Bishop Auckland are still three points above the ENL First Division relegation zone after they were thumped 5-1 at Newcastle Benfield tonight.

Benfield took the lead after 24 minutes when Paul Brayson beat a defender and fired past Adam McHugh from an acute angle for his 25th league goal of the season, and after Benfield keeper Andy Grainger pulled off a good save from Shaun Ryder, Benfield’s recent signing jack Devlin latched on to a long ball and fired past the keeper.

Benfield went 3-0 up nine minutes into the second half when Jake Orrell got to the bye line and pulled the ball back for Devlin to sidefoot home, then Brayson scored from the spot after Devlin was pulled down in the area.

Devlin then chipped McHugh from the edge of the box for the fifth before Joe Grant pulled a goal back late in the game.

In the clash between the second division’s bottom two, Darlington RA pulled off an excellent 2-1 home win over Alnwick to lift them up to third bottom.

Chris Tarn fired the RA into the lead after 13 minutes, but Alnwick equalised through Joshua Hay before half time. Glenn Donaldson popped up with an important winner on 70 minutes to put the RA five points ahead of Alnwick.

Esh Winning lost 3-2 at home to Jarrow, after going 3-0 down in the first half, while Brandon were beaten by two second half goals at Thornaby and are now second bottom because of the RA’s win.

In the Ernest Armstrong Cup, Northallerton are through to the semi final after beating Willington 3-1.

Northallerton took the lead after 35 minutes with a strike by Chris Dickinson, but Matty Moffat fired Willington level.

Nicky Martin put Northallerton back in front just on half time, and then he added another near the end.