There were no fireworks at Grounsell Park as the Stan were beaten 2-0 by Garforth Town. Although the 6 November 2024 might be remembered for the US presidential election results, the Stan Army will quickly try to forget both the result & the unusually poor performance of their team on this date. There were no changes from the team who lost to Emley on Saturday.

Both teams were trying to attack from kick off, but it was a relatively quiet start until Garforth hit the side netting in the 7^th minute. A minute later & it was the Stan who came close when a flick on to Lamb saw him hit the post when it looked like the ball was going into the net. In 13 minutes, another Stan effort went wide of the post. A sustained Stan attack in the 16^th minute ended with the ball nearly been forced into the Garforth net but it was cleared from just in front of the goal as a crowd of players looked on. In 19 minutes, the 1^st Garforth attack for a while saw them take the lead when Antcliff managed to break through & shoot & although De Jesus went the right way, the ball sneaked into the right-hand corner of the net. 3 minutes later De Jesus had to punch clear as there was more pressure from Garforth. In 24 minutes, the Stan had a period of possession but could not penetrate the visitors’ defence. In 26 minutes, a great long high diagonal ball into the box by Hornsby was punched away by the keeper then cleared by a player under pressure. 2 minutes later & an identical ball from Hornsby was sent into the box but was headed wide. Soon after a joined-up Stan attack ended with a third Hornsby long ball into the box, but it went wide of the goal & was then cleared. After a quieter period, a Garforth free kick was easily caught by De Jesus in 35 minutes. Both teams were trying to attack but could not get through the defences. In 37 minutes, Walker was brought down just outside the box but nothing was given. The 1^st half ended with some late Garforth pressure which included 2 corners, 3 clearances & ended with the visitors shooting well wide under pressure.

For the 2^nd half, Shepherd replaced Hornsby & it started with Ellison being booked for a tackle just outside the Stan box. The resulting free kick was cleared. Both teams were trying to get forward but there was no clear early attack from the Stan. In 52 minutes, Lamb was brought down as he was about to advance with the ball. The resulting Stephenson free kick was cleared & although a Garforth player counter attacked, he over ran the ball under pressure from Stephenson & it went out for a goal kick. A minute later & a speculative long range Garforth effort went wide. In 55 minutes, the Stan got the ball into the Garforth box for the 1^st time in the half, but it was cleared. Lamb then had a shot easily cleared. In 61 minutes, Stephenson headed out for a Garforth corner from which De Jesus got down to the ball & held it before a Garforth player could get to it but the player then went down & a penalty was awarded. From the penalty, Tweddle confidently made it 2-0 to Garforth in 62 minutes.

Garforth kept the pressure on the Stan & in 66 minutes a long-range shot was easily caught by De Jesus. In 71 minutes, the ball was sent up to the advancing Lamb, but the Garforth keeper got to it at the same time as him & although Lamb was brought down nothing was given. In 73 minutes, a Garforth corner was headed clear & a long range rebound effort was blocked. After 75 minutes, there was a period of Stan possession but mainly in their own half. In 78 minutes, Capewell stopped a Garforth attack for a corner from which Shepherd headed clear. In 79 minutes, a ball was sent into Capewell in the box & although he had an opportunity to score, the keeper blocked for a corner. From the corner, the ball went out to Ellison on the edge of the box & although the keeper tipped his effort over the bar, a goal kick was given rather than a corner. In 81 minutes, De Jesus came out to block resulting in a Garforth player trying to score by sending the ball over him, but it went just wide. The Stan were trying to attack but it was still mainly Garforth who were dominating play. In 86 minutes, a ball by sub Burn was blocked & Garforth countered & forced a corner. From it, De Jesus cleared at the 2^nd attempt. As the match entered 6 minutes of additional time, the Stan finally stepped up a gear & now looked like they could score. In 93 minutes, a ball from a Stan corner was cleared by the visiting keeper & although it was sent back in he got down to collect it. Lamb then supplied sub Beattie but he sliced his shot. The Stan were still pressing & in 97 minutes an attack was blocked by the keeper for a corner. From the corner, the keeper punched clear & although the ball was sent back in towards the Garforth goal it was headed clear just before the final whistle.

Although overall it was a flat performance from the Stan with some key players missing, there were some glimmers of what the fans usually see from the team and, after 2 consecutive home defeats, hopefully it will be back to normal service on Saturday when the Stan welcome Ossett United to Grounsell Park.

Kevin Mochrie

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Heaton Stannington lost for just the second time at home this season – but certainly didn’t disgrace themselves against second-placed Emley in a fairly even contest.

The Stan made a bright start – even brighter than Emley’s illuminous orange strips – and on 3 minutes Connor Walker released Konner Lamb down the right with a lump forward from midway inside the Stan half. Lamb used his blistering pace to get into the box, held the ball up, got to the byline and played it off his defender for a corner – which was unfortunately headed high and wide.

Another chance – and arguably the Stan’s biggest chance of the whole game – came six minutes later. Emley’s goalkeeper sent a high ball into the Stan half which was met by Jay Hornsby and sent Joseph Thompson on a mazy run towards goal, which saw him slip past the Emley full back with ease before running into traffic. As he was closed down, he was able to slip the ball to his right where Lamb was in plenty of space, but the first-time left-footed shot was scooped over the bar. Lamb’s hands went straight to his head – he knew that he should’ve at least hit the target.

Neil de Jesus was man of the match on his league debut three days earlier, and if it wasn’t for the midfield heroics of Marc Ellison, he would’ve had another today. He was first called into action in this game on 20 minutes – a shot from Laurence Sorhaindo was blocked by Mark Turnbull, and the deflection meant that it required de Jesus to tip it over the bar.

Emley were growing in confidence and on 35 minutes, de Jesus had to make two big saves. The first came after Dan Capewell was robbed by Mohammed Qasim, who charged towards goal and tried to fire it low to the far post, no match for Neil however. The Stan defence got the ball temporarily out of danger, but it found its way back to Berchil to the right of the goalkeeper, his effort blocked by the body of de Jesus making himself big.

The only goal of the game came as the result of a free kick, conceded on the corner of the box. The initial effort evaded everyone, but the ball was recycled from deep and found an orange shirt to knock down for Qasim to fire in a half-volley. Emley looked to give themselves some breathing space, and on 54 minutes Sorhaindo should’ve doubled their lead, given time and space to run at de Jesus but the shot was straight at the keeper.

Some good play from the Stan getting from front to back with some fluid football led to the first of two penalty shouts which were ignored by the referee. Lamb looked to have been clattered on the edge of the box as he challenged for a ball lifted towards his head, but play went on and Kane Evans looked to make something happen but a powerful cross was too close to the keeper Lambton who caught it at his near post. Moments later, experienced former-EFL player Adam Clayton hacked one off the line from a corner.

In a similar chance to the one in the first half, Lamb was set away with a ball over the top on 74 minutes after the defender set to mark him missed the header. Lamb raced towards goal and spotted the keeper off his line but there wasn’t enough lift on the effort and it was another big chance gone begging. 10 minutes later Dan Stephenson had a chance to equalise after being fed in the box by Joseph Thompson, but again, undercooked.

One final moment of controversy came in injury time as Konner Lamb was blatantly tripped in the box right in front of the assistant referee, but nothing was given. The Stan’s performance was a big improvement on Wednesday’s goalless draw with Sheffield – the lads will know exactly what they need to work on, but on another day this could have been a very different result. Garforth are next up at home in a rearranged game on Wednesday, before the visit of Ossett on Saturday.

Liam Milburn

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A united Stan drew 0-0 with Sheffield FC on a Wednesday night when they met for the 1st time. They achieved a clean sheet & an important point but neither team was able to break the stalemate. There were 5 changes from Saturday’s defeat at Carlton with De Jesus, Hornsby, Slaughter, Stephenson & Lamb replacing Brass, Evans, Beattie, Anderson & Walker. For keeper Neil De Jesus it was both his 1st home & league match & his efforts earned him both a clean sheet & the man of the match award.

The 1st clear effort came for Sheffield after 10 minutes when Hinton shot from the edge of the Stan box forcing a great save from De Jesus. The resulting corner saw Ayres shoot high & wide. 10 minutes later & Slaughter shot wide from the edge of the Sheffield box. Both teams continued to battle but with little end product although Ayres headed wide in 39 minutes. Although both teams were positive & battling, the 1st half end goalless & with not much end product to report on.

After 10 minutes of the 2nd half, Sheffield thought they had broken the deadlock when a free kick into the Stan box saw Hinton head the ball against the bar. In the 63rd minute, after a few minutes of Stan control, Thompson headed just wide after the ball had been crossed into the box to him. 2 minutes later & the Stan had another great chance to take the lead when Lamb ran down the left outpacing a following defender & crossed to Thompson who should have scored but was blocked by the Sheffield keeper. It was still mainly Stan when, in 69 minutes, a Stephenson volley was blocked by the head of a defender for a corner. The resulting corner saw a number of Stan heads try to get up to the ball but it still would not go into the net. In 78 minutes, it was Sheffield who had the chance to score when De Jesus saved a shot from Watson & the rebound effort by Ayres hit the Stan bar. 3 minutes later & De Jesus made another good save when he stopped an effort from West. In 84 minutes, the action continued when it looked like Marriott was going to score for the Stan but his effort, although on target, was blocked well by a Sheffield player. In the 3rd minute of added time, there was a great break by the Stan but Stephenson couldn’t get the ball in the net and the match relatively surprisingly ended 0-0.

Both teams had stepped up the pressure in the 2nd half & although both had good efforts to score, neither were able to get the ball in the net. Following on from this competitive match, the Stan are at home again on Saturday when they host Emley.

Kevin Mochrie

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It was the Stan who were merry men after this match as they comfortably beat Sherwood Colliery to go up to 12^th in the league. There were no changes from the starting line up that drew 1-1 at Cleethorpes a week earlier.

Both teams started trying to attack but, on a sunny afternoon, Sherwood had the 1^st shot after 4 minutes which was cleared. The Stan could have scored from a 7^th minute corner, but Shepherd headed wide. In 14 minutes, a ball to Beattie allowed him to advance down the left & send a cross into the box but a Sherwood defender managed to intercept the ball before it could reach a Stan player. In the 16^th minute, an advancing Richardson was intercepted but Lamb won the ball back from the defender, he turned then sent a low shot past the Sherwood keeper to put the Stan ahead. Sherwood responded positively & tried to get back into the game but Lamb nearly scored again in 21 minutes when, after Stephenson had  intercepted a loose Sherwood pass & supplied him, his shot hit the post. The remainder of the 1^st half saw Sherwood having a lot of possession but they did not create any clear chances.

There was a quieter start to the 2^nd half until in the 54^th minute Beattie took the ball off the Sherwood keeper, who was trying to walk it out from the back, but although Beattie got the ball past the keeper his shot hit the side netting. 2 minutes later & an advancing Beattie passed to Stephenson just inside the box but his effort went high & wide when there was an opportunity to score. The Stan’s lead was made comfortable in the 62^nd minute, when a corner from the right was sent into Capewell who headed into the net for his 1^st goal for the Stan. In 71 minutes, a Sherwood shot was well blocked by Shepherd. Both teams continued to try & attack but it appeared clear that the Stan were not going to throw away the 3 points.

It was a deserved win, although against determined opposition, & the Stan are now unbeaten in 4 matches. They now have their shortage league journey of the season on Tuesday night when they cross the Tyne to play Dunston.

Kevin Mochrie

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Although Brighouse is famous for its brass band, it was the Stan’s Lewis Brass & his outfield band of players who were top of the pops with a comfortable 2-0 win in front of a crowd of 422. There were 4 changes from Tuesday’s Senior Cup win over Whitley Bay with Brass, Shepherd, Slaughter & Stephenson replacing De Jesus, Marriott, Sayer & Burn.

In the High Heaton sunshine, both teams tried to attack from the start, but the 1^st clear effort came from the Stan after 7 minutes when Evans cut into the box & supplied Lamb who put the ball over the bar. Lamb then advanced again but was blocked by 2 defenders. This was followed by Brighouse’s 1^st venture near the Stan box but their cross was blocked although 2 minutes later they did get the ball into the Stan box but it was easily cleared. There was a sustained Stan attack in 17 minutes which ended with Evans putting the ball into the 6 yard box & although it was blocked, Lamb at the back post managed to send the ball back out to Beattie who blasted it into the net. 2 minutes later, Anderson supplied Lamb who was brought down just inside the Brighouse box. The resulting penalty in the 20^th minute was comfortably put away by Anderson for 2-0. Brighouse did try to attack after this but their efforts were easily dealt with by the Stan. They did get a corner in 24 minutes which Turnbull cleared. Brass then had trouble with his knee but was able to continue. After a quieter period, a speculative long-range effort by Richardson went over the bar. Both teams were trying to attack but with no real end product. A Brighouse long range shot after 35 minutes went high & wide. The Stan were battling well & in 39 minutes Lamb got past the visiting keeper & was brought down but he was offside. Lamb & Stephenson then attacked again but a foul was given for Brighouse. The visitors then had an attack blocked then cleared. They then sent a free kick into the box which was blocked by Richardson then cleared. Brighouse’s late rally continued with a shot deflected for a corner which came to nothing. The Stan though ended the half comfortably leading by 2 goals.

The Stan started the 2^nd half positively but little happened until Brighouse got a corner in 52 minutes. The ball from it was cleared & Brighouse then got a free kick just outside the box which was blocked. The Stan tried to attack but remained relatively quiet until, in 58 minutes, Anderson was brought down as he was about to advance. Brighouse’s Acquah was booked as a result &, because he had already been booked a minute earlier, he was then sent off. The resulting free kick from Lamb went round the Brighouse wall forcing a full length save from their keeper Cooper. A minute later & a Stephenson corner was initially cleared to Slaughter who sent the ball back in. Cooper got down to try & catch it but only managed to do so after competition from a scramble of foots involving 3 or 4 Stan players who were trying to direct the ball into the net. The Stan kept the pressure on their 10 man opponents. In 71 minutes, form a Lamb corner, Turnbull put the ball over the bar. It was mainly all Stan pressure now including sub Walker having an effort cleared in 81 minutes followed by Lamb shooting over the bar. Lamb had a shot caught by the keeper in 84 minutes before he was substituted. In 86 minutes, a Brighouse free kick into the Stan box was cleared followed by a rebound shot being caught by Brass. There was then a sustained Stan attack which ended with the ball going across the 6 yard box but missing everyone. After 4 minutes of added time the match ended with the Stan still in control & winning 2-0.

So, the Stan march up to mid-table (13^th) after a solid & hard-working performance. A win always looked assured after the 1^st goal went in on 17 minutes. On Wednesday night they have another home league match when they host Garforth Town.

Kevin Mochrie

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