Brown stars as Rothbury make it five wins in a row

The midfield maestro produced two more moments of dead-ball brilliance as the Reds extended their winning run to five games. Former Alnwick Town ace Brown bent in a free-kick direct from an improbable angle in the first half, and crossed for Sam Proudlock to head home number two in the second.

Although the Bay pulled one back late in the game, a hard-working, well-organised display from Rothbury earned them three valuable points.

“Tony was class to be fair. He makes us tick - the technique he has on the ball just makes him a constant threat to be honest and teams struggle to deal with him,” said boss Dan Herron.

But the gaffer was also chuffed with the way his side dug in to get the win and the performance of the players in Red shirts as a whole.

“I was really pleased at the organisation and resilience we showed when put under pressure in the second half.”

Rothbury almost grabbed the opener in the 10th minute as Brown and Chris Coe combined to create a chance for Al Laviers, who pulled his low shot just wide. Debutant striker Darren Riddell went even closer for the Coquetdalers soon after, when his effort was scrambled off the line.

Bay were punished for a handball in an innocuous-looking position out wide on the right in the 35th minute. Brown stepped up and curled a lovely effort high into the far top corner of the net with his left foot.

Rothbury extended their advantage in the 75th minute when a defender clattered into the back of Brown in heading clear. The midfielder picked himself up and floated in a delightful free kick for the rising Proudlock to power in a downward header at the back post.

Bay’s tricky left winger Thomas Atkinson kept Danny Lowes on his toes in the second half and the pacy wide man netted a deserved consolation in the final minute when he didn’t give up on a blocked shot in the box and drilled the rebound low into the corner.

“Five wins on the bounce is great for confidence and I want them to keep building on that, we’re learning and adapting every game,” said Herron.