Dunston manager Billy Irwin paid tribute to his players’ strength of character after they beat Spennymoor on penalties last night to reach the final of the Durham Challenge Cup.

Dunston kept their nerve to win the shootout 3-2 after drawing 1-1 in normal time, and Irwin said: “Considering what’s gone in the last ten days – Mattie our physio dying, getting knocked out of the Vase and playing in the league cup on Monday night – it was a magnificent performance by the players.

“They put in a tremendous amount of effort into the game, and I really can’t complain. To win with a performance like that after playing on Monday and going to extra time is phenomenal. And now we’ve got a cup final to look forward to.”

The final is against Gateshead at Eppleton on Good Friday morning.

Spennymoor manager Jason Ainsley was less than pleased with his players' display in the penalty shootout. In regular play, Moors have missed eight penalties this season, and the inability to hit the target cost them. "I thought we played the better football on the night and were very unfortunate not to win the game, although for the possession we had we didn't create a lot of clear cut chances. What is very disappointing is the penalty situation! I know it's a lottery but when you miss three in a shootout, two not even hitting the target you don't deserve to go through. The lads need to have a long hard look at themselves. We have gone out of every cup competition this season as being the better side on the day but not having the mental toughness and leadership qualities to win. In the league you have another game to recover if you lose, but not in the cup, we have thrown the opportunity away."

Shildon manager Gary Forrest was far from happy with the referee after they were beaten by a hotly disputed penalty by Whitley Bay at Dean Street.

“The referee was far too quick on his whistle, “ said Forrest. “I can’t see how he could be 100 per cent sure about what happened, when Steve Buzzeo challenged David Pounder. I think referees need to learn more about players, so then they can use that knowledge in games.

“One bad decision might have cost us the league. We’ll keep battling away, but it’s almost out of our hands now. We’ve only got one game left against a team in the top four, while the others still have some tough games to play. In our last two games, our opponents have only had four or five shots against us, and we’ve had two iffy penalties given against us as well.”

The result means that Shildon remain top of the table, but only a single pointy ahead of Consett, who have three games in hand. Shildon also lost to Bishop Auckland last Saturday. They have also lost keeper Keith Finch because of a knee injury for the rest of the season.

Whitley Bay manager Ian Chandler said: "I thought we battled hard against a good Shildon team. We've had similar penalties given us against us before, and you have to accept it and get on with the game. The Shildon players let it get to them."

Veteran striker Graham Robinson scored the only goal of the game for Billingham Synthonia against South Shields to give them three crucial points at Central Avenue.

It was a good night for Consett, who are now just a point behind Shildon going into the weekend. They beat Sunderland RCA 3-0 at Belle Vue. Manager Kenny Lindoe said: "We started slowly and RCA could have taken an early lead, but after Mark Eccles scored it was pretty much one way traffic, and should have produced a more convincing scoreline."

Assistant manager Lee Tucker said: “Graham and Richie Storr came in for us and did a magnificent job. Their experience was invaluable to the young players in the team, both in the dressing room and on the field,”

Synners have now climbed to seventh from bottom, and Tucker said: “With our games in hand, we should be looking towards catching some of the teams in midtable.”

Bishop Auckland lost 3-0 at Norton to leave them fourth bottom, and manager Colin Myers said: "We sat too deep in the second half, and let them come at us. I was annoyed with teh second half performance, some players didn't listen to instructions." Bishops are at home to Stokesley on Saturday in a real six pointer.

Second Division Newton Aycliffe need just three wins from eight games to continue their success story after their 4-0 away win at Crook Town.

The game was billed as the shootout between Crook striker Andy Appleby and Aycliffe’s Warren Byrne, and it was the Aycliffe marksman who won that particular battle, with a deflection on a Josh Knox effort to give him his 32nd goal of the season. “One of the lads said that it was very difficult for Josh to miss Warren when he fired at goal,” said manager Alan Oliver. “I thought we played really well, especially after last Friday’s disappointment.

“It’s still not over, we’ve got a difficult game on Saturday at Team Northumbria.

Guisborough won 2-0 at Washington to stay ten points behind Aycliffe, and Guisborough boss Chris Hardy said: “We managed to get on top of the game and the conditions in the second half, and we kept going right to the end.

“At this stage of the season, it was a much needed win, and keeps the pressure on the others. I’d rather have the points than the games in hand.”

Northallerton drew 0-0 with Birtley at Ainderby Road in their midtable clash, but manager Mark Fanning thought they had enough chances to win. "Our finishing let us down again as we created numerous chances all night but a mixture of poor finishing and some good saves from their keeper kept the scoreline blank. The positive was our defending as a team as our keeper only had one shot to save all night."