Nine-man Morpeth Town fell to defeat at Newton Aycliffe on a frustrating afternoon in County Durham.

Aycliffe got off to a great start, taking an early lead through Thibault Charmey. But their advantage lasted two minutes as Liam Henderson headed Town back on level terms. Aycliffe’s scorer found the net again with four minutes to go to condemn Morpeth to defeat after Henderson was dismissed with 13 minutes to go. There was still time for Town to be reduced to nine men with Stephen Forster sent off for a straight red card.

Morpeth welcomed Karl Dryden back in goal following a six-week spell on the side-lines with a finger injury.

A frantic start saw both sides looking for the early initiative and it duly came for Aycliffe through Charmey. The forward latched on to a loose ball in the area and hit a scuffed shot across goal and in off the far post.

Although a setback, Morpeth responded almost immediately through Henderson. The striker rose unopposed to thump a header into the back of the net and restore parity following Ben Sayer’s ball in from the right.

Kurt Matthews was living a charmed existence by the 20th minute after the Aycliffe midfielder was booked for simulation before catching Stephen Forster late. The latter challenge was punished only by a free-kick with the referee keeping his cards in his pocket. A third challenge moments later, also only conceding a free-kick, was enough for the Newtonians’ management to haul the midfielder off on 32 minutes before he was sent off.

Aycliffe were next to go close to an increasingly important third goal of the contest, but Jordan Jenson’s 35th minute free-kick was plucked out of the air by Dryden with the ball heading for the top corner.

A stalemate at the interval, Morpeth needed a moment of brilliance to get them motoring to victory once again. That nearly arrived in the 47th minute but Mark Davison’s low strike was squirmed clear by James Hunter in the Aycliffe goal before one of his defenders thundered a clearance off his team-mate with the ball fortuitously dropping on to the roof of the net.

Sean Taylor must have thought he had scored six minutes later when he powered a header, following Joe Walton’s pin-point cross from the right, goalwards. But Hunter got a strong hand to it to push the ball over the top.

There was little in the way of opportunities for either side but still time for a second half red card for Henderson. The goalscorer went up for an aerial challenge with Paul Weldon which saw the latter on the floor. The referee, following consultation with the assistant referee, showed a straight red card to the striker, leaving Town down to 10 men for the final 13 minutes.

There was worse to come for the visitors as Charmey lashed a free-kick into the far corner with just four minutes remaining. Then, in stoppage time, Forster was given a straight red as Morpeth ended with nine men.

The Highwaymen are next in action on Wednesday night when they welcome Newcastle Benfield to Craik Park for a 7.30pm kick-off in EBAC Northern League Division One.

NEWTON AYCLIFFE: Hunter; Harrison, Weldon, Trotter, Mitten (capt), Grant-Soulsby, Jenson, Costella, Hutchinson (Pennal 65), Charmey, Matthews (Banks 32).

SUBS NOT USED: Oliver, Lane, McLaren.

GOALS: Charmey (10, 86)

MORPETH TOWN: Dryden; Forster, Danny Carson, Henderson, McDonald; Fry, Sayer, Graydon (capt) (Phillips 78); Walton (Elliott 80), Davison (David Carson 73), Taylor.

SUBS NOT USED: Norris, Coombes.

GOALS: Henderson (12)

ATT: 120