Northallerton Town 2 Sunderland Nissan 4

IT WAS a bad Easter weekend for relegation-threatened Northallerton Town with two Division One defeats.

On Saturday, new Town manager Mark Fanning made several changes to the side that lost 5-2 away at Ryton in their previous game when his side entertained eighth-placed Sunderland Nissan.

Town took the lead in the 22nd minute when leading scorer Carl Chillingsworth met a Martin O’Riordan right-wing free-kick to score with a well-placed header from 12-yards.

Nissan pressed but could not get back into the game until the 57th minute, when central defender Paul Stephenson headed home from the edge of the six-yard box .

Town regained the lead through Chillingsworth, but former Aston Villa man Neil Tarrant brought his side level in the 66th minute when he powerfully headed home from the edge of the six-yard box following a right wing cross from Brian Rowe.

A penalty from Richard Hodgson and a tap-in for Tyson Masters gave Nissan the victory.

On Easter Monday a make-shift Town, without leading scorer Carl Chillingsworth, central defender Stuart Jackson and midfielder Gary Shardha travelled to Cumbria to take on mid-table Penrith and went down 3-0.

Penrith took the lead through Carl Jackson after 35 minutes with Dan Robinson adding second half goals in the 50th and 73rd minutes.

With just four games to play, these two defeats leave Town firmly in the relegation zone.

Town are away tomorrow when they travel to Northumberland to take on Bedlington Terriers, and their next home game is the crucial fixture against Bishop Auckland on Saturday, April 25, both games 3pm kick-off.