Although the vast majority of the 408 crowd at sunny Willow Park had come to see the Stan play & win, it was Emley who undeservedly went away with all 3 points. There was not much between the 2 teams & while Emley went ahead because of 2 debateable decisions by the officials, the Stan did get a goal back with 20 minutes remaining & although they rallied for the remainder of the match, they could not find the net again. There were 3 changes from last Saturday’s win at Garforth Town with Evans, Beattie & Burn replacing Milburn, Stephenson & Slaughter. Leighton Hopper made his 150th start for the Stan & also scored as well as being awarded man of the match. 

With the backdrop of the fantastic new Heaton Stan Harry banner, both teams tried to attack from the kick off & after 4 minutes Burn shot wide. There was then a scramble in the Emley box which was cleared. 4 minutes later & an Emley attack was cleared. After 10 minutes, a long ball by Adamson saw Pearson break with the ball but was blocked. In 14 minutes, Lambton in the Emley goal caught a ball from a Beattie free kick. With 20 minutes gone, both teams were still trying to attack but the defences were doing well. Hopper was then hacked down on halfway, but nothing was given. In 24 minutes, an Emley ball into the Stan box was headed clear by Capewell. In 32 minutes, 4 minutes after a Pearson advance at the other end that came to nothing, a ball from an Emley free kick was headed just wide although the whistle had been blown for a foul for the Stan. In 37 minutes, Robson went in for the ball to stop an advancing Emley player but although he got to the ball 1st, the referee decided to award a penalty. Emley’s Gordon confidently put the ball in the left-hand corner of the Stan net to make it 1-0 to Emley after 38 minutes. The match had been relatively even until then & the Stan continued immediately trying to attack with Adamson shooting in the crowded Emley box, but Lambton caught his effort. The Stan kept the pressure on until half time including a Robson cross in 44 minutes being headed clear followed by a Burn free kick being caught by Lambton, but the half ended with Emley maintaining their slender lead.

Lamb replaced Beattie for the 2nd half as the Stan sought to get back into the game. It was Emley who threatened 1st in the 46th minute when they shot just wide. There was a quieter period until the 57th minute when an Emley player hit the side netting. Hopper then had a shot blocked. This was immediately followed with Emley’s Thompson breaking forward & his long-range effort beat Gordon & went into the Stan net. There were calls for offside, but they were ignored as the Stan went 2 goals down. Soon after the Stan forced 2 saves from Lambton. After 68 minutes, a Walker cross to Pearson saw him shoot across the Emley goal with his effort going just wide. In 70 minutes, Pearson broke through the Emley defence & into their box but was shoved down from behind. This resulted in Emley’s Barks being sent off & a penalty being awarded. The penalty, in the 72nd minute, was scored by Hopper who reduced the deficit to 1-2. Most of the remainder of the half saw Stan pressure as they tried to at least get an equaliser & maybe a winning goal. In 73 minutes, a ball from a Burn free kick was headed clear. A 2nd Burn free kick was also cleared twice. The Stan pressure continued but the next clear chance was after 82 minutes when a Capewell header was cleared. Despite the continued Stan pressure, the next clear chance was in 89 minutes when a ball into the Emley box fell to Evans in the 6-yard box whose shot was blocked. There was a great opportunity for an equaliser a minute later when Pearson turned & shot but his effort was blocked by Lambton for a corner. The Stan attacks continued & Hopper was brought down in the box in the 95th minute but nothing was given. The ball was sent back into the Emley box, but Hopper headed over the bar. The Stan soon after won a corner, which Gordon went up for, but it was cleared & the final whistle was blown as the Stan started to attack again.

So, despite the late rally, the Stan failed to enforce their authority on the match & 2 unfortunate goals conceded meant that it was the visitors who left with the 3 points. The Stan remain 10th in the league but face a difficult & long day on Saturday when they travel to Derbyshire to take on 2nd place Matlock Town.

Stan Team: Gordon; Evans; Beattie (Lamb 46); Robson (Y); Capewell; Shepherd; Hopper; Burn; Adamson (Errington 67); Walker (Storey 92); Pearson. Subs not used: Flynn; Milburn. Attendance 408. MoM: Leighton Hopper.                          

Kevin Mochrie

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Photo Gallery #2

The Stan’s 6 match undefeated run in the league ended abruptly as they were deservedly beaten by Bridlington Town. They were 3 down at half time & Bridlington looked dangerous every time they had the ball in the 1st half. The Stan rallied in the 2nd half & got one goal back, but it was too little too late. There was one change from Saturday’s draw at Bradford Park Avenue with Walker replacing Payne.  

The Stan started positively but there were 2 early attacks by Bridlington resulting, in the 3rd minute, in a corner that was eventually collected by Gordon. 2 minutes later & a 2nd Bridlington corner was punched clear by Gordon but the Stan counterattack came to nothing. Both teams were trying to attack but the Bridlington defence were dealing with the Stan attacks. In the 10th minute, the visitors broke & Capewell put the ball over the Stan bar. Gordon got up to catch the ball from the resulting corner. In 12 minutes, the Stan were behind when a Bridlington player won the ball & broke & shot past a defender & Gordon. 2 minutes later, & an Errington ball into the box was cleared. He then attempted a curving long range shot which went over the bar. In 16 minutes, Bridlington were 2-0 up when a free kick, which was deservedly disputed by the Stan team & Army, was sent into the Stan box& was headed into the net. Both teams had efforts cleared & in the 19th minute, from a Bridlington corner, there was a scramble in the Stan box but the ball was eventually cleared partially & then cleared again by Capewell. 2 minutes later, a Stan cross into the visitors’ box was kicked out for a corner from which Robson headed just wide. 2 minutes later & the Stan again headed wide from a corner. In 27 minutes, the Stan sent a ball across the Bridlington goal & although the keeper got a hand to it the ball landed with Beattie whose high shot went wide. Although there had been a period of sustained Stan pressure, Bridlington were 3-0 up in 31 minutes when a counter attack saw a Bridlington player lose the chasing defender & passed Gordon to slot the ball into the net. In 36 minutes, a Stan ball into the Bridlington box was cleared. Soon after Bridlington had a corner from which Gordon did not hold onto the ball but he had been fouled. A minute later & Errington broke towards the outcoming keeper & defender & as they all came close together the ball flicked towards the empty net & was going just wide as the advancing Pearson made contact at a tight angle but the ball hit the side netting. In 41 minutes, a ball from a Bridlington free kick was headed towards goal but Gordon easily caught. In 44 minutes the visiting keeper got out to clear but after one minute of added time the Stan were left with a mountain to climb in the 2nd half rather than a pleasant seaside stroll. 

The Stan made 3 substitutions at half time with Milburn, Burn & Lamb replacing Beattie, Robson & Errington. In 47 minutes, Walker broke forward but the keeper got out to block him. Soon after, Lamb had a shot deflected & although the ball was sent back into the box by Evans, the keeper got up to punch it clear. In 54 minutes, a Burn free kick into the Bridlington box was punched clear by the keeper & was headed back towards goal but the ball went slightly wide. The Stan were more in the match this half but they were no real threat to the Bridlington defence. Both teams continued trying to attack & in 68 minutes Bridlington had a shot deflected for a corner. The Bridlington keeper got down to catch in 73 minutes, & 6 minutes later sub Storey tried a speculative long range effort towards an empty goal but the ball went just wide. In the 80th minute, the Stan got a goal back when Storey supplied the advancing sub Adamson who shot into the net from the edge of the Bridlington box. The Stan tried to step up a gear & Lamb had a shot blocked in 85 minutes as they continued to keep the pressure on Bridlington. In 87 minutes, a Bridlington counterattack saw Gordon put an effort by them just wide for a corner. From it, Capewell had to head clear followed by Gordon punching the ball clear before a Bridlington player blasted the final ball over the bar. Into 4 minutes of added time & a Shepherd header & an Adamson shot were blocked by the Bridlington keeper. . Shepherd was then brought down in the Bridlington box but nothing was given when it should have been a penalty. 

Despite an attempted 2nd half comeback, a 3-1 defeat meant a disappointing night for both the players & the Stan Army. The Stan slip down the league but still sit comfortably in 13th place. Saturday involves a trip to Yorkshire to take on Garforth Town.

Stan Team: Gordon; Evans (Y); Beattie (Milburn 46); Robson (Y) (Burn 46); Capewell; Shepherd; Hopper (Storey 70); Slaughter; Pearson; Walker (Adamson 70); Errington (Lamb 46). All subs used.  Attendance 288. MoM: Richie Slaughter.                           

Kevin Mochrie

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After 15 days short of a year since the last time that they had done so, the Stan drew 0-0 at home to share the points with Newton Aycliffe. They had come close to scoring in the 1st half while the visitors had only 1 clear effort on goal. In the 2nd half, Newton Aycliffe got back into the game but both teams ultimately cancelled each other out. There were no changes from Saturday’s win over Bishop Auckland. 

On a pleasant autumn afternoon, both teams started positively although there was nothing to report in the 1st 15 minutes apart from 2 flags up against the Stan for offside.  After 15 minutes, a Stephenson free kick into the Aycliffe box was headed clear. Most of the action had so far been in the visitors’ half. In 18 minutes, a ball from a Stephenson corner was cleared out to Slaughter whose blasted shot hit a defender & was cleared. Payne then had a shot cleared & 2 minutes later a sustained Stan attack ended with the ball going wide. Another Stan attack was then cleared followed by a Hopper ball across the box which was too fast for everyone else & although it was sent back in the Aycliffe keeper easily caught it. After 27 minutes, Gordon made a low save from an  Aycliffe effort. In 28 minutes, a long ball from Gordon saw the visiting keeper just get to it before a Stan player. Soon after a Slaughter long throw into the box was headed clear. The ball was sent back in, but the keeper caught it from a Payne effort. In 30 minutes, a Stephenson long ball into the box saw a glancing header from Pearson but his great effort went just wide of the post. Soon after there was a sustained joined up Stan attack which was cleared for a corner from which Slaughter blasted the ball over the bar. It was still mainly all Stan after 33 minutes when Pearson broke but was blocked. There was still no threat from Aycliffe & in 39 minutes Hopper blasted a shot wide. The Stan kept attacking but the half ended 0-0.

A minute into the 2nd half during a Stan attack, although the ball bounced awkwardly the Aycliffe keeper just managed to get to it before a Stan player did. In 51 minutes, Aycliffe broke but Gordon made a great save. The Aycliffe pressure continued & after a 2nd corner Gordon got down to catch. Aycliffe then had a corner which hit off Gordon & avoided crossing the line.  In 56 minutes, a ball from a Stephenson corner was cleared & his follow up shot was blocked. After another Stan attack was blocked, Gordon had to easily catch in 59 minutes followed by another Stan attack being cleared. In 63 minutes, Errington shot wide & the next 4 minutes saw 2 more Stan attacks although they came to nothing. There was some sustained Aycliffe pressure after 72 minutes that apart from man of the match Shepherd having to head clear came to nothing. In 75 minutes, after a Pearson advance was blocked, Stephenson sent a ball into the Aycliffe box for Pearson, but it was headed clear. Soon after, a long ball to Pearson saw him advance again but the advancing keeper got out to save his shot. From the resulting throw in, Capewell headed wide. A ball was then sent up to the advancing Stepheson, but his deflected shot hit the side netting. 2 minutes later & sub Lamb advanced & passed to Evans but the ball was deflected for a corner which was subsequently cleared. It was all Stan again now, but the Aycliffe defence were dealing with the pressure. In 87 minutes, Aycliffe had the ball in the net, but the offside flag was already up. An Aycliffe ball then went across the Stan box, but it was too fast for everyone. Into 7 minutes of added time & a Stephenson free kick into a packed Aycliffe box was cleared. In 94 minutes, Walkers sent a ball into Pearson in the Aycliffe box, but the keeper got to it 1st. Aycliffe then had an attack blocked twice resulting in a corner from which Gordon got up to catch the ball. In 96 minutes, Gordon got up to clear & a minute later he easily caught the ball. He then sent a long ball up to Pearson but him & the keeper collided with each other. The final whistle went soon after to confirm a stalemate.

A 2nd clean sheet in a row for the Stan who are undefeated in 5 league game but although they threatened, they failed to score at home for the 1st time this season. The Stan remain in the top half of the table at 10th while Newton Aycliffe remain 20th. The Stan travel on Saturday to Bradford Park Avenue for the 2nd time in 15 days. 

Stan Team: Gordon; Evans (Y); Stephenson; Payne (Robson 71); Capewell; Shepherd; Hopper (Lamb 71); Slaughter; Pearson (Y); Walker; Errington. Sub not used: Storey; Beattie; Adamson.  Attendance 361. MoM: Joe Shepherd.                           

Kevin Mochrie

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After a wait of 47 days, the Stan return to home league action a day before the 90th anniversary of the 1st ever match at Willow Park, formerly known as both Newton Park & Grounsell Park. The only statistics that really matter though are that the Stan achieved 3 points, a clean sheet & are now up to 9th in the league. There was sad news though as Stan legend Harry the dog passed away yesterday although the Stan Army all had great memories of him & his flag stood proud at the far corner. There were no changes from Tuesday night’s historic win at Blyth Spartans & Dan Capewell was making his 50th start for the club.

On a beautiful afternoon, 639 fans turned up to watch the Stan host old foes Bishop Auckland. Most of the early action was in the Bishop box & after 6 minutes, Payne advanced down the left & supplied Errington who passed towards Hopper, but he just missed connecting with the ball. 5 minutes later & the Bishop keeper got down to save from Hopper. Soon after, Errington beat a player but his effort was headed clear. In 14 minutes, a Stan attack was cleared in the Bishop box. This was followed by another joined up Stan attack which eventually saw a ball from Errington going out of play. In 17 minutes, Hopper broke forward & supplied Pearson who was blocked for a corner. The 1st Bishop effort came in 20 minutes when Gordon had to catch. This was followed by a Bishop player heading over the Stan bar from a long throw. In 23 minutes, an Errington cross was deflected high by a defender & the Bishop keeper then managed to catch the ball. Soon after Walker broke but was offside. In 26 minutes, a Hopper header was blocked & although the ball went back in the move finished with Walker blasting the ball over the bar when he should have scored. A Hopper high cross into the box was then cleared. Almost immediately after, a loose Bishop ball allowed Hopper to tribble forward with the ball but his shot was well over. Gordon then had to clear twice but the Stan were in control of the game & the expected opening goal came in the 31st minute. A Slaughter long throw was headed on across the Bishop goal by Payne to Pearson on the right & he headed it into the top right corner. A minute later & the Stan attacked again. From the resulting corner the ball was initially cleared & although it was sent back in the Bishop keeper caught it. In 34 minutes, the Stan sent a long high ball up to Hopper but although both Hopper & the keeper got up for it, neither made contact & the ball landed in front of Pearson who blasted it into the net for 2-0. In 36 minutes, a sustained Stan attack eventually saw the ball headed outwards to Stephenson, but his shot was easily caught by the keeper. In 42 minutes, Errington won the ball & broke & although he was fouled, it was given against him. In 44 minutes, Shepherd could not get a touch on a ball into the Bishop box from a Stephenson corner. The half ended with the Stan in control & 2-0 up although the defence had worked well when required.

The 2nd half was a quieter & goalless affair although the Stan continued to play well & Bishop failed to make much of a threat. In 47 minutes, a Stan corner was cleared & 2 minutes a later a Stan ball went over the Bishop bar. It was all Stan until 51 minutes when a Bishop free kick was easily caught by Gordon. The ball was then sent up the other end with Pearson breaking & he made a good shot but the keeper made himself big & got a foot to it. Walker then shot wide as the Stan kept the pressure on. It was mainly 1 way traffic & Gordon wasn’t tested again until he had to catch twice after 68 minutes. In 74 minutes, Gordon got down to easily stop a long range Bishop effort. Walker then dribbled into the Bishop box & passed to Pearson but his pass was intercepted. Payne then recovered the ball but eventually lost it. Walker then advanced again & eventually passed to Hopper who made a great shot but the keeper somehow put the ball over the bar. From the resulting Stephenson corner, Capewell was fouled but nothing was given. The ball was then sent up towards the Stan goal but Gordon cleared. In 81 minutes, from another Stephenson corner, Hopper headed just wide. The Stan then shot just over. 3 minutes later & SDhepherd had to head clear followed bya  Bishop player shooting just over. In 86 minutes, sub Beattie advanced into the Bishop box & was brought down but nothing was given. In the last minute, Gordon made a good save. Into 4 minutes of added time & sub Lamb sent a curving shot just wide. He was then blocked before sub Adamson also advanced into the Bishop box & was blocked just before the final whistle.

It was a comfortable, confident & very watchable victory from the Stan & unlike on Tuesday night there was no late wobble. The Stan are now unbeaten in 5 league matches & continue to move up the league. Unfortunately for Bishop Auckland, who were a shadow of themselves compared to last season, they now sit at the bottom of the table. The Stan host another County Durham team on Wednesday when Newton Aycliffe are the visitors.                 

Kevin Mochrie

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