A season’s best crowd turned up to the Raygar Stadium hoping that the midweek loss against Brighouse was a flash in the pan, only to witness the same outcome against a team in the lower reaches of the league table.

With Ben Rhodes, Keaton August and Harry Draper unavailable manager Lee Attenborough brought in Luke Rawson and Lewis Austin while Larell King was named on the bench.

With 583 people packed into the ground the Nailers started brightly enough and Kelen Swales forced James Pollard into an excellent save with a 30-yard pile driver.

Nathan Whitehead’s effort from a similar distance was less accurate but at least the Nailers had shown their colours early on.

After ten minutes it was the visitors who started to impress as they showed an aptitude for passing the ball that had the Belper defence on the back foot.

The Nailers looked comfortable enough until the 27th minute when they survived a goal mouth scramble, but after this Aycliffe looked increasingly dangerous.

Liam Adamson had already forced a 34th minute save from Kieron Preston, and it didn’t come as a complete surprise when they went ahead 37th minute.

Pascoe was on hand at the far post to meet a cross from the right and his controlled volley nestled just inside the far post.

Belper rallied a little in the latter stages of the half and in the 40th minute the Nailers broke quickly with Swales feeding Crofts who in turn set Rawson up for a shot that went wide.

Swales looked to have given himself a chance in the closing stages but although his inside run gave him a sight of goal, his shot never had a chance of beating Pollard.

Rawson had a half chance moments after the restart but lifted the ball over the top, then in the 53rd minute Crofts had a shot from just inside the penalty area that struck the outside of the post.

Aycliffe were relying on breakaways at this point, but when they did so they looked very dangerous and consequently the game became very open.

Rawson’s 75th minute header lacked power and two minutes later Crofts hit a good shot that sent Pollard sprawling to his right to save.

Substitute Harrison Poulter looked to have escaped the last defender in the 76th minute but before he could get his shot in, Alex Nelson made a great tackle to deny him.

The Nailers hadn’t been sharp enough, or clinical enough and looked a beaten team before Liam Jarvie made the game safe for the Newtonians with a last-minute strike to condemn Belper to a second successive defeat.

Belper Town: Preston, Burrows, Aguas, Whitehead (King 57), Broadhead, Evans, Swales, Austin, Rawson, Crofts, Warren (Poulter 64). Unused subs: Gregory, Rhodes, Adams.

Newton Aycliffe: Pollard. Barrow, Pascoe, Nelson, Elgie, Ferguson, Wood, Petijean (Naylor 90), Thexton (Jackson 65), Jarvie, Adamson (Clarkson 88).

Referee: Grace Lowe

Att: 583

Man of the Match: Lewis Austin

Match Sponsors: Raygar Architectural and Engineering Supplies.