CONSETT eased through to the 2nd Round with this win over plucky Wearside League opponents, but had to go a goal behind to shake them out of their slumbers.

Manager Kenny Lindoe made one change from the side which beat Ryton at the weekend, with Carl Heiniger coming in for his first start in place of 18-goal top scorer Mattie Moffat, who was carrying a knock. The centre-forward's absence leaves only Andy Cuthbertson and Gary Ormston as ever-presents this season.

Adam Emson was also struggling, and had to settle for a place on the bench, while Steven Brown and Michael Coulthard were again absent through injury. Also missing from the teamsheet was John Clark, who signed for Dunston Fed on the day of the game.

The first chance fell to Consett after just three minutes, when David Pounder robbed visiting left-back Campbell on the edge of his own area and set up Steven Johnson, whose right-footed shot from 12 yards flashed wide of the right-hand post.

But after a scrappy opening Consett suffered a huge shock when they fell behind on 11 minutes. Campbell sent a hopeful ball down the left channel, and when it bounced over Karl Baston's head Newton Aycliffe skipper Mark Wood was onto it in a flash. As 'keeper James Platten came out to narrow the angle he lifted it over his head from 12 yards to give the visitors a shock 1-0 lead.

With torrential rain beginning to fall, Consett equalised with a trademark free-kick from David Pounder on 22 minutes. A foul on Johnson five yards outside the box brought a free-kick for the Steelmen, and Pounder's left-footed curler into the top left-hand corner was too good for Aycliffe keeper Richardson, even though he got a hand to it.

Tackles were starting to fly in on an increasingly greasy pitch, and Consett midfielder Chris Scott was lucky not to be booked for what appeared to be a two-footed challenge on Wood.

Consett should have perhaps gone ahead when Richardson's weak clearance fell to Johnson, who set up Heiniger, but he was driven wide enough for his shot to be blocked by the defence.

Scott then tried his luck from fully 30 yards, and while his shot was on target it didn't trouble the keeper. Then Gary Ormston did well to keep in Karl Baston's long ball, and his pull-back from the bye-line was met by the onrushing Johnson, only for a defender to get in enough of a challenge to force the ball behind for a corner.

Having apparently ridden the storm, and with 10 minutes to half-time, Newton Aycliffe had probably their best spell of their game. Daniel Learner almost caught James Platten in the Consett goal off-guard with a speculative effort from wide on the left, and left-back Campbell then saw his shot deflected wide after he made space for himself in the box.

With the 45 minutes just about up, a foul on Jonjo Dickman 25 yards out brought Consett a free-kick, and it was worked to Chris Scott, whose shot flashed just over.

Consett pressed hard for an advantage to take into the break, and Heiniger's flick-on to Johnson required the Newton Aycliffe goalkeeper to be alert on the edge of his box. But his kick fell invitingly to Pounder, whose deep cross to Heiniger brought a diving header which went just wide.

A flashpoint in midfield then saw Dickman react angrily to a sliding challenge from Chase McMullen, and both players found their way into the referee's notebook.

The resulting free-kick saw Ormston blaze over under challenge from six yards, but the breakthrough Consett had been seeking came in the third minute of added time. Newton Aycliffe failed to clear their lines, and when Ormston fed Heiniger 10 yards out, the former Dunston man turned his marker and finished smartly into the bottom left-hand corner, to open his Consett account.

Half Time: Consett 2-1 Newton Aycliffe

Craig Robson came on for Andrew Cuthbertson after the break, and the tenacious midfielder immediately made his presence felt, snapping into some tackles.

Platten showed signs of rustiness a couple of minutes into the half when he came for a high ball, dropped it, was left squirming on the ground as he tried to smother it, and eventually gathered the ball at the third attempt from a shot on goal.

Robson - not known for his scoring prowess after just two goals in 77 appearances - hit a powerful shot from 25 yards which flashed narrowly wide, and Consett then extended their lead to 3-1 just five minutes into the second half.

Big Newton Aycliffe centre-half John Close gave the ball away outside his own box, and Scott put in Steven Johnson, whose shot was deflected past the goalkeeper to make it 3-1.

Johnson flashed a header just wide and Dickman went close as Consett looked for the goal which would kill the game, and Newton Aycliffe played their trump card, bringing on Kyle Swankie and Danny Mellanby for Aaron Duff and Daniel Learner.

Consett then had two decent penalty shouts turned down, when Johnson appeared to be brought down just inside the box, only for the referee to give a free kick right on the edge, and then the ball reared up and struck a defender's hand.

Both sides made a change on 68 minutes, with Newton Aycliffe bringing on Carl Robinson for Chase McMullen and David Scorer replacing Mark Gaffney for Consett. Robinson immediately had a snapshot saved by Platten after Pounder lost possession.

On 70 minutes Dickman - who had already been booked - and Wood earned a stern talking-to from the referee after an altercation in midfield, but thankfully the official's cards stayed in his pocket.

With 15 minutes to go, Consett made it 4-1 when Johnson scored his second goal of the night and 10th in 11 games after capitalising on hesitancy in the Aycliffe back-four to finish Ormston's through ball from six yards out.

Paul Curry came on for Baston with five minutes left, and within two minutes Consett had made it 5-1 when Heiniger's good all-round display was rewarded with his second goal of the night. Richardson again kicked weakly, and the ball landed straight at the former Dunston man's feet. He took a touch to steady himself, then despatched it back over the stranded goalie's head.

Dickman had a chance to make it six right at the death, but that would have been cruel on a Newton Aycliffe side who were never in awe of opponents two steps higher on the non-league ladder, and matched them blow-for-blow for three-quarters of the game.

Full Time: Consett 5-1 Newton Aycliffe

Gary Welford