Competition: Northern Premier League East
11:00 am 
Belper Town vs Heaton Stannington
For the 2nd match in a row, the Stan took on a play-off placed team as they made the long journey to Derbyshire to face high flying Belper Town. Despite being competitive throughout the match, the Stan could not convert their chances & went home empty handed. There were 5 changes from Wednesday night’s draw with Stocksbridge with Marriott, Turnbull; Burn; Hopper & Thompson replacing Hornsby; Capewell; Slaughter; Errington & Stephenson.
The Stan were caught out early on when, in the 2nd minute, Brass saved a home effort but Rawson got to the rebound 1st & put the ball into the net. The Stan responded positively & in the 5th minute, a cross by Hopper was palmed away by the home keeper but Burn’s follow up effort saw him not being able to connect cleanly with the ball. In the 7th minute, a Belper free kick was confidently tipped over the bar by Brass for a fantastic save. In 14 minutes, Evans was fouled & the resulting free kick by Burn was tipped over the bar by the home keeper. In 21 minutes, Lamb put the keeper under pressure & stole the ball from him, but he could not direct the ball into the net. 2 minutes later & Thompson got in behind the home defence but his cross was intercepted by a defender before the ball could get to Lamb. In 26 minutes, Brass made another great save from a close range Belper effort. After a quieter period, the half ended with Brass making 3 saves in a row all from a close distance. The half ended with only the unfortunate early Belper goal separating the 2 teams after a competitive 1st half.
In the 2nd minute of the 2nd half, there were more heroics from the Stan keeper when a home defender broke forward & Brass tipped his effort wide. In 54 minutes, Belper were 2-0 up when, from a free kick, Draper knocked the ball into the net at the near post. 2 minutes later, Brass saved again when he pushed the ball round the post. In 61 minutes, the Stan were unlucky when a Burn free kick thundered against the post. 3 minutes later & Belper cleared a ball from a Stan throw in but the ball went to Groves who, from distance, shot just by the post. The Stan were showing that they were determined to get something from the match. In 67 minutes, a Burn 25-yard free kick went well over the bar. In 70 minutes, Grove curled a free kick towards the back post, but a defender managed to get a touch & put the ball out for a corner which was then cleared. In the 79th minute, Brass made another save but Shepherd then slid in to try & clear the rebound ball & unfortunately put it into his own net to give Belper a 3-0 lead. In the 90th minute, sub Errington scuffed an effort wide. In the 93rd minute, a Burn free kick was put round the post by the home keeper but the match ended with a 3-0 win for the home team.
Despite a hard-working performance, the Stan suffered a 3rd heavy away defeat in a row. The scoreline was harsh despite the fact that Brass had to make some fine saves & was awarded man of the match for his efforts. As Sherwood Colliery lost 1-2, after leading 1-0, the Stan remain one place outside the relegation zone. Its back to Grounsell Park on Boxing Day at 11am when the Stan host the only other team in the league from North of the Tyne, 3rd bottom Ashington.
Kevin Mochrie
3 vs 0 Heaton Stannington vs Stocksbridge Park Steels
There was a lot at stake for both teams as play-off placed Stocksbridge travelled to Grounsell Park for the 1st time to take on Heaton Stannington who were in the relegation zone. The Stan had only dropped into the 4th & last relegation spot the night before due to Ossett winning. After losing an early goal, the Stan battled all the way & were deservedly rewarded with a late equalising goal which took them immediately back out of the relegation zone. There were 5 changes from Saturday’s defeat at Sheffield with Brass, Shepherd, Slaughter, Lamb & Stephenson replacing De Jesus, Turnbull, Burn. Anderson & Thompson.
The match started badly for the Stan as they conceded a goal after only 3 minutes. An unexpected pass back to Brass saw him unable to hold the ball under pressure from the advancing Morris who pinched the ball & slotted it into the Stan net. There was a quieter period until the 29th minute when the Stan had their 1st clear opportunity to score. Errington sent a great cross into the Stocksbridge box, but lamb was unable to connect with it. The Stan though could have been 2-0 down in 34 minutes when Brass made a fantastic save from a Stocksbridge counterattack. In 37 minutes, a bending long range effort from Errington was caught by the Stocksbridge keeper. A minute later & somehow the visitors’ defence managed to prevent the Stan scoring when they cleared in the 6 yard box 3 times after the initial Stan shot had hit the near post. Stockbridge were reduced to 10 men in 42 minutes when Charlesworth was sent off for a bad tackle on Lamb.
Just as they had finished the 1st half, the Stan started the 2nd half positively. There was a great chance for Errington 3 minutes into the half when he controlled the ball from a pass & fired a shot which went just wide of the visitors’ post. In 50 minutes, the Stocksbridge keeper got down to save a Capewell effort. This was followed almost immediately by sub Hopper trying to bundle the ball into the corner of the net but his effort went just wide. The keeper then had to make another 2 saves as the Stan kept the pressure on. In 52 minutes, the visitor’s had a rare effort when they shot wide. After a quieter period, the Stan nearly equalised in 68 minutes when a scramble in the Stocksbridge 6-yard box saw their keeper punching the ball clear before clearing it again. In 74 minutes, a Stocksbridge free kick hit the Stan bar. 3 minutes later a Stan attack was cleared followed by a Stephenson volley from the edge of the box which was caught by the keeper. In 83 minutes, a Stan player was brought down in the visitors’ box but nothing was given. The Stan continued the attack, but a shot was blocked on the line followed by a Capewell header being tipped over the bar by the keeper for a corner. From the corner, Anderson headed over the bar. The Stan kept the pressure on & their efforts, which had included 5 goal line clearances from Stocksbridge, finally came off in the 92nd minute when they were awarded a free kick just outside the Stocksbridge box. Stephenson’s free kick ball hit the bar & went into the net off the back of the Stocksbridge keeper. What a way to equalise & Stephenson was also deservedly voted man of the match.
After 2 heavy defeats, the Stan showed determination to turn things around against promotion chasing opposition despite going behind after 3 minutes. A solid home performance, after 2 recent heavy away defeats, showed why teams do not like visiting Grounsell Park but why the Stan Army do. They created lots of chances to achieve a well-earned point as they seek to move back up the table. They now travel to Derbyshire on Saturday to face Belper Town & on boxing day there is a local derby when Ashington visit High Heaton.
Kevin Mochrie
Photo Gallery 1
Photo Gallery 2
1 vs 1 
Sheffield vs Heaton Stannington
The Stan had a long journey to play Sheffield, the oldest football club in the world, who currently play in North Derbyshire. There was to be no pre-Christmas cheer though for the travelling Stan Army as their team were beaten 5-1. There were 3 changes from the defeat at Bishop Auckland 2 weeks ago with Hornsby, Anderson & Errington, who was making his 1st start for the Stan, replacing Slaughter, Lamb & Stephenson. After long absences due to injury, Hopper & Bailey returned to the bench with the former joining the action after 59 minutes.
The match started with not much happening although unfortunately things changed in the 13th minute when Sheffield took the lead though Mangham who put the ball over the Stan defence &, although De Jesus got a hand to it, it rolled into the Stan net. Things got worse in 37 minutes when De Jesus was out of his goal allowing Bedford to put the ball into the empty net from long range. The Stan’s 1st clear effort came in 39 minutes when Burn crossed to Spence, but his shot was blocked by a defender. Evans sent the ball back into the box, but Thompson’s header as caught by the home keeper. 4 minutes later & a shot by Burn from the edge of the box was cleared & the half ended with the Stan trailing 2-0.
Ten seconds into the 2nd half & there was more gloom for the stan as Ayres made it 3-0 for Sheffield. Things picked up for the Stan in the 53rd minute when Spence got the ball in the middle of the park & confidently put his effort into the back of the home net. The Stan were again 3 goals behind though after 60 minutes thanks to an overhead effort which made it 4-1 to Sheffield. 3 minutes later & it was 5-1 when a home player broke forward & rounded De Jesus to shoot into an empty net. The final 20 minutes of the match saw the Stan finally get into the match but unfortunately none of their many chances ended up in the Sheffield net.
Despite a late rally, the Stan were comfortably beaten by the league’s bottom side. Out of character, they have conceded 9 goals in the last 2 games & now sit one place above the relegation zone on goal difference. The Stan now host Stocksbridge Park Steels on Wednesday night before they return to Derbyshire next Saturday to play Belper Town.
Kevin Mochrie
Photo Gallery
5 vs 1 Bishop Auckland vs Heaton Stannington
The Stan were pawns to the Bishops as they were uncharacteristically outplayed & heavily beaten on their trip to the only league ground that they also visited last season in the Northern League. There were 4 changes from the defeat at Bridlington 2 weeks ago with De Jesus, Turnbull, Slaughter & Stephenson replacing Brass, Shepherd, Ellison & Anderson. Jay Errington made his debut from the bench after signing from Ashington.
The Stan were 1st to threaten & Lamb had a shot blocked on the edge of the box after 3 minutes. The home keeper then had to catch from a Stan free kick. Bishop then counter attacked with De Jesus getting down to grab the ball just before a home player got to it. Lamb then shot well wide under pressure. In 7 minutes, an advancing home player shot just wide although De Jesus was down ready. There was then more Bishop pressure with the Stan defence having to clear twice. In 14 minutes, after some more home pressure, Stephenson was brought down & he sent the resulting free kick into the box with it being initially cleared before the Bishop keeper saved the follow up effort. In 21 minutes, a Bishop player blasted the ball just over the bar. 3 minutes later, after the home keeper easily caught a Stan effort, a Bishop player sent the ball across the Stan goal but it was missed by everyone. Both teams were trying to attack but Bishop were having more of the ball. In 26 minutes, a ball from a Bishop corner was headed clear but was sent back in & went into the net off the post. After 32 minutes, Stephenson had a good opportunity but shot straight at the keeper. Bishop then had a shot cleared. In 34 minutes, Marriott replaced the injured Grove. In 39 minutes, the Stan defence blocked 2 shots before a Stephenson ball into the home box to Burn was cleared. In 42 minutes, things got worse for the Stan when Marriott lost the ball & a home player ran forward & shot past De Jesus to make it 2-0 to Bishop Auckland. The half ended with a Stan ball into the box being cleared followed by a home attack being off side.
The Stan started the 2nd half positively & had 2 balls cleared in 49 minutes although this was followed by Spence losing the ball & a home player then shooting just wide. Soon after, a home player broke again but De Jesus came out & got down to the ball. In 54 minutes, a Stephenson free kick into the Bishop box was missed by everyone & when eventually sent back into the box the resulting shot was caught by the home keeper. Slaughter then crossed to Lamb who put the ball just wide. In 59 minutes, De Jesus got down to save. Soon after, sub Errington had a shot deflected for a corner from which Spence’s header was caught by the home keeper. After 67 minutes, Lamb shot just wide. The Stan were looking better this half although after 70 minutes there was some solid Bishop pressure with De Jesus having to block the ball twice. The Stan then had to block again. In 74 minutes, a Stan free kick was caught by the Bishop keeper, a home player then broke forward & chipped De Jesus to make it 3-0 to Bishop Auckland. After a quieter period, Bishop shot just wide in 81 minutes. Soon after they blasted another shot high & wide. In 87 minutes, a ball was headed out for a Bishop corner from which the ball was forced into the net for a 4th home goal. Soon after, sub Ellison headed wide under pressure followed by a Bishop player shooting over the Stan bar. The match finished with a ball from a home free kick being blocked on the Stan goal line.
Despite trying, the Stan didn’t manage to get into the game against a good Bishop Auckland performance. They now hope to get back to winning ways next Saturday when they host Stocksbridge Park Steels.
Kevin Mochrie
Photo Gallery
4 vs 0 Bridlington Town vs Heaton Stannington
The Stan had their 2nd trip to the seaside in 4 days but this time it involved an almost 250-mile round trip to Bridlington. Unfortunately, the outing was spoiled not by sand in the Stan Army’s sandwiches but by one early goal & good goal keeping by Bridlington’s Sebastian Malkowski who is on loan from Worksop Town & is a former Polish international keeper. There were 2 changes from Tuesday’s senior cup win at Blyth Town with Ellison & Anderson replacing Slaughter & Stephenson. Andy Burn made his 100th start for the club.
From kick off the Stan attacked but it was Bridlington who took a shock early lead after only 4 minutes when they broke forward & Dyer shot past 2 defenders & Brass sending the ball into the Stan net. 2 minutes later & it was Bridlington who attacked again but Brass caught the ball although soon after they also shot well over the bar. In 9 minutes a Stan attack was blocked with a home counter attack coming to nothing. The Stan were trying to attack & in 14 minutes a cross from Lamb was headed out for a corner before Thompson could get to it. From the corner the ball was punched clear. Thompson then got into the box with the ball, but the keeper caught his effort. It was mainly Stan pressure now & in 18 minutes Lamb forced a corner from which the ball was caught by the keeper. Bridlington then had 2 attacks cleared. In 25 minutes, a home player advanced on his own & forced a great save from Brass. 2 minutes later & Bridlington had another attack cleared. At the other end, Anderson shot wide from close range. There was a quieter 10 minutes although Bridlington had 3 corners cleared. In 41 minutes, Capewell got up to head a ball from a Stan corner but Malkowski caught it. At half time there was only the unfortunate early Bridlington goal separating the 2 teams after a relatively even 1st half.
The Stan started the 2nd half positively with a free kick & another attack both being cleared. In 52 minutes, a Lamb free kick into the box was caught by Malkowski under pressure. Bridlington then had an attack cleared twice. Anderson & Malkowski then both went for a ball but the keeper just got to it 1st. It was mainly Stan attacks now with a Burn shot easily caught in 56 minutes. 2 minutes later & Bridlington shot wide. The Stan then attacked again twice & on the 2nd occasion both Anderson & Lamb were fouled in the box, but nothing was given. In 62 minutes, a Stan corner was cleared for a 2nd one from which the ball was partially cleared before Lamb shot wide. The Stan pressure continued & it wasn’t until 68 minutes when the home side attacked again & headed over the bar. Sub Sayer then shot over the Bridlington bar & soon after he also headed wide. Immediately after in the 71 minute, Sayer sent the ball into the box for Lamb to head into the home net but his effort was offside. In 75 minutes, after Shepherd had initially cleared, Bridlington shot just wide. Both teams were still trying to attack & in 80 minutes a ball from the left by sub Hornsby bobbled but, with Malkowski unable to get to it, it unfortunately went just wide. The next Stan attack saw Anderson shoot wide. 2 minutes later & Bridlington had 2 attacks cleared. In 88 minutes, Malkowski caught another Stan effort. The last few minutes of the match saw continued Stan pressure, but it came to nothing & the match ended with Malkowski catching another Stan effort from a free kick.
So, despite trying, the Stan could not cancel out Bridlington’s 4th minute goal & their efforts were not helped by the absence of Slaughter & Stephenson. A big positive was the sizeable section of the Stan Army who were present at this welcoming ground with a number of fans staying for the weekend. They will all be back in High Heaton for Saturday though to see their beloved Heaton Stannington take on Grimsby Borough.
Kevin Mochrie
Photo Gallery
1 vs 0 Heaton Stannington vs Ossett United
On the 4th of 4 home games in a row, the Stan finally got a win & it was both well deserved & comfortable. It was the 1st time the 2 teams had met although Ossett Albion, who merged with Ossett Town to form Ossett United, hosted & beat the Stan in the FA Vase in the 1981-82 season. There were 6 changes from the team that lost to Garforth Town on Wednesday with Brass, Grove, Spence, Shepherd, Burn & Slaughter replacing De Jesus, Hornsby, Ellison, Turnbull, Richardson & Walker. Daniel Groves & Robbie Spence made their Stan debuts after both signed on loan from Hebburn Town for the rest of the season.
Heaton Stannington started positively & in the 2nd minute a free kick into the Ossett box was eventually cleared. 4 minutes later & the visitors also sent a ball from a free kick into their opponents’ box, but it was headed clear by Spence for a corner from which Capewell cleared the ball on the goal line. Soon after the ball was sent across the front of the Stan goal, but it was missed by everyone. Both teams were trying to attack but apart from Brass catching the ball from a free kick, nothing much happened until Lamb shot high & wide in 14 minutes. The Ossett keeper then blocked a Lamb shot for a corner when it looked like Konner would score. There was now a period of Stan pressure & in 17 minutes Thompson, who was blocked, passed to Lamb in the 6-yard box & he was also unable to shoot so passed to Spence whose blasted effort was deflected for a corner. Lamb was blocked another twice as the Stan pressure continued & it paid off in the 21st minute when the Stan went 1-0 up. A great ball by Lamb to Stephenson advancing into the box saw his shot deflected just wide of the post when it looked like it was going into the net. The resulting corner saw a scrum of players in the 6-yard box challenging to get control of the ball & it was Capewell who forced it just over the line with the linesman in a good position to confirm the goal. Ossett hadn’t given up & forced 3 corners in a row with the 3rd being headed wide at the back post. After a quieter period, a cross to Lamb in 35 minutes from Thompson saw him run in on goal but he tapped it too far as he ran & the keeper got out to it before he could shoot. After both teams had attacked again, Slaughter sent a high ball into the Ossett box, but the keeper headed it clear before Stephenson could get to it. In 41 minutes, Stephenson shot wide through a crowd of players. Thompson then broke free & was pulled down just outside the box but nothing was given. The Stan were able to go into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead as in 44 minutes, from a corner, Spence headed into the Ossett net to score on his debut. In the 46th minute, an Ossett player broke into the Stan box but Brass got down to save his effort.
From the restart, Thompson ran towards the visitor’s goal & his close-range shot was blocked by the keeper. The Stan had 2 more attacks before a quieter few minutes. In 53 minutes, Ossett had a ball from a corner cleared twice followed by Lamb counter attacking during which he was brought down but nothing was given. The Stan then counter attacked again through Thompson, but he was intercepted in the box. In 56 minutes, a long-range ball from Ossett went just wide & 3 minutes later their keeper had to get out to clear a Stan ball. He then got out again to the ball before Lamb did. There was a quieter period until Thompson ran into the box in 67 minutes, but his final ball was blocked. He then did the same again but forced a corner. The corner ball was blocked as it entered the box, but it was sent back in by Stephenson & headed into the net by Thompson in 69 minutes. In 73 minutes, an Ossett free kick went straight to Brass. Burn then chipped the visiting keeper but his effort went just wide. The Stan were getting more of the ball but the next attack wasn’t until 81 minutes when the Stan had 2 efforts cleared. In 86 minutes, Richardson headed wide & 3 minutes later a Stephenson free kick went just over the bar from a tight angle. Stephenson then sliced another shot wide. Into added time, the Ossett keeper mad a great save to stop another Stephenson effort & he also blocked the rebound effort. After Lamb was brought down, the ball from the Stephenson free kick was headed clear followed by Anderson slicing a shot, The Stan pressure continued with a Capewell header being blocked but the match finished 3-0 for the Stan.
A great all-round performance from the Stan, orchestrated by a great selection by manager Dean Nicholson, saw them achieve a 3-0 win & move up the table to 14th. On Tuesday night its Northumberland Senior Cup action when the Stan travel up the coast to play Blyth Town in the quarter finals.
Kevin Mochrie
Photo Gallery 1
Photo Gallery 2
3 vs 0 
