Competition: Northern Premier League East
2 vs 0 
1 vs 1 
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
Photo Gallery
0 vs 3 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
2 vs 1 Bishop Auckland vs Heaton Stannington
It was a disappointing afternoon for the Stan at Heritage Park as the current good run by Bishop Auckland under their new manager continued thanks to 2 first half goals. After Bishop had dominated the 1st half, the Stan attempted to fight back in the 2nd half but could not get any goals to avoid defeat. Alfie Gordon, especially in the 1st half pulled off a number of crucial saves to prevent any more Bishop goals & provide the Stan with the platform to attempt to make a comeback in the 2nd half. He was awarded man of the match as a result. There was 1 change from Tuesday’s Senior Cup win over Blyth Town with Walker replacing Errington. New signing Evan Blaney from South Shields was an unused sub.
The first 10 minutes of the match were relatively quiet before Bishop had one effort saved by Gordon followed by a low Stan shot being parried away by the Bishop keeper for a corner which came to nothing. In the 18th minute, Bishop had the 1st of 3 consecutive corners with the last one ending with a looping header landing on the roof of the Stan net. In 29 & 30 minutes, Bishop had two 1 on 1s with Gordon with the Stan keeper saving both efforts. Gordon then saved another shot. In 35 minutes, the Bishop pressure paid off when a high cross forward from the right was put into the net by Steels off his shoulder under pressure from Capewell. In 41 minutes, it was 2-0 to Bishop when a long ball forward was crossed into the box & although headed away by Milburn the rebound shop was blasted into the net by Jarvie.
The Stan had struggled to get into the match in the 1st half but showed a great deal of effort in trying to change things round in the 2nd half. Halftime saw the Stan replace Milburn with Storey. After 10 minutes, Bishop forced 2 more saves from Gordon. The Stan had more of the ball in the rest of the 2nd half but could not find the back of the Bishop net. In 82 minutes, Bishop shot just wide although in the 90th minute the Stan came close to scoring, but the work of 2 Bishop defenders prevented a goal. After 3 minutes of added time, the match ended with only Bishop’s 2 first half goals to show.
Despite a 2nd half comeback, the Stan left County Durham empty handed as they were unable to break down an organised home defence. The result takes Bishop Auckland out of the relegation zone while the Stan remain in 7th place. The Stan now travel on Tuesday to far away Lincoln United who are 5th bottom of the league.
Stan Team: Gordon; Milburn (Storey 46); Evans; Burn; Capewell; Shepherd; Johnson (Lamb 56); Payne; Pearson; Hopper (Errington 56); Walker (Deverdics 62). No cards. Sub unused: Blaney. Attendance 377. Man of the Match: Alfie Gordon.
Kevin Mochrie
Photo Gallery
2 vs 0 Heaton Stannington vs Pontefract Collieries
It was Pontefract who got the icing on their cake with a narrow 1-0 win. It was a disappointing performance from the Stan although it was only a defensive error that allowed the visitors to win. Despite Pontefract having more of the pressure overall, the Stan did have a few limited opportunities of their own to get something out of the match, especially as the 2nd half went on, but ultimately failed to do so. There was 1 change from Wednesday’s win over Ashington with Beattie replacing Chrisp. Recent signing Nicholas Deverdics made his debut for the Stan from the bench.
On a damp, overcast but dry afternoon the 1st action came in the 5th minute when Gordon went out to clear. A Pontefract throw in into the Stan box was then cleared before the ball was sent back into the Stan box & cleared again. In the 7th minute, a Pontefract player made a break forward, but Walker made a great tackle to stop the advance. The Stan’s 1st real threat came in the 8th minute when a throw in into the visitors’ box was cleared. After a quieter period, the Stan had attacks cleared after 14 & 17 minutes. There were then 2 Pontefract attacks with Hopper putting the ball from the 2nd out for a corner. In 22 minutes, Beattie had to be replaced by Walker because of an earlier tackle on him. A minute later & Pontefract sent the ball into the Stan box & Gordon got down to block but the scramble lasted for a few seconds more as the ball continued to bounce about the 6-yard box until it was cleared to safety. In 25 minutes, the Stan forced a corner which came to nothing. 3 minutes later & a Pontefract player broke forward but Milburn guided the ball out. Another visiting player then broke & shot from just outside the 6-yard box, but Capewell blocked followed by Gordon getting down to put the ball out for a corner. From it, Gordon put a rebound shot from the edge of the box over the bar for another corner which saw the ball go out. It was a not a good game so far & although Pontefract didn’t have many opportunities, the Stan had less. In 36 minutes, a Pontefract free kick into the Stan box bounced awkwardly but then went straight into the arms of Gordon. 3 minutes later & the Stan advanced & an Errington cross into Pearson saw him head the ball towards goal but Christy in the Pontefract goal got up to catch it. In 45 minutes, a Burn free kick from halfway saw Capewell go to get on the end of it in the Pontefract box but he was flattened & nothing was given. Into 4 minutes of added time, & a Pontefract corner was missed by everyone except a visiting player 12 yards out from the far post but although he had a clear shot, Gordon managed to save. Soon after, a long-range Pontefract free kick went straight towards Gordon’s arms. The half ended with a Pontefract attack & still goalless.
The 2nd half began with Pontefract coming close from a corner as the ball was scrambled away from just in front of the goal line when it had looked like it was going into the net. In 52 minutes, a Pontefract attack was cleared twice followed by a bad tackle on Burn which resulted in a booking for Pontefract’s Middleton. Burn took the resulting free kick from halfway, but it went straight to keeper Christy. Pontefract then attacked but Milburn cleared. The resulting throw in was cleared allowing Pearson to counter under pressure but Christy got to the ball 1st. In 59 minutes, a Pontefract player ran forward & crossed into the 6-yard box, but the intended player missed the ball. In the 60th minute a Stan attack ending with Pearson getting into the box, but the ball was cleared followed by 2 Pontefract attacks being cleared. In 64 minutes, there was more Pontefract pressure when an unmarked advancing player shot from the side of the box, but Gordon got down to save just before Evans & another advancing Pontefract player skid into the 6-yard box. The visitors did get a goal in 67 minutes when a failed pass back to Gordon saw Lumsden break on the left & his diagonal shot went into the right-hand corner of the Stan net. 2 minutes later & the Stan had a ball from a corner punched clear. There was a quieter period until Gordon had to catch after 80 minutes followed by a Pontefract free kick being cleared in the Stan box. The final minutes of the half, as a result of 4 late subs, saw mainly pressure from the Stan but few shots. In 83 minutes, Hopper sent a ball into the Pontefract box, but sub Deverdics shot well over from the edge of it. 3 minutes later & advancing sub Lamb slipped in the box, In the 1st of 5 added minutes, Hopper sent a long ball to Lamb who was blocked although he sent the ball out to Deverdics on the edge of the box who shot well over the bar. The Stan attacked again twice with the 2nd resulting in Pearson shooting wide. The final minute saw the Stan get a free kick on halfway which Gordon went up for. The ball was cleared from the corner & although Pontefract countered while Gordon was still up, man of the match Burn managed to get back to clear the ball.
Pontefract’s narrow win sees them swapping places with the Stan & they move up to 6th in the league. Despite a number of late opportunities, the Stan could not get a goal to retrieve at least a point. The Stan are at home again on Saturday when Blyth Spartans visit High Heaton in league duty for the 1st time ever.
Stan Team: Gordon; Milburn (Y) (Johnson 67 (Y)); Beattie (Walker 22); Evans (Y) (Storey 83); Capewell; Shepherd; Payne (Deverdics 77); Burn; Pearson (Y); Hopper; Errington (Lamb 76). All subs used. Attendance 375. Man of the Match: Andy Burn.
Kevin Mochrie
Photo Gallery #1
Photo Gallery #2
0 vs 1 
Heaton Stannington vs Ashington
The Stan’s 1st home game for 25 days saw them back to winning ways against local rivals Ashington after a rare defeat on Saturday at Dunston. The Stan have lost only once in the last 10 league games & they increased their undefeated home run to 5 matches. Despite dominating the match & having multiple chances to score, the Stan only won by a single goal & had to withstand a late scare from Ashington to hold on to win. There were 3 changes from Saturday’s defeat at Dunston with Chrisp, Shepherd & Errington replacing Walker, Robson & Lamb. The Ashington team included 3 ex Stan players Jay Hornsby, Marc Ellison & Liam Wotherspoon.
The match was preceded by a minute’s applause to remember late Stan fan Davy ‘no trousers’ Faichen. The match started lively with the Stan getting 3 corners in the 1st 3 minutes. The ball from the 3rd corner went out to Payne & his rebound shot hit the roof of the Ashington net. After the good start for the Stan, Gordon had to get down to make a good save after 5 minutes. In 9 minutes, a Stan then an Ashington attack were cleared. Errington then counter attacked but his shot was caught by Ashington keeper Alexander. 5 minutes later, Errington had 2 shots blocks as the Stan started to put pressure on the visitors again although they were also looking for opportunities to break. In 24 minutes, an Ashington shot was blocked by Gordon & the rebound shot went just over the bar. Ashington then attacked again & finished the move by shooting just wide. In 27 minutes, Burns shot just wide. In 30 minutes, a ball from a Stan corner went across the Ashington goal but missed everyone. The Stan took the lead in the 36th minute, when a long range shot by Evans hit the post & the rebound shot was put in the Ashington net by Errington. In 39 minutes, a ball chipped into the Ashington box saw Alexander get down to get to the ball just before Pearson. In 41 minutes, a Stan free kick was blocked & was followed by a Payne shot that was deflected for a corner. From it, the ball was initially cleared then was blocked twice in a busy penalty box before it was put out for another corner. From it, Milburn’s header was caught by Alexander. A move starting with a Burn free kick, ended with Pearson shooting wide. The half ended with Errington crossing to Pearson, but he sliced his shot high over the bar.
The 2nd half started like the 1st half finished with one way traffic from the Stan. Almost immediately, a Burns shot was deflected for a corner. From it, the ball was punched away by Alexander. In 49 minutes, Ellison was sent off for a bad late tackle on Chrisp who had to be substituted by Beattie as a result. The Stan kept the pressure on but Gordon had to make a rare save from a deflected shot in 54 minutes. In 60 minutes, a great move saw Payne send a diagonal ball up to Errington who crossed to Pearson in front of goal, but his shot went wide. In 63 minutes, Payne supplied Pearson who although clear on goal again sliced his shot to waist the 2nd of 2 great chances. 2 minutes later & Hopper sliced the ball over the Ashington bar. In 66 minutes, a Burn free kick was headed wide by Capewell. Payne then advanced with the ball into the Ashington box, but Alexander got to the ball 1st. The Stan came close again in 69 minutes, when a joined-up attack ended with Burn hitting the visitors’ bar. In 75 minutes, Pearson had a shot blocked for a corner. From it, Alexander punched the ball clear & Milburn’s rebound shot went over the bar. In 78 minutes, Errington had a shot blocked under pressure as the Stan could still not get a 2nd goal. Alexander came out to clear, & in 81 minutes sub Johnson made a run & crossed to Errington but his shot was blocked. He then sliced another effort over the Ashington bar. In 83 minutes, Johnson forced a corner & from it Alexander dropped the ball & it went out for another corner. In 85 minutes, Ashington had a rare attack that was blocked. Pearson countered & was 1 on 1 with Alexander but he got down to block the shot when Pearson should have scored. Both teams were still trying to attack, & in 88 minutes Johnson broke but his shot was weak under pressure & collected by Alexander. There were 8 minutes of added time & it gave Ashington the opportunity to try & get back into the match & steal an equaliser. In 91 minutes, an Ashington free kick into the box was cleared twice. Beattie then broke & passed a defender but he sliced his shot wide. It was a tense ending to a match that should have been comfortably won by the Stan, but they were managing to have much of the possession. In the 98th minute, an Ashington ball into the Stan box was blocked by Shepherd for a corner. Keeper Alexander went up for the corner from which the ball was cleared off the line in a busy 6-yard box & then was sent up the pitch although Evans had been bundled into the net unlike the ball. One Ashington player claimed a goal but just like England’s 3rd goal in the world cup final, the ball did not cross the line but unlike it, the officials tonight got the decision correct & soon after the referee blew his whistle for the end of the match.
It was an important win for the Stan but a frustrating one as they made hard work of it when they could have easily won comfortably by at least 4 or 5 nil. Importantly the Stan are back up to 6th in the league and in the 2nd of 5 home games in 15 days they host Pontefract Colliery on Saturday.
Stan Team: Gordon; Milburn; Chrisp (Beattie 52); Evans; Capewell; Shepherd; Payne; Burn; Pearson; Hopper (Johnson 80); Errington. No cards. Subs not used: Lamb; Storey; Deverdics. Attendance 369. Man of the Match: Andy Burn.
Kevin Mochrie
1 vs 0 
Dunston UTS vs Heaton Stannington
The Stan’s 1st game for 22 days & their 1st of 2026 saw them get the January (Dunston) blues. The home team took an early lead & although they did not deserve it, they were sharper than the Stan & took a 3-goal lead before the Stan got back into the game late on including through a great Hopper goal. There were 2 changes from the boxing day draw at Consett with Evans & Payne replacing Chrisp, who was ineligible to play against his parent club, & Stephenson who has left the Stan. The Stan Army were in Gateshead on mass supporting their team including football legends Bill Colwill & Peter Bearsdley.
Both 4th placed Dunston & 8th placed Heaton Stannington started positively. Dunston were 1st to threaten in the 3rd minute & unfortunately it resulted in a goal. A ball from a long throw in was blocked but the rebound shot from Swailles was put into the right corner of the Stan net. Dunston immediately threatened again with Gordon putting the ball over the bar. From the resulting corner, Dunston headed the ball over the bar. The next 10 minutes saw 3 more Dunston attacks with the Stan not really in the game apart from a high long range Lamb effort. In 14 minutes, a Dunston cross into the Stan box was sliced over the Stan bar when it could have been in the back of the net. In the 20th minute, there was a great twisting run by Hopper who tried to pass under pressure & Lowson in the home goal eventually caught the ball. Soon after, Hopper shot again from just outside the box, but Lowson made a stretching save. In 22 minutes, a Stan attack was cleared for a corner from which the ball was cleared. In 26 minutes, Capewell had to head clear & the rebound Dunston shot was caught by Gordon. Dunston then had another shot which went across the Stan goal & out & 3 minutes later Gordon had to make a save. A minute later & he caught the ball from a free kick. Pearson then broke into the Dunston box but his attempted pass to Hopper was blocked. Dunston counter attacked & the Stan defence blocked their advance 3 times. In 37 minutes, Hopper advanced into the Dunston box but O’Donnell went down to undeservedly get Hopper booked. In 39 minutes, a Dunston free kick was headed clear. Soon after a high ball into the box was caught by Gordon. He then went to clear the ball as a Dunston player went towards him, but he missed although a defender cleared for a corner. From it, the ball was cleared off the line by Evans. Burn then sent the ball up towards the advancing Hopper but Lowson caught it. In 44 minutes, from a Stan throw in, Capewell headed the ball on towards Pearson who was pulled down in the Dunston box but nothing was given. Into added time & Pearson broke but couldn’t get his shot in under pressure. The half ended with a Stan corner, from which Hopper shot just over the bar.
The 2nd half started with Dunston pressure although in the 54th minute Pearson shot across the Dunston goal & the ball went just wide. 2 minutes later & Gordon got down to save a deflected Dunston effort. In 60 minutes, after Capewell cleared, the Stan counter attacked through Walker but the ball was cleared. A minute later & a Dunston effort from just outside the Stan box skimmed the outside of the post. Both teams were trying to attack but it was Dunston who scored again in the 69th minute when an attack down the right saw the ball passed back to Edwards just outside the Stan box who blasted the ball into the net. Both teams attacked again but again it was Dunston who scored in the 75th minute when Robinson scored with a shot from the edge of the Stan box. This 3rd Dunston goal saw the Stan step up a gear & dominate most of the remainder of the match. In 86 minutes, sub Errington advanced down the right & crossed the ball into the Dunston box for Hopper to expertly head the ball into the back of the net. The Stan were now looking more confident & were desperate for another goal & were encouraged further by 5 minutes of added time. In 87 minutes, the ball was crossed into the Dunston box, but a Stan player didn’t get up to head it. The Stan then attacked into the Dunston box again but the move finished with Errington being blocked. The ball went back in but Pearson’s shot was saved by Lowson when the ball looked like it was going into the net. In 92 minutes, a Stan free kick into the home box was blocked for a throw in. From it the ball was headed just over by Capewell in the crowded box. The game finished with more Stan pressure as Beattie’s shot was blocked by Lowson.
Although they got back into the match late on, it was too little too late as the Stan suffered only their 3rd away league defeat since 2024. With Dunston having played on Tuesday night, they were less rusty than the Stan were after their long break. They probably wont have this problem again for a while as from Tuesday, when they host Ashington, they have 5 home games in 15 days.
Stan Team: Gordon; Milburn (Johnson 63); Evans (Shepherd 75); Payne (Beattie 63 (Y)); Capewell; Robson; Hopper (Y); Burn; Pearson; Walker (Storey 75); Lamb (Errington 63). All Subs used. Attendance 383. Man of the Match: Andy Burn.
Kevin Mochrie
Photo Gallery
3 vs 1 Consett vs Heaton Stannington
Boxing day definitely saw the Stan Army get their gloves on, but it was to keep warm as they headed up the hills to cold but welcoming Consett. It was definitely a game of 2 halves as Consett dominated the 1st half & took a bizarre lead but the 2nd half saw the Stan on top & get the draw that they at least deserved. There were 3 changes from the home draw with Dunston 10 days ago with Chrisp, Robson & Lamb replacing Shepherd, Chater & Errington.
Both teams started positively but the 1st goal scoring opportunity came in the 6th minute for Consett when their Walker broke & beat the Stan defence, but Gordon got out & made himself big to deflect the ball out for a corner & bring to a halt a clear goal scoring opportunity. In the 9th minute, Lamb broke & shot in the box under pressure but Moss in the Consett goal saved his effort. The pressure was mainly from Consett but in 13 minutes, Lamb counter attacked but was eventually blocked. 2 minutes later & Moss stopped another Stan attack when Walker flicked the ball on towards Pearson but Moss got to it 1st. The Stan continued to get back into the match & in 18 minutes Moss got to the ball just before Lamb. In 21 minutes, a Consett player broke past everyone but was flagged offside. The match turned drastically in Consett’s favour in the 24th minute when Moss sent a high ball up the pitch towards the advancing Holdsworth who never made contact with the ball. In front of him were Crisp & Robson & after Moss’s ball had bounced once awkwardly, Robson tried to head it back to Gordon but after he had headed it the ball bounced in front of Gordon & although he tried to grab it the ball went past him & into the net. In 28 minutes, a cross into the box to the advancing Consett Walker saw him shoot just over the Stan bar. Lamb then broke but his great shot, taken under pressure, was stopped by Moss who got down to put the ball out for a corner. From it, Capewell headed just over the Consett bar. In 35 minutes, after a joined-up attack ended with Stephenson shooting wide. The last 10 minutes of the 1st half were mainly played in the Stan half as Consett eagerly searched for a 2nd goal. In 36 minutes, they put the ball wide & 2 minutes later Gordon got to the ball just before a Consett player did. In the 40th minute, a shot by Holdsworth was blocked in the Stan box followed by a Robson clearance. Consett then attacked again but Gordon got down to save Consett Walker’s shot. Consett attacked again & the half time whistle couldn’t come soon enough for the Stan.
Half time saw another blow for the Stan as both centre halves, Capewell & Milburn, had to be replaced because of injury by Payne & Beattie. There was a quieter start to the 2nd half, although play was mainly in the Consett half, before the Stan stepped up a gear. In 58 minutes, Robson was felled in the Consett box but nothing was given. In 66 minutes, Stephenson sent a ball from a free kick into the Consett box but Beattie’s overhead kick hit the post & then the ball was put out for a corner. The Stan attacked again with a shot being blocked by Moss & Beattie’s rebound shop saw Moss get down to grab the ball. A minute later & Lamb crossed towards Pearson in the 6-yard box but he couldn’t make contact with the ball. It was mainly Stan pressure now as Errington forced a corner from which there were claims of a handball in the box which were ignored by the referee. In 70 minutes, Stephenson shot well over the Consett bar. 3 minutes later & a Consett attack came to nothing. The Stan were back on level terms in the 74th minute when a long diagonal ball to the advancing sub Errington saw him confidently shoot & his effort went into the net off the far post. In 78 minutes, a long ball to Pearson saw him pass to Payne whose shot was blocked. In 81 minutes, another rare Consett attack was blocked & 2 minutes later a 30-yard Stan free kick was headed clear. Both teams now were trying to attack but cancelling each other out although Errington shot just wide in the 90th minute. The 5 minutes of added time saw almost constant attacking from the Stan including a Stephenson free kick that was headed just over the home bar by a Consett player.
The Stan had dominated most of the 2nd half, in contrast to the 1st, & at least deserved to take away a point. So, the Stan complete 2025 with only 2 away league defeats all year which is a remarkable achievement given the opposition & the fact that they are only in their 2nd season in tier 4 of non-league football. They are still in 5th place, in a play-off spot & in theory only 4 promotions off a place in the football league. The Stan now have a week off as they next host Ashington on Friday 2 January at 7.45pm.
Stan Team: Gordon; Milburn (Payne 46); Chrisp; Burn; Capewell (Beattie 46); Robson; Hopper (Errington 62); Walker (Storey 62); Pearson; Stephenson; Lamb (Johnson 80). All Subs used. No cards. Attendance 521. Man of the Match: Andy Burn.
Kevin Mochrie
1 vs 1