Acklam turned up the heat in the battle for Durham and North Two promotion as they clinched a 24-7 win at Bishop Auckland.
As the only Teesside outfit in league action yesterday, the pressure was on Acklam to claim a valuable victory on the road to maintain their top two aspirations.
The win keeps the Talbot Park outfit third in the table, but they are now only two points behind rivals Redcar with the second promotion spot still up for grabs.
Forced to field an inexperienced side for the rearranged fixture, which fell victim to the weather before Christmas, Acklam were made to dig deep for the points.
The visitors were boosted by the return of John Morgan, who put in an eyecatching display along with Andrew Cruickshank, Marcus Sudron and Danny Ashton.
The first try of the game came from Ben Pearson, with Acklam’s forward pack standing up to the physical challenge that Bishop Auckland posed.
Danny Ashton also kicked four penalties and one conversion in a tight first half, with Acklam leading 19-0 at the break.
Only five minutes into the second period, Bishop Auckland were reduced to 14 men after a member of their front row picked up a second yellow card, meaning it was uncontested scrums for the rest of the match.
And with a numerical advantage, Acklam made the hosts pay when Kris Hutchinson scored in the corner.
Bishop Auckland did get on the scoresheet in the 68th minute with a try of their own, but Acklam remained in control and should have added to the scoreline with better execution late on.
The result means there is still everything to play for in the division’s promotion race. Next weekend Acklam travel to South Tyneside College, while Redcar face Ashington at Mackinlay Park.
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