Newton Aycliffe manager Alan Oliver says that his players won't relax after they brushed Washington aside by 4-0 to stay eleven points clear at the top.

They took the lead when Elliott Gardiner burst through from midfield and scored with a low left foot shot, and soon after the division’s leading scorer, Warren Byrne, turned quickly and found the top corner with a left foot effort.

Byrne scored the third from the spot after 53 minutes following a foul on Sean Tarling, an incident that saw Washington’s Andy Inness red carded for foul and abusive language. Gardiner finished off Washington from a left wing cross by Anthony Campbell, and was denied a hat trick by the post.

Aycliffe boss Alan Oliver said; “We’ve got a decent squad at the moment, but we’re still not getting carried away. There’s no way we can relax.” Washington manager David Lee said: “We gave them too much respect,”

Washington have submitted a provisional resignation to the league, but will withdraw it when they have formal agreement to use Nissan’s facilities where they are currently playing.

Guisborough beat bottom club Brandon by the same scoreline at the King George. David Onions put them into the lead with a deflected shot after 20 minutes, and Luke Bythway headed the second just after half time. Onions added the third from close range, then Chris I’Anson fired the fourth.

“It was a good win for us,” said Guisborough manager Chris Hardy. “We kept a clean sheet, and improved our goal difference.”

Marske United are in clear fourth after they beat fellow promotion rivals Team Northumbria.

There were few chances in a poor game, and Marske made the breakthrough when Karl Charlton floated a free kick over from the left, and Benn Thompson set up Anthony Roberts to score his first goal in 98 matches.

Marske should have had a second, but Thompson missed a penalty in the second half.

“It was a poor game, but at least we got the points,” said Marske boss Paul Burton. “We’ve played much better this season and lost.”

Northallerton are up to fifth bottom thanks to a 2-1 away win at bottom club Morpeth.

The home side, who haven’t won yet this season, took the lead through Danny Carr after 12 minutes, but Northallerton equalised through a Darren Mowbray penalty following a foul on Matthew Coad before half time.

And they got the winner when Aaron Ramsbottom’s cross was helped into the net by the Morpeth keeper.

Northallerton manager Mark Fanning said: “It was a very tricky surface, hard in some areas and soft in others. Having said that, we were keen to play because we didn’t want to go back up there for a midweek game later in the season.”

Crook striker Andy Appleby scored all four of his side’s goals in their win over Darlington RA, to become the third player to score four goals in a league game against the RA this season.

He opened the scoring after 25 minutes when he held off a defender and fired past the RA keeper, and a few minutes later he notched his second in a goalmouth scramble.

He completed his hat trick before half time from the spot after Darren Kokes was brought down, and his fourth was the goal of the game, a good header from a Martin O’Riordan cross, “Andy was superb, and he could have scored more. The RA just couldn’t handle him,” said Crook boss Brian Maitland, who has signed defender Dan Sanders from Durham City Hebburn won 2-0 at Horden, who have now dropped to fourth from bottom.

Former West Brom midfielder Stuart Nicholson fired Hebburn into the lead after 34 minutes with his 10th of the season, but he was later red carded for a two footed tackle, a decision which saw the Hebburn management team sent from the bench for protesting.

And with Horden pushing everyone forward for the equaliser, Stephen Forster caught them on the break and scored a second. Hebburn have now won their last five matches.