Report

Heaton Stannington are through to the last eight of the Northumberland Senior Cup – Joe Shepherd scoring a late equaliser to send the game to a penalty shootout.

The Stan started the game on the front foot and probably should’ve had something to show from the spell of dominance. Konner Lamb was played through on 10 minutes, but took his shot too early under pressure and fluffed his lines. A few minutes later Lamb turned provider for Louis Anderson, whizzing down the left wing to cut a ball into the box – Anderson was offside which will have come as a relief to him as his shot was unfathomably off-target.

It took Whitley Bay a little while to get going – but on 17 minutes they forced goalkeeper Neil de Jesus – making just his second appearance for the club – into a low save at his near post with a powerful shot from the edge of the box.

The chances kept coming for the Stan in the first half without any success. Anderson and Kailem Beattie both had shots pushed away from a very similar position to the left of the edge of the box in the 20th minute. A killer through ball from Andy Burn to Lamb just after the half-hour mark would’ve almost certainly led to a goal if the flag hadn’t gone up. Just before half time, a long throw found Kane Evans at the back post, but his left-footed volley didn’t have the kind of power it needed to beat Whitley Bay goalkeeper Richie Crawford.

Having dominated the first half but without anything to show for it, the Stan were punished from the penalty spot. There were arguments from the Stan supporters who were best placed to see it about whether the foul took place inside or outside the box, but those protests were ignored and Callum Larmouth dispatched his kick to put the home side ahead.

The Stan’s failure to take a first-half lead looked like it was going to bite them on the backside – as Whitley Bay tried to double lead just after the hour mark through Mackenzie Sharpe send an effort fizzing just wide of the post. And in the meantime, the Stan continued to battle but found themselves frustrated in the final third.

Centre back Joe Shepherd came off the bench in place of Mark Turnbull on 78 minutes, but joined the attack as the Stan chased the equaliser. With one minute of normal time remaining, Kailem Beattie did well to hold the ball up under challenges out wide, before finding space to cross to the back post where Shepherd lurked and basically threw himself at the ball, almost taking the frame of the goal out as he bundled the ball home. To have not lost the game in normal time will have been encouraging, regardless of what was to follow in the penalty shoot-out next.

Matt Foster, Shay Richardson, Andy Burn, Kailem Beattie and Konner Lamb all put their penalties away for the Stan – so it was Whitley Bay’s Jake Forster blazing his kick over the bar that decided the outcome of the match. While survival in the Northern Premier League East Division is clearly going to be the main focus for Heaton Stan this season, the club are now two games away from a St. James’ Park final – something not to be sniffed at.

Liam Milburn

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