Wearside League Premier Division South Moor 2 Barnard Castle 1

Controversy surrounded Barnard Castle’s 2-1 defeat at South Moor this week.

The match was nicely poised at 1-1 following a tight first half which saw Aaron Reed head in a Zack Blythe corner to cancel out the home side’s opener on Tuesday evening.

The controversial incident occurred after the break when Barney boss John Close decided to make two substitutions.

The assistant referee incorrectly allowed the two subs to enter the field of play before the players who were being subbed had left the pitch.

As one of those subbed players, Noah Ellis, was jogging towards the technical area, the referee urged him to hurry and the player made a verbal response.

The assistant ref reported Ellis to the referee, who red-carded him for dissent and then told Close to withdraw one of his subs so that he was down to 10 men.

South Moor then went on to win the match through a converted penalty.

Close was pleased with the way his players applied themselves: “I said to the lads afterwards their workrate was incredible, their application was amazing, they were beaten by a really good side.”

Barney are next in action on Wednesday when they host Esh Winning & Deerness Valley at Tens Field (6.30pm).

Barnard Castle Reserves host Billingham Town Reserves in North Riding Division One at Tens Field tomorrow (Saturday, 2pm).

Northern Premier Division One East

Morpeth Town 2 West Auckland 0; North Ferriby 2 West Auckland 2 (O’Gorman 38, Scott 59).

Darlington Sunday Invitation League Division One

Darlington Spartans 0 Staindrop Wheatsheaf 1 (Risbey 26); Evenwood Town 1 (McMahon 52) Darlington Grey Horse 2; Darlington Shuttle & Loom 6 Middleton Wanderers 2 (Braybrook 10, Lee-Shield 33).

League Cup, first round

Darlington Skerne Park 6 Gainford Cross Keys 1 (Walker 80); Barnard Castle Rangers 3 (Perkins 44, Venis 56, Thompson 78) Darlington Rolling Mills 4.