Gallant Guisborough produced the performance of the day in the Northern League as they won 2-0 at leaders West Auckland, as Marske joined them in maintaining their title push and man on fire Michael Sweet scored another five for Billingham Synthonia.
The Priorymen moved up a place to second in the table despite playing almost an hour with 10 men after left-back Danny McWilliams was sent off for a two-footed challenge on West’s Jonathan Gibson.
Guisborough kept the leaders at bay in spite of being a man down and the game became 10-a-side when West’s Michael Tait was sent off for denying Guisborough a goalscoring opportunity 15 minutes from time.
Chris Hardy’s visitors then shocked the league leaders with two goals in the final seven minutes to seal a memorable win. Liam McPhillps broke the deadlock with a goal on the break, and Connor Smith slid the ball under West keeper Daniel Lowson two minutes from time to seal victory.
The Priorymen are now unbeaten in their last 11 league and cup matches and have lost only one of their last 15 games.
Marske also took advantage of North Shields being on FA Vase duty as they climbed from fourth place into third with a routine 4-0 home win against managerless Ashington.
The Seasiders took only 11 minutes to go a goal up as central defender Darren Hollingsworth scored with a glancing header when Josh MacDonald sent the ball back into the box after Craig Gott’s free-kick was only half cleared.
Jamie Owens gave Marske a 2-0 lead two minutes before half-time when he cut in from the byline and picked out the top corner on his weaker right foot for his 30th goal in all competitions.
Ashington came into the game more for the first 15 minutes of the second half as the Seasiders lost their way a bit, and visiting striker Glen Taylor missed a great chance when he fired wide with the home defence beaten.
Any hopes of an Ashington revival were squashed however when Marske debutant Jonathan Wright - who should have scored at the end of the first half - marked his debut with the third goal after Owens robbed Lewis Davison and played the ball into his new strike partner’s path.
Marske skipper Gott arrowed in the fourth with a wonderful free-kick and substitute Danny Brunskill was denied a fifth after replacing Wright when his shot was cleared off the line.
Ashington were also on the end of a 5-2 hiding at Billingham Synthonia late last month when Synners striker Sweet scored all five. And the former Darlington hitman equalled that free-scoring feat this afternoon as he added another five in Synners’ stunning 8-0 demolition of basement boys Crook.
Sweet scored all four of Synners’ first half goals in an exhibition of clinical finishing, with Kris Hughes and Tommy Marron both providing two assists.
Central defender David Abel got in on the act when he scored Synners’ fifth just after half time, and Stevie Huggins played in Sweet for the rampant hosts eighth after Matthew Bell and Danny Newby had put them further out of sight.
Synners created so many chances that they could have doubled the final score, while at the other end home keeper Peter Burke had little to do on his debut after signing on loan from Sunderland’s academy.
Star man Sweet has now scored 59 goals in 82 Synners appearances. Norton suffered a rare defeat in Division Two as Billingham Town’s game at Whickham was abandoned with four minutes to go while they were leading 2-0.
Stokesley beat Chester-Le-Street 2-1 at home and Thornaby shared a tight 1-1 draw at Northallerton.
Norton lost for the first time in the league since October 21 as they were beaten 2-0 at Ryhope, but Andy Campbell’s side remain second after Washington lost at Ryton.
Both Ryhope goals arrived in the second half, with the first a Nathan O’Neill penalty after Danny O’Brien brought down Josh Home-Jackson.
Home-Jackson added Ryhope’s second from a Jack Pounder pass.
Billingham Town were on course for an excellent away win at Whickham thanks to goals at the end of the first half from former Stokesley duo Ben Bonner and Gary Redman.
Bonner put Town ahead from the penalty spot after being brought down by the full-back who was sent off, and Redman made it two when he snapped up a rebound after Nathan Mohun saw his shot saved.
Town went down to 10 men when Stephen Jackson was sent off for handling on the line, but keeper Michael Thackeray saved the resulting penalty and pulled off a series of smart saves.
The match then descended into farce as Whickham’s frustrations boiled over and they had three more men sent off, and the referee then abandoned the game after another one of their players walked off with cramp.
There was less drama at Stokesley but they were able to celebrate their second win of 2015 thanks to goals from Gez Richardson and Dean Wilson.
Richardson put Stokesley ahead with a header from winger Steve Roberts’ cross, but the Cestrians equalised through Scott Thomas despite being reduced to 10 men when David Renyard was sent off for kicking out at Roberts.
Stokesley midfielder David Edwards went close when he hit the post with a free-kick, and the home side’s winner arrived when Wilson scored at the end of slick move involving Edwards, Wilf Dinsdale and Richardson.
Thornaby took a 35th minute lead at Northallerton when Jamie Clarke lifted the ball over advancing keeper Matthew Calvert after being played in by Kieran Edwards.
Chances were at a premium in the second half, although the hosts had the better of the exchanges and salvaged a point midway through it with a goal from Dale Elgie.
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