Report

The Stan travelled to newly promoted West Auckland Town hoping, after 2 defeats in a row, to come away from County Durham with 3 points. Although West Auckland started the night in the relegation zone & the Stan were in a play off place, it was the home team who came out on top & the Stan Army left very disappointed & pointless. There were 4 changes from Saturday’s FA Cup home defeat to Trafford, with Chrisp, Gell, Djalo & Errington replacing Hornsby, Milburn, Walker & Hopper. There was a debut from the bench for loan signing Daniel Kemp who received the man of the match award for his wizardry on the wing in the 2nd half. 

After a quiet start, an Errington cross into the box was cleared in the 8th minute. Errington then supplied Savage who broke down the right & his diagonal shot went just left of the Auckland goal. In the 10th minute, Giraud broke & advanced under pressure, shooting from the edge of the home box but their keeper Bessent got down to save. Soon after, Chrisp cleared at the other end to Errington who sent a long ball to Djalo but he shot over the Auckland bar. After 12 minutes, Chrisp had a free kick cleared & 2 minutes later Bessent caught from another free kick. In the 15th minute, a 3-player Stan move ended with Errington one on one with Bessent & although he should have scored, he shot wide. In 17 minutes, a Savage shot was forced wide & although the ball went back in towards the home goal, Djalo’s follow up shot was blocked by Bessent. Another Stan effort was blocked a minute later. This 11-minute period of Stan action where they failed to convert a number of opportunities to score would come back to haunt them. After 20 minutes, the home side shot well wide. Both teams were now cancelling each other out but in 28 minutes West Auckland had their 1st proper chance to score & took it unlike the Stan earlier on. A ball was sent into the Stan box from the left & although Lister stretched forward to try & get it, he couldn’t get a hand to it allowing the advancing Jones to tap it into the net. In 32 minutes, the Stan were back level when a Fil cross from the right to Djalo saw his header hit the bar, but the ball then went off Bessent & into the net. There was an even period of play as both teams tried to attack but cancelled each other out. Just before the start of 2 added minutes, Giraud broke & supplied Djalo but Bessent caught the ball.

West Auckland started the 2nd half dangerously when an effort hit the post & went wide when it looked like the ball was going into the net. Both sides were trying to attack but it was the home side who went back in front in the 52nd minute when a speculative 35-yard shot by Jones went into the top left-hand corner of the Stan net. In 58 minutes, a home player broke forward & shot from the edge of the Stan box but his effort went wide when he should have scored. The Stan were looking disjointed so far in the 2nd half & in 60 minutes a home player broke but Fil blocked for a corner. From it, the ball was cleared twice in the Stan 6-yard box. In 63 minutes, Lister got up to catch from a home corner. In 64 minutes, West Auckland’s O’Gorman won the ball just outside the Stan box & blasted the ball into the net for 3-1 to the home side. The Stan did then try to attack & in 69 minutes a cross into Gascoigne saw his shot blocked & his follow up effort was caught by Bessent. Soon after, a home player broke & was tackled by Kanda. Another home player then got the ball but his shot was blocked for a corner. The Stan looked more dangerous after Hopper & Kemp joined the action in the 67th minute. For the next 20 minutes, most of the shots came from the Stan but they came to nothing. In 85 minutes, a West Auckland player shot just over from outside the box. A minute later a curving shot by Kemp was only stopped by a full stretch save by Bessent. The Stan kept pressing but even after 4 added minutes it was going to be too little too late.

After a good start when they should have been 2 or 3 up & equalising very quickly after going behind, the Stan never recovered from West Auckland’s two early 2nd half goals. On Saturday they are at home versus Grimsby Borough.

Stan Team: Lister; Fil; Chrisp (Hornsby 58); Gell (Boothroyd 79); Kanda; Shepherd; Savage; Gascoigne; Djalo; Giroud (Y) (Kemp 67); Errington (Hopper 67). Sub unused: Morris. Attendance: 280. Man of the Match: Daniel Kemp.  

Kevin Mochrie

Photo Gallery