Competition: Northern Premier League East

Blyth Town vs Heaton Stannington

After 4 wins in a row, the Stan lost narrowly & late to relegation threatened Blyth Town. It was a dull match that probably deserved to be a 0-0 draw but Blyth snatched a late win through the controversial awarding of a penalty in the 90th minute from which they undeservedly scored. There were 2 changes from last Saturday’s win over Matlock Town with Brass & Walker replacing Gordon & Hornsby. Ex Stan keeper De Jesus was in goal for Blyth Town.

On a sunny but cold & windy afternoon at the seaside, the Stan started on the attack forcing a couple of early saves from De Jesus, In the 3rd minute, a Blyth attack was blocked allowing the Stan to counterattack but with no end product. In the 6th minute, Lamb advanced into the Blyth box, but his shot was blocked by De Jesus. 3 minutes later & a Blyth player broke forward but was stopped by a great Shepherd tackle. Soon after, Chrisp also made a great defensive tackle. Shepherd then blocked a Blyth attack again. In 12 minutes, a Blyth free kick into the Stan box was headed clear by Burn. Soon after, a ball from Chrisp on the left into the Blyth box hit the bar & went out. Chrisp then sent a high ball into the Blyth box which went well over. In 15 minutes, Pearson supplied Lamb whose shot was deflected for a corner. This led to another corner taken by Burn but the ball ended up on the roof of the Blyth net. Chrisp then had to clear the ball from a Blyth attack. In 19 minutes, an advancing Blyth player shot well over the Stan bar. In 21 minutes, a Blyth attack was cleared allowing Pearson to counter, but De Jesus blocked his effort. The ball went back to Burn but his shot went wide. In 24 minutes, there was good defending by Errington & this was followed by a deflected Blyth shot being stopped by Brass who got a hand to it to put the ball out for a corner. In 32 minutes, a Blyth free kick was cleared by Chrisp who supplied counter attacking Lamb, but his shot went high. The Stan were not getting much out of the game now & Brass had to punch the ball clear in 38 minutes. In 40 minutes, a Blyth attack was blocked 3 times & the resulting corner was cleared. In 44 minutes, another Blyth attack was blocked 3 times before a Blyth player shot high over the Stan bar. In 46 minutes, Pearson supplied Errington who advanced into the Blyth box, but De Jesus got down to smother the ball but it nearly went under him & into the net. Soon after, a high back pass to De Jesus saw him catch the ball which resulted in the Stan being awarded an indirect free kick on the penalty spot. Burn took the free kick & passed to Pearson, but his shot hit the wall which was positioned on the Blyth goal line & the referee then blew for half time.

The fans hoped that the 2nd half would be better than the 1st which had seen both teams failing to sparkle & basically cancelling each other out. The strong wind which had to an extent disrupted the flow of the 1st half, had died down for the 2nd half. The Stan started the half with Robson replacing Lamb. In 48 minutes, Blyth had a corner cleared. In 53 minutes, the Stan attacked but the Blyth defence guided the ball out. Errington then twisted & turned his way into the Blyth box, but he was blocked. In 56 minutes, a Blyth attack resulted in a corner from which the ball was headed clear. Another Blyth attack was cleared allowing Evans to send a long ball towards Pearson, but De Jesus got to it 1st. There was then some Stan pressure in the 58th & 61st minutes that came to nothing. Following a great Milburn tackle, Errington attacked but was blocked followed by another Stan attack. In 65 minutes, Walker broke forward & passed to Pearson, but his shot was easily caught by De Jesus. The Stan kept pressing although Evans had to clear a ball from a Blyth attack in 70 minutes. Blyth then had a free kick which went high & over. In 73 minutes, a ball from Pearson was cleared followed by Chrisp forcing a corner from which the ball was headed clear & Walker’s rebound shot was deflected for  a corner. From it, Capewell got up to head the ball, but his effort was blocked for another corner. From it, De Jesus punched the ball away but it was then cleared after being sent back into the Blyth box. In 76 minutes, a Blyth attack was blocked. A minute later & Blyth got a free kick just outside the Stan box. Brass got his fingers to the ball to put it out for a corner. From it, the ball went across the Stan goal, but Brass was fouled. Soon after, Blyth had a long free kick from which Brass caught the ball. Blyth then had a long throw in into the Stan box which, after some good defending, ended with a Blyth shot going high & over. In 85 minutes, Capewell headed clear & in 89 minutes Brass easily caught a Blyth effort. In the 90th minute, Chrisp caught a Blyth player who had advanced into the Stan box & he made the most of it & went clumsily down. The referee had not awarded anything & it was the linesman who had his flag up. After a period of discussion between the 2 officials, a penalty was awarded & converted to give Blyth the lead. In 9 minutes of added time, the Stan searched frantically for an equaliser. In 93 minutes, a shocking tackle on Evans saw Dean Nicholson react in the Stan dugout &, after the linesman had brought it to the referee’s attention, he was sent off.  The Stan kept attacking & in 95 minutes, De Jesus got down to the ball just before Pearson got to it. Pearson then attacked again but the ball was cleared. There wasn’t to be a goal for the Stan & the match ended with a 1-0 win for Blyth.

It was an unexpectedly sad ending for the Stan & the Stan Army as they did not deserve to get beat. It looked like neither team was going to score until the penalty was awarded. The Stan remain in 7th & 6 points off a play-off place. They can get back to winning ways next Saturday when they host North Ferriby.

Stan Team: Brass; Milburn (Storey 64); Chrisp (Y); Evans (Y); Capewell; Shepherd; Lamb (Robson 46 (Y)); Burn (Y); Pearson; Walker (Hopper 82); Errington (Johnson 82). Sub not used: Deverdics. Attendance 401. Man of the Match: Joe Shepherd.                  

Kevin Mochrie

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Heaton Stannington vs Matlock Town

The Stan won their 4th match in a row as they hosted 2nd placed Matlock Town for the 1st time. The Stan played well in a hard-fought match & deserved their win against one of the league’s richer clubs. There was 1 change from Wednesday’s win over Bradford Park Avenue with Gordon replacing Brass in goal who was injured during the warm up. 

On a beautiful spring afternoon in front of a crowd of 434, the 1st action came in the 6th minute when a Stan ball into the Matlock box was missed by everyone. A Matlock player then broke & passed back to another player, but Hornsby managed to put the ball out for a throw in. Both teams were trying to attack & in 10 minutes a Matlock attack was blocked 3 times followed by a longball to counter attacking Errington. He chipped Lambton, the advancing Matlock keeper, but the ball was too high & went over the bar. In the 14th minute, a Burn free kick went just over the Matlock bar. Matlock then attacked but the defence dealt with it. Matlock then had a corner from which a header from a visiting player was cleared off the goal line in a scramble which also saw Gordon’s top come off. Lambton soon after easily caught a Stan effort. 3 minutes later & Matlock had a shot blocked & 2 minutes later Lambton then Gordon both easily caught the ball. This was followed by a Matlock free kick which was blocked twice followed by Gordon easily collecting the ball. Soon after, Matlock shot just wide. 2 minutes after that a ball from a Matlock corner was cleared. In 31 minutes, Lambton easily caught the ball. This was the start of a period of Stan pressure which the Matlock defence managed to deal with. In 33 minutes, a ball from a Stan corner was headed clear. A minute later & another Stan corner saw the ball headed clear but it came back to Pearson who supplied Lamb on the wing, but his curving ball went straight to Lambton. Matlock then had a corner from which the ball was headed clear although there was a foul on Gordon. There were then 2 more Matlock attacks which were easily dealt with. In 42 minutes, Lambton easily caught a Stan shot. Soon after a ball from a Matlock corner was headed clear. There were 4 minutes of added time & in 47 minutes a speculative long range Matlock effort went just wide. The Stan then attacked which saw Pearson then Errington both brought down in the Matlock box but nothing was given. Soon after a long diagonal ball to Pearson saw him cross to Errington in the Matlock box & he was brought down & a penalty was awarded. Pearson took the 50th minute penalty & sent the ball high to the left above Lambton, who had dived the correct way, & into the net for 1-0 to the Stan. It was Dale Pearson’s 20th goal of the season in all competitions. The half time whistle was blown immediately after the restart.

After a relatively balanced 1st half, the Stan started the 2nd half with a late slender lead. A minute into the half & there was some Matlock pressure including a glancing header across the Stan box which was missed & ended with Gordon getting up to catch. In the 51st minute, Lambton collected the ball just before Pearson got to it. Soon after, Burn passed to Pearson who supplied Lamb whose shot was blocked. Soon after the ball went out to Errington whose high shot from outside the box was caught by Lambton who was behind the goal line although the ball was judged not to have crossed it. There was a bad tackle on Chrisp after 54 minutes. 3 minutes later & a Matlock attack was blocked by Gordon. The ball was then forced into the net but as Gordon had been fouled in the process the goal was disallowed. A minute later & Gordon made a great save. In 61 minutes, a long-range Stan shot went straight to Lambton. In 69 minutes, Pearson crossed to Lamb in the Matlock box who was blocked followed by Errington also being blocked. In 72 minutes, a period of Stan pressure came to nothing. In 75 minutes, Milburn headed clear a ball from a throw in then a Matlock shot from the edge of the box went wide. This was followed by a Stan joined up attack which ended with Lamb slicing his shot allowing Lambton to catch the ball. In 77 minutes, there was a good opportunity when Burn sent the ball across the Matlock box, but Lamb could not make contact. In 80 minutes, a Stan shot went over the Matlock bar & a minute later a Lamb shot was blocked. In 87 minutes, Lambton got down to collect under pressure. Matlock counter attacked although Gordon managed to block the advancing Matlock player. The resulting throw in resulted in a great save from Gordon. In the 90th minute. A Matlock player received a straight red card for dissent. In 93 minutes, Lambton managed to get to a high Stan ball before subs Hopper & Walker could get to it. Hopper kept pressuring while the Stan defence also battled well to stop Matlock advances. In 96 minutes, a long-range Matlock shot went high & over. The Stan advanced again & tried to keep the ball in the corner. In 99 minutes, a Matlock free kick was headed clear by Capewell. The final whistle was finally blown in the 100th minute followed by the Matlock manager being sent off.

It was another great win from the hard-working Stan against physical opposition. Special mention to man of the match Dan Capewell & Alfie Gordon in goal. The Stan are now only 6 points of a play off position with 6 games to go. Next Saturday the Stan travel North to take on Blyth Town.

Stan Team: Gordon; Milburn; Hornsby (Storey (Y) 93); Evans; Capewell; Shepherd; Burn; Chrisp; Pearson; Errington (Walker 89); Lamb (Deverdics 89). Sub not used: Payne. Attendance 434. Man of the Match: Dan Capewell.                  

Kevin Mochrie

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Heaton Stannington vs Bradford Park Avenue

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Heaton Stannington vs Garforth Town

The Stan bounced back from mid-week defeat to beat Garforth Town who were one place above them in the league. It was a hard fought but deserved win with Garforth competing throughout the match on a sunny afternoon in front of 301 fans. There were 2 changes from Tuesday’s home defeat to Redcar Athletic with Brass & Hornsby replacing Gordon & Deverdics. For the 3rd match in a row, there was an ex-player returning to action for the Stan. This time it was man of the match Lewis Brass in goal.

After a slow start, in the 6th minute Burn played in Lamb, but he was offside. Garforth then had a free kick into the Stan box which ended with the ball going well high & wide. In 10 minutes, a Stan attack came to nothing. The Stan attacked again eventually resulting in a corner which came to nothing. In 14 minutes, a high ball into a busy Stan box saw a Garforth shot going just wide. Another Garforth attack was cleared followed by Lamb counter attacking but a defender headed back to Flatters in the Garforth goal. The Stan pressurised again but it came to nothing. Garforth counter attacked forcing a great save from Brass. It was end to end now but both teams were cancelling each other out. In 23 minutes, a Garforth corner resulted in Brass catching but not holding the ball but Shepherd managed to clear. In 26 minutes, a Pearson throw in into the Garforth box was headed on by Capewell, but the ball was cleared. Garforth counter attacked but were stopped by a great save from Brass. 2 minutes later, a great long range shot by Burn went just over. In 29 minutes, Lamb sent a long ball to the advancing Pearson who, under pressure, slotted the ball past Flatters to make it 1-0 for the Stan. Garforth didn’t give up & in 31 minutes Brass got down to save in a busy box. In 33 minutes, Hornsby sent a high ball into the Garforth box, but Flatters got up to save. The Stan then had a throw in into the Garforth box which was headed clear. Chrisp’s rebound shot was partly cleared before the ball was sent back in & cleared again. In 38 minutes, Burn sent a free kick into the Garforth box & a Stan shot went just wide. Garforth then counter attacked with a player rounding Brass, but the ball was cleared off the line by Evans. Garforth then had a corner which resulted in Shepherd heading clear followed by the ball being blocked twice. In 42 minutes, a Garforth attack was cleared. The Stan then had a high free kick into the Garforth box which Flattesr got at the 2nd attempt. Garforth then had a free kick into the Stan box which was cleared. The 1st half ended with the Stan holding onto their 1-0 lead against a dangerous Garforth team.

Both teams started the 2nd half attacking. In 49 minutes, Lamb won the ball & advanced into the Garforth box under pressure, but Flatters got down to grab the ball. Both teams were trying to attack & in 54 minutes a Walker shot was easily caught by Flatters. This was followed by a Burn free kick which ended with a Johnson shot being caught by Flatters. 2 minutes later, a Burn free kick into the Garforth box went straight to Flatters. Soon after, Johnson sliced a shot across the Garforth goal, but an unmarked Lamb could not make contact at the far post to put away a good opportunity. Soon after, the ball went back into the Garforth box, but Flatters got to the ball 1st. In 61 minutes, a Garforth shot went wide in a busy Stan box. In 67 minutes, there were 2 good opportunities for the Stan when a Lamb shot was blocked by Flatters & he then stopped the Pearson rebound effort. In 70 minutes, Johnson forced a corner from which Flatters caught the ball. A minute later & Evans cleared a ball from a Garforth corner. Lamb then cleared again followed by a Garforth free kick that hit the wall & the attack ended with Garforth shooting just over the Stan bar. In 77 minutes, a Garforth corner was cleared in the Stan 6-yard box. Johnson counter attacked with the ball eventually being put over the Garforth bar. In 79 minutes, Pearson passed to Johnson whose shot was deflected off a defender, but Flatters got down to save. In 82 minutes, Brass easily got down to collect twice. 3 minutes later & sub Errington shot in the Garforth box but Flatters blocked with his body. In 86 minutes, a Burn corner was cleared out to Pearson whose shot was blocked by Flatters. In 91 minutes, Evans cleared. A minute later & Brass made a great save as Garforth advanced on mass. The Stan had to clear again before trying to attack themselves, but the match finished still only 1-0.

The Stan deservedly won with a good professional display but had to hold on against good opposition. As a result, the Stan have moved up from 8th to 7th with Garforth dropping to 9th. Credit must be given to both keepers made number great saves to keep the score down. Next Saturday the Stan travel to Yorkshire to take on 3rd placed Emley. 

Stan Team: Brass; Evans; Hornsby (Deverdics 82); Chrisp; Capewell; Shepherd; Walker; Burn; Pearson (Y); Johnson; Lamb (Errington 74 (Y)). Subs not used: Storey; Gordon; Hopper. Attendance 301. Man of the Match: Lewis Brass.                  

Kevin Mochrie

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Heaton Stannington vs Redcar Athletic

It was always going to be a challenge for the Stan as league leaders Redcar Athletic visited Willow Park on the back of 9 consecutive wins and being unbeaten in 18 matches. An injury hit Stan battled but unsuccessfully as Redcar won 4-0. Although they deserved to win, the score flattered the visitors especially as 2 goals were avoidable & the 4th was scored late on against the run of play as the Stan attempted a comeback in the 2nd half. There were 3 changes from Saturday’s away defeat to Silsden with Deverdics, Walker & Lamb replacing Milburn, Robson & Errington. Danny Sayer made his return for the club from the bench. 

Redcar started on the attack although it was the Stan who threatened 1st in the 3rd minute when a long ball to Lamb in the Redcar box saw him brought down but nothing was given. 2 minutes later & a Johnson attack saw his shot forced wide. Redcar avoidably score in the 8th minute when a back pass was sliced by Gordon & the ball went towards the advancing Boyes but although his 1st touch was blocked by a defender, he put the ball in the net at the 2nd attempt. Soon after, the Stan had a chance to equalise when a joined-up attack ended with a blasted shot by Shepherd which was stopped by Mazfari in the Redcar goal. In the 11th minute, although it should still have been goalless, Redcar were 2-0 up when a counterattack saw Gordon come out for the ball, but it was not properly cleared & Boyes forced it into the net. In 14 minutes, there was a scramble in the Stan box, but the flag was eventually up. In 17 minutes, Lamb attacked followed by a Redcar attack that were both cleared. Both teams were trying to attack on a regular basis but none of the attacks at either end were coming to anything. Things changed in the 41st minute when a joined-up attack by Redcar saw the ball go to Guru & he brought it down in the middle of the busy box & comfortably slotted it past Gordon for 0-3. Soon after the Stan had half time to cover at half time from the shock of being undeservedly 3-0 down.

After a quiet start to the 2nd half, a Redcar player advanced in the 51st minute &, with only Gordon to beat, shot just wide when it looked like he was going to score. The Stan were still trying to attack & in 59 minutes a Pearson ball into the Redcar box was headed clear to Lamb who was blocked followed by Burn shooting wide. The Stan were having more of the ball than Redcar now & in 64 minutes, after the advancing Lamb was brought down, Burn’s free kick was cleared. The ball went back in but was cleared twice. In 68 minutes, Johnson advanced into the box & controlled the ball but his shot in the busy box hit the side netting although the flag then went up. Soon after, a Pearson ball went across the Redcar box but there was no one there to make contact. In 74 minutes, a Crisp free kick into the Redcar box saw a Stan shot but Mazfari got down to block but the flag then went up. Redcar had a rare corner in 76 minutes that was cleared. 2 minutes later & a Pearson shot was blocked by Mazfari. In 80 minutes, Redcar had a rare advance & hit the side netting. There was more Stan pressure in 84 minutes but 2 minutes later Gordon had to come out to clear before an advancing Redcar player could get to the ball. Against the 2nd half run of play, Redcar scored a 4th goal & Boyes got his hattrick in 88 minutes when he got the ball on the right & under pressure shot & scored off the left post. The Stan resumed attacking but the match ended 0-4.

Unlike in the gameshow of the same name as the size of the crowd, 321, the Stan did not leave with a prize or even a Dusty bin. As Redcar look certain to be promoted, most of their remaining opponents will likely have a similar fate thanks to their clinical approach & well-paid players. The Stan can get back to winning ways on Saturday when they host Garforth Town.

Stan Team: Gordon; Evans; Chrisp; Deverdics (Hornsby 73); Capewell; Shepherd; Walker; Burn; Johnson (Sayer 86); Pearson (Y); Lamb (Storey 73). Sub not used: Flynn. Attendance 321. Man of the Match: Connor Walker.                  

Kevin Mochrie

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Heaton Stannington vs Blyth Spartans

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Newton Aycliffe vs Heaton Stannington

After the last 2 league visits to Newton Aycliffe ended in defeat, the Stan got revenge through a professional, comfortable & entertaining 3-0 victory. On a dark Friday night in deepest County Durham, there was only 1 team in it as the Stan got back to winning ways. There were 3 changes from the away defeat to Lincoln United 10 days ago with Evans, Walker & Johnson replacing Burn, Robson & Storey.

The Stan started on the attack & in the 2nd minute a Payne free kick into the Aycliffe box was cleared. The home side then had a shot deflected high for a corner which came to nothing. Both teams were trying to attack & in 6 minutes a ball from the advancing Errington was deflected & cleared. There was an early lead for the Stan in the 7th minute when Walker supplied Pearson who broke with the ball & entered the box before comfortably shooting past Seymour in the home goal to make it 1-0 for the Stan. It had been a confident display so far from the Stan including in defence. It was all Stan attacks now & Johnson hit the side netting in the 12th minute. A minute later, from a Stan corner, a Capewell header was put off the top of the bar & out for a corner by Seymour. In 16 minutes, a long ball to Errington saw him advance into the home box under pressure but Seymour collected the ball. Aycliffe made a rare move forward, but the flag was up. Soon after they had a speculative long-range effort that  went just over the Stan bar. In 21 minutes, a home attack was cleared. In 23 minutes, the Stan advanced twice although soon after Evans had to make 2 good clearances. In 26 minutes, a Johnson diagonal long ball to Errington saw him on the left of the box with no support & under pressure he sent in a cross come shot that hit off the keeper & then off the far post & into the net for 2-0. The Stan kept attacking & in 28 minutes Johnson went down the right, but his shot was caught by Seymour. It was still mainly one sided & in 34 minutes a Pearson ball deflected off Seymour but was then cleared. It was still all Stan & in 37 minutes an Errington high ball into the home box saw Seymour put the ball over his own bar for a corner. In 39 minutes, a rare Aycliffe advance saw them shoot from just outside the Stan box, but Gordon easily caught. The 1st half ended with a ball from Payne going across the Aycliffe goal.

The Stan started the 2nd half on the attack with their 2nd shot going wide. In the 47th minute, Aycliffe got their 1st corner of the match which came to nothing. In the 49th minute, Johnson advanced on the left & sent a speculative shot, from outside the box past Seymour, who was expecting a cross, & into the net for 3-0. What a goal! In 53 minutes, a Stan free kick ended with a shot from Milburn hitting off Shepherd & going towards the net but Seymour caught at the 2nd attempt. In 55 minutes, an Aycliffe free kick into the box was easily collected by Gordon. 2 minutes later & Errington won the ball & sent the ball towards Pearson, but it hit the back of his foot before it was cleared. In 60 minutes, Johnson sent a ball into the home box but there was no one there. This was followed by a speculative long range home effort which went just wide. 2 minutes later & a deflected Aycliffe shot was easily caught by Gordon. In 64 minutes, from a Burn free kick, an Errington header was caught by Seymour. In 67 minutes, a Johnson break was blocked for a corner. After some rare home pressure, in 74 minutes Errington won the ball & was tackled in the home box before he could shoot. Aycliffe then shot just wide. In 78 minutes, there was a sustained period of home pressure which eventually resulted in a corner. From the corner, the ball went across the Stan goal & out. There was then more Stan pressure & in 84 minutes Capewell had the ball in the Aycliffe net, but the offside flag was up. In 86 minutes, a joined-up Stan attack came to nothing. It was still all Stan pressure & in 87 minutes sub Blaney sent a ball into the home box but the ball was intercepted. After 5 minutes of added time, where both teams tried to attack, the final whistle was finally blown & the triumphant Stan Army could celebrate. 

It was a great evening for the Stan Army as their team put on a great show for them. All the team played well & looked hungry, but Sam Johnson edged it for man of the match not just because of his wonder goal but for his overall performance where he gave 100 % all night in attack. For the 1st time ever in league action, the Stan host Blyth Spartans on Wednesday night. 

Stan Team: Gordon; Milburn; Evans; Deverdics (Storey 75); Capewell; Shepherd; Johnson; Payne (Y); Pearson (Blaney 84); Walker (Burn 62); Errington (Lamb 75). All subs used. Attendance 197. Man of the Match: Sam Johnson.                  

Kevin Mochrie

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Lincoln United vs Heaton Stannington

The Stan undertook an 8 hour & 360 mile wintery evening round trip to take on Lincoln United at the inappropriately named Sun Hat Villas & Resorts Stadium. The Stan fought back from being a goal down at half time & gave a great performance in the 2nd half which saw them unlucky to lose to a late goal. There were 4 changes from the away defeat to Bishop Auckland 3 days ago with Robson, Deverdics, Storey & Errington replacing Evans, Johnson, Walker & Hopper. Nick Deverdics made his 1st start while Evan Blaney made his debut for the 1st team from the bench.

The 1st real action came in the 3rd minute when a Capewell tackle led to a Lincoln corner which Robson cleared for another corner. In the 7th minute, a Stan attack into the Lincoln box was cleared twice. In 10 minutes, Lincoln shot well wide. 3 minutes later & Lincoln came close to scoring when they shot just wide. Storey then advanced to the other end but Richardson in the Lincoln goal cleared the ball. Lincoln then had a 30-yard free kick go wide. In 18 minutes, a Stan attack came to nothing. Soon after a joined-up Stan attack ended with Pearson shooting just wide. A minute later & Lincoln headed well wide. Shepherd & Burn both cleared in the 22nd minute. 2 minutes later & an Errington shot was saved by Richardson. In 26 minutes, a Lincoln attack was initially cleared but the ball was sent back in high & Shepherd headed towards goal forcing Gordon to make a full stretch save. In the 27th minute, Lincoln attacked again & although Gordon made a great save, Lincoln’s Brown put the rebound effort away. Both teams were trying to attack but Lincoln were having slightly more of the ball.  In 38 minutes, a Pearson throw in into the box was headed clear. Lincoln countered but it was cleared although the ball was sent back in & a deflected cross was caught by Gordon. In 42 minutes, a 30-yard Lincoln free kick went over the Stan wall but straight to Gordon. The Stan then attacked again but it was cleared for a corner. From it the ball went straight across the Lincoln goal.

The Stan started the 2nd half positively with Deverdics being fouled in the Lincoln box in the 47th minute but nothing was given. The ball was then sent up towards the Stan goal with Gordon having to get down to save. In 49 minutes, a Lincoln attack ended with them shooting well wide & a minute later another attack ended with them shooting wide again. Both teams continued to try to attack but it was the Stan who were having most of the ball so far at the start of the 2nd half. In 55 minutes, a Lincoln corner was cleared in front of the Stan goal line. In 57 minutes, there was a sustained period of Stan pressure which included Errington being blocked for a Burn corner. From it, Capewell couldn’t connect with the ball which was cleared. Another Burn corner was cleared & in 61 minutes there was a long ball to Pearson who supplied Johnson but he was blocked. Lincoln then had a corner from which the ball went high across the Stan goal. In 65 minutes, a Stan attack was cleared followed by Storey being blocked. Lincoln were getting increasingly flustered & in 66 minutes a ball from Johnson was deflected for a corner. The ball from the Burn corner was headed away for another corner which was cleared. Payne put the ball back up, but the ball was cleared again. In 69 minutes, an Errington cross to Pearson was headed by him towards goal but was stopped by a handball & a penalty was given. Pearson took the 70th minute penalty & confidently put the ball into the Lincoln net for 1-1. The Stan were now looking dangerous as they saw the chance to win the match. In 71 minutes, a Shepherd long ball to Evans saw him fouled at the side of the box. The resulting free kick was blocked. In 76 minutes, against the run of play, Lincoln had a long throw in near the corner flag which led to a scramble in the 6-yard box with the ball being forced into the Stan net by Brown. In 77 minutes, the Stan sent a long ball up but Richardson got out to clear before Pearson could get to it. Pearson then sent a long throw in into the Lincoln box which was eventually cleared. Lincoln countered & eventually shot well over the Stan bar. Both teams were trying to attack. In 81 minutes, the Stan had an attack cleared. A minute later & Errington crossed to Shepherd who supplied Johnson in the Lincoln box, but his shot hit the cross bar & went out. In 87 minutes, a Burn free kick into the Lincoln box was cleared back to Burn whose long-range shot went over the Lincon bar. In 89 minutes, a long-range Stan shot was cleared. The Stan then sent a throw in into the Lincoln box to sub Walker but his shot was caught by Richardson. Into 5 additional minutes. & a Burn ball into the Lincoln box was cleared but the Stan attacked again. The resulting Burn free kick saw Richardson catch the ball. The Stan kept attacking & in 93 minutes a Stan ball went out off a Lincoln player, but no corner was given. A minute later & the Stan got a corner which Burn took. It was cleared but went back to Burn but came to nothing. The Stan were frustrated by lots of Lincoln time wasting & the match unfortunately ended with Lincoln sneaking a win.

Despite the squad giving their all, the Stan were unlucky to leave empty handed but there were plenty of positives to take from the long trip down south. The Stan were due to host Bradford Park Avenue on Saturday but it was postponed due to the weather, so the Stan are next in action on Friday 20 February at Newton Aycliffe.

Stan Team: Gordon; Burn; Shepherd (Blaney 87); Robson; Capewell (Y); Milburn; Payne (Y); Deverdics (Y) (Johnson); Pearson; Storey (Walker 74); Errington. All subs used. Attendance 115. Man of the Match: Max Storey.                  

Kevin Mochrie

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