Brandon assistant manager Graham Carter praised his team's character after they won a nine-goal thriller 5-4 on a frozen pitch against Consett on Saturday.

Brandon are now unbeaten in eight league and cup matches, a run which has lifted them six points clear of the First Division relegation zone.

Carter, in charge while Vince Kirkup is on honeymoon, said: "Even though Scott Bell scored a hat-trick, every player is chipping in and doing his bit. Our two recent signings, Marc Irwin and Craig Coates, have really given the team a lift.

"The referee was in two minds whether to let the game go ahead because the pitch was frozen in places, but obviously now we're pleased he did."

At one stage, though, Brandon were 4-2 down. Scott Bell gave them the lead when he lobbed the Consett keeper from a Craig Coates pass, but Consett levelled when Craig Tate scored from a Gary Price cross.

Price headed Consett into the lead, but David Fort equalised with a powerful left foot shot from 20 yards. Price restored Consett's lead on 30 minutes when he pounced on a poor clearance, and then Steve Lish set up Tate for 4-2.

But then the Brandon revival started. Coates scored from a rebound just before half time, then early in the second half Bell levelled from close range.

And Bell got the winner from the penalty spot after 70 minutes when Coates was fouled. Bell has now scored 22 league goals this season.

Shildon stormed back to form with a 7-2 thrashing of Peterlee, scoring six times in the first half.

Recent signing Phil McGuire was on the mark early on when he scored from a Kevin Bromley cross, then he fired the second from a Steve Huggins pass.

Bromley supplied the cross from the left for McGuire to complete his hat trick from close range, then Bromley ran though the defence to score the fourth.

McGuire then scored his fourth of the match from close range to make it 5-0, then John Ewart got the sixth from a Huggins pass before half time.

Peterlee pulled one back at the start of the second half through Curtis Taylor, but Danny Richmond soon made it 7-1. Peterlee keeper Paul Newton pulled off several good saves to prevent Shildon scoring further goals, while Paul Hinton scored a second from the penalty spot for Peterlee, who conceded seven goals for the second successive Saturday.

West Auckland got the better of Ashington by the odd goal in seven, Mattie Moffat scoring a hat trick.

West were 2-0 down at one point. Ashington took the lead after 12 minutes with a header by Alex Lawson, and then Dale Telfer drove the ball home from 25 yards for the second. West hit back when Moffat beat two men on a run from the halfway line and fired home, and then he equalised from a left wing cross before half time.

Ashington went 3-2 up after the restart when Lawson scored from a Mark Campbell pass, but West levelled when Dale Jardine scored from the edge of the box.

And Moffat got the winner when Ashington keeper Paul Simpson failed to hold the ball and he scored from the loose ball.

Benfield Saints are now second after they beat fourth bottom Tow Law 3-1.

Eddie Miller struck twice for Benfield in the first half hour, and even though Lee Innes pulled a goal back for Lawyers, Benfield's new signing Lee Ludlow finished off the Lawyers when he scored with five minutes left.

In the second division, Prudhoe ended a run of three straight defeats when they won 4-1 at second bottom Easington. Stuart Owen gave struggling Easington the lead, but Kevin Shoulder and Simon Reay both scored two apiece as Prudhoe hit back.

Washington Nissan striker Gavin Cogdon took his tally of league goals for the season to 20 with a hat trick in his side's 7-1 hammering of Marske United.

Fellow striker David Tait also scored a hat-trick, with Ian Matthews scoring the other. Michael Wilson scored a late consolation for Marske from the penalty spot.

Nissan are now second, on the same points as West Allotment and Northallerton.

West Allotment were in the Vase, while Northallerton thumped third bottom Hebburn 5-1.

The Yorkshire club led 2-1 with goals from Simon Corrigan and Ross Foreman with Mark Diamond replying, but then Foreman, Ross Diamond and David Onions all scored for Northallerton.

Newcastle Blue Star beat Crook Town 3-1 to stay in fifth, four points ahead of their opponents.

John Shotton put Crook into an early lead, but then Michael Dixon levelled for Star. David McMahon and Michael Fenwick, with his 12th league goal of the season, scored in the second half.

Norton had a good 1-0 home win over Penrith, veteran striker John Outhwaite scoring. Norton's Lee Tucker was dismissed for retaliation early in the second half

South Shields and Alnwick drew 2-2. Paul Lang scored twice for Alnwick, with Graeme Matthewson and David Graham replying for Shields.

The game between Whickham and North Shields was abandoned at half time because of a frozen pitch, while the games at Washington and Willington never got going for the same reason.