Heaton Stannington are delighted to confirm the signing of experienced attacking midfielder Luke Carr.

The 31-year-old joins the Stan after spending last season at Birtley Town and Newcastle Blue Star.

In his own words, Luke says he “likes to get on the ball and dictate the tempo of the play, providing goals and assists.”

Luke has had two successful spells at Morpeth Town, where he scored in the 2016 FA Vase final at Wembley to help them to a 4-1 victory over Hereford. He featured under the Wembley arch again in the 2021 Vase final for Consett alongside fellow new signing Dale Pearson, but only received a runners-up medal on that occasion.

He is no stranger to this level having played for Dunston in the 23/24 season, helping them to reach the Northern Premier League East Division play-off final where they narrowly missed out on promotion after a penalty shoot-out defeat to Stockton. Like our 24/25 Stan side, Luke has lifted the Northumberland Senior Cup at St. James’ Park.

Upon signing for the club, Luke said:

“I’m delighted to get signed, I’m excited for the season to start now and to meet the lads.”

Asked how he feels to reunite with former teammate Dale Pearson, Luke said:

“I’ve played with Dale for a number of years so we know each others games very well and we’ve got complementary styles so I’m very excited about the prospect of playing with him once again.”

Manager Dean Nicholson expressed his delight about the signing, saying:

“I’m really happy to get Luke over the line. He has a proven track record and is a huge talent. His goals, assists and all round creative play is something I believe can be a huge positive for us next season.”

The good news keeps on coming, with forward Leighton Hopper the latest player to put pen to paper on a new contract for the upcoming season.

Last seen in action slotting home his penalty on our way to winning the shoot-out in the Northumberland Senior Cup Final at the Gallowgate End of St. James’ Park, Hopper is one of the most experienced members of the first team, with over 140 appearances and 73 goals for The Stan, including 12 goals in all competitions last season.

We’re delighted he’s committed to the club ahead of our second season in the Northern Premier League East Division.

We’re pleased to announce that defender, Kane Evans, has committed his future to The Stan; signing a new contract for the upcoming season.

Having joined Heaton Stannington in 2022, Kane has made over 100 appearances, including captaining the side three times during our maiden season in the Northern Premier League East Division.

Recognised as Players’ Player of the Season for 2024-25, at the End of Season Awards, it’s great to look ahead to another year with Evans at the club.

We’re pleased to confirm our pre-season friendlies ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Our pre-season starts as we welcome our neighbours, Newcastle Benfield, for the first match at the newly named The Willow Park as The Stan look to retain the Jimmy Rowe cup on Saturday 5th July.

We then hit the road and visit Boldon CA, before hosting Morpeth Town back at home on Saturday 12th July, hot on the heels of our Northumberland Senior Cup penalty shoot-out win over them at St James’ Park back in May.

That’s followed by two more away trips; the first at Whickham and then a trip to the coast as we go to Seaham Red Star.

We end our pre-season with two home games against Northern Premier League Premier Division opposition at The Willow Park. There’s a rare 2pm kick-off on Saturday 26th July when Workington AFC come to High Heaton, and our last game before the season gets going is against Hebburn Town on Friday 1st August.

View the full schedule on our 2025-26 Fixtures page.

Admission prices for our home friendlies are below and 2025-26 season ticket holders get in for free, so buy yours today here.

We are delighted to share that goalkeeper Lewis Brass has signed a new two year deal with the Club.

Brassy has played a huge part in our progress and we are pleased to have him on board for the future!