Goals from Prudhoe’s Elijah Berman and Liam Dalton just before half time gave the YC breathing space going into the second period.

After a relatively quiet second half, Synthonia’s Jack Winstanely saw red with 15 mins to go after tensions boiled over in the centre of the park.

In injury time, Jack Spears halved the deficit, however Mavis Adaowo clinched his first goal in YC colours minutes later, wrapping up the match for Prudhoe.

Coming into the match, the home side looked to return to winning ways following a winless period of five games. The Synners too came into the fixture in need of a win, losing their last three league matches.

Chances were few and far between for both sides in the first half, leaving the contest evenly poised.

That was until Elijah Berman stepped up in the 42nd minute to gather his second goal in three games. Harry Marr’s fizzing strike from range caused all sorts of problems for Samuel Taylor, with Berman converting on the follow up.

Dalton then took the tie away from the away team at 46 minutes. A colossus at the back, the centre half produced a finish any forward would be proud of, beating the Billingham keeper with an audacious flick at the near post from Freddie Marr’s corner.

Similar to the first half, clear cut opportunities seemed hard to come by as the Synners struggled to unlock the YC’s defence and incite a comeback.

In the 76th minute, the game was brought to a halt when an initial foul on Freddie Marr led to a melee on the pitch, seeing Winstanley receive a straight red card.

It looked like it would be an anxious climax to the tie for the YC as Spears got a goal back for Synthonia in the 91st minute. The substitute rose well for the corner and glanced home, sparking a potential comeback for the away side.

A minute later, Billingham almost levelled the tie. A free kick from Foster Garton seemed destined to find the top right corner, before Tom Dawson produced a stellar save to keep Prudhoe in the ascendancy.

The away side’s hope for an equaliser was short lived as Prudhoe added a third just before full time. Superb initial play from Charlie Shane-Stone forced a great stop from Taylor, with Adaowo firing home on the rebound.

A great win for the YC, and brilliant to see three 16-year-olds, Charlie Shane-Stone, Cameron Toal and Harry Frazer, coming through the YC junior ranks to make their senior debuts.

Prudhoe’s attention now turns to high flying Yarm & Eaglescliffe, who they face at Essity Park next Saturday.