just one defeat for the NE32-based side with Collins in the squad.

Thornaby were held to a point by Boldon, with spoils also shared in the stalemate between FC Hartlepool and Sunderland West End. Finally, Redcar Town managed to prevent Aaron Costello from scoring in their 2-1 victory over RACA.

Moving on two Division One, the tense tussle for the title shows no signs of slowing down with both Bishop Auckland and Shildon recording wins against Whickham and Birtley respectively.

For Birtley, the 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Railwaymen saw them drop to fifth, being leapfrogged by Heaton Stannington with a 4-2 win over North Shields – including a Jay Hornsby screamer. It was also another three points on the board for West Auckland in third as they hosted Carlisle City.

Guisborough are now joint on points with the Hoops thanks to a 3-1 win at Crook Town, with Callum Martin converting twice from the penalty spot.

At the other end of the table, the turgid season for Sunderland RCA continued at the hands of a 7-0 thumping by Penrith, with Tow Law too suffering a heavy defeat by West Allotment Celtic in their first match since the announcement of the departure of Jay Bates.

Elsewhere, there was plenty of goals in Whitley Bay when Boro Rangers came to town; scoring six to Bay’s two. On Friday, Redcar Athletic captain Kevin Burgess marked his return from a three-match suspension by securing the Steelmen three points as he slotted home in the second half against Seaham Red Star.