After creditable draws against Tow Law, Brandon and Bedlington in their last three outings Consett continued their recent good form with a priceless victory over the team immediately below them in the Northern League Division One. Insofar as he could, Colin Carr kept faith with the same eleven as that which drew at Bedlington, Jeff Sugden returning to effectively replace the unavailable Mark Lee was the only change in personnel.

Johnny Brown prods home Consett's second

The first half was a pretty scrappy affair, probably to be expected from two teams in the relegation zone, although the cold and blustery conditions didn't assist the game as a spectacle. Consett started the brighter and after a couple of early forays into the Peterlee area, they should have taken the lead in the tenth minute. Johnny Brown's persistence just outside the area forced the ball through to Lee Suddes who, with just the keeper to beat, blazed over from 10 yards.

Thompson lets fly but his shot is parried.

That was the only chance of note in the opening half an hour as both sides struggled in the conditions to fashion out any serious chances. Ten minutes before half time it was Peterlee's turn to feel unlucky not to be ahead. Following a neat move down their left flank the ball was played in to Hinton whose 12 yard snapshot was brilliant saved at full stretch by James Platten. Five minutes late Consett put together a similarly neat move which ended with Andrew Thompson's shot being parried, with no-one able to follow up to convert the rebound.

Just as it seemed that the first half would be goalless, Consett took the lead two minutes into stoppage time. Lee Suddes swung a free kick in to the visitors area and Colin McLeod, arriving late, slammed a superb airborne left foot volley into the roof of the net.

Consett picked up where they left off in the second half, and almost doubled their lead 90 seconds after the restart. Thompson broke quickly down the right and played in McLeod who slid his shot narrowly wide with the Newtowners appealing for offside.

The home side didn't have to wait much longer for the second goal however, which came just four minutes later. Thompson floated a free kick into the box and Johnny Brown sprinted clear of the Peterlee rearguard to slide in and prod the ball home from 7 yards.

McLeod holds the ball up under pressure.

Having taken a two goal lead Consett found themselves pegged back for the remainder of the second half as Peterlee came back into the game strongly. Midway through the second half they pulled a goal back when Mattie Taylor's free kick from just inside the Consett half sailed on the wind deep into the area and Daniel Cobain climbed above Jeff Sugde to plant his header past Platten.

Suddes fires over.

Having got back into the game, the visitors pressed on in search of the equaliser. In the 72nd minute Dobell laid the ball out wide to Green and raced into the Consett area to receive the return, he then placed a low shot to Platten's right but James got down very well to stop it one handed. Ten minutes later another wind assisted long free kick, this time from Yale, was met by Green whose glancing header was gathered by Platten. With only four minutes remaining Peterlee went closer still when Paul Hinton's instinctive poke at the ball from a left wing corner flew up and struck the Consett bar.

With Peterlee pushing more men forward in their increasingly desperate search for an equaliser, the Steelmen had two chances in injury time to kill the game off. However first Thompson, and then Scott Wilson contrived to place free headers from 6 yards out high and wide respectively.

In the end though a valuable three points for Consett and this combined with Prudhoe's defeat at Durham means they have lifted themselves back out of the relegation zone.