Competition: Northern Premier League East

Heaton Stannington vs Emley

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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Heaton Stannington vs Sheffield

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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Carlton Town vs Heaton Stannington

Having named the same line-up for the last three games, changes were made for the trip to Carlton with Lamb, Slaughter and Turnbull missing, replaced by Anderson, Burn and Ellison respectively.

The opening stages were largely a tactical battle to put pressure on each other, without really producing any significant chances. Carlton showed off their impressive long-throw weapon on a couple of occasions in the first five minutes but they were dealt with by the towering Stan defence. The Stan’s first decent opening came on 17 minutes when a ball was flashed in low from the left but Thompson and Anderson could only watch as it flew past their feet. A wicked ball in from the right by Kane Evans three minutes later found the head out Thompson but he couldn’t direct it towards goal under pressure from a defender.

The Stan were playing well and were starting to look like the side most likely to take the lead, with the kind of attractive passing football we’re used to really coming through here. On 26 minutes, a precision ball from the left managed to squeeze between three Carlton defenders, perfectly onto the foot of Thompson who controlled with one touch and then laid it off for Ellison, who did well to adjust himself for a shot in a split second, but the shot was never troubling the home goalkeeper too much.

The game’s opening goal came on 40 minutes. Lewis Durow tossed the ball forward with a diagonal ball on halfway which was flicked on towards the box. Niall Hylton ran onto it, used his strength to hold off the Stan defender before firing to the far post on the turn.

The Stan responded well and tried to find an equaliser before half time – Thompson crossing dangerously but unable to connect with anyone in the area and cleared from danger.

The task became more difficult just four minutes after the restart. Lewis Brass’ goal kick was met by a Stan head, but the second ball was won by Carlton who quickly mounted an attack. The away defence were caught too narrow and after a number of flick-ons, Oliver Clark was able to run at Brass before finishing to the far post. 

On 65 minutes, Shay Richardson received a throw near the corner flag, quickly crossed and found Thompson in acres of space to bundle home. But it would prove to be nothing more than a consolation goal. A similar routine from a throw produced the Stan’s best chance to equalise on 87 minutes, but the black and white head that rose up to it couldn’t get it on target. 

The Stan are now winless from their last five league away games – and will relish the fact that the next four games are all at home, where their fortune has been much better so far this season.

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Dunston UTS vs Heaton Stannington

After nearly 2000 miles of travelling so far this season, the Stan only had to cross the Tyne & travel 8 miles to face Dunston for the 1st time ever in league action. Unfortunately, although they deserved at least a point, the Stan’s 4 match unbeaten run came to an end. There were no changes from Saturday’s 2-0 home win over Sherwood Colliery.

Dunston started on the attack & the 1st 20 minutes saw the Stan finding it difficult to get possession. In the initial 1st minute attack, a penalty was awarded to Dunston for a high foot by Slaughter as a home player tried to head the ball in the box. The resulting 3rd minute penalty though was expertly saved by Brass who dived the right way. The Dunston possession continued & in 7 minutes one of their players passed from the left across the front of the Stan goal to an advancing teammate but Shepherd managed get back & position himself to prevent him putting the ball in the net & it went out for a goal kick. The Stan were trying to attack but to no avail, & in 13 minutes Dunston headed wide. In 21 minutes, Evans stopped a Dunston attack allowing Stephenson to counter attack & pass to the also advancing Lamb who returned the ball to Stephenson but his shot was blocked near the left post. This was the Stan’s 1st clear attack & they started to get more into the game after this although Dunston still looked dangerous. In 30 minutes, a home shot deflected off Beattie for a corner but it could have gone anywhere. From the corner, Brass caught the ball which was then followed by a joined-up Stan attack although it ended with Lamb scuffing his shot. Dunston then shot just wide under pressure followed by another attack that was blocked by Shepherd. In 38 minutes, a ball up to the advancing Lamb was blocked by the home keeper & the rebound shot from a Stan player forced a great save from the keeper. From the resulting corner, there was a scramble in the 6-yard box resulting in Thompson forcing the ball into the net to make it 1-0 to the Stan in 38 minutes. 3 minutes later & Dunston were back on level terms when, from a corner after a great tackle by Evans, Swailes got up to head into the Stan net. In 43 minutes, Dunston were 2-1 up when a free kick into the Stan box was initially cleared but was sent back in towards the goal & was headed down to allow Devitt to kick it into the net. The Stan had some late pressure but they went into the break shocked by the late change in fortunes.

The Stan came out for the 2nd half with their heads held high & started positively with 2 early corners. In 53 minutes, Dunston headed wide, but 2 minutes later Lamb won the ball & supplied Beattie who did a 1-2 with Richardson but was blocked in the home box. Although the Stan were keeping the pressure on, it was Dunston who had the next clear chance in 64 minutes when they headed just wide. The Stan then forced a block then a save by the Dunston keeper. The Stan were now looking more confident & stringing passes together. In 69 minutes, a speculative shot by Lamb forced the keeper to get down to save. Lamb had another shot blocked 5 minutes later. Soon after, a Stephenson free kick into the home box was missed by Shepherd under pressure. After more sustained Stan pressure, they got an equaliser in 79 minutes. Thompson sent the ball into the Dunston box & it was headed into the net by Burn who had only been on the pitch for 3 minutes. The Stan sensed the opportunity was still there to win the match & kept the pressure on Dunston including through 2 free kicks into the home box. In 85 minutes though it was Dunston who were in the lead when, from a corner, Swailes again headed into the Stan net against the run of play. The Stan resumed their pressure & Dunston headed a ball clear in 87 minutes. In 89 minutes though, Dunston came close to scoring again when a solo run saw a player shoot across goal but the ball went just wide under pressure. 8 minutes of added time saw the Stan try to attack but with no more goals coming even though the match ended with Burn shooting just wide.

Although Dunston had most of the possession in the 1st half until its frantic finale which included 3 goals in 5 minutes, the Stan stepped up a gear at half time & were the better team in the 2nd half. Unfortunately, due to clinical finishing from corners by Dunston, they returned over the water with no points. The Stan now have a long journey on Saturday to Nottinghamshire where they face Carlton Town.

Kevin Mochrie

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Heaton Stannington vs Sherwood Colliery

It was the Stan who were merry men after this match as they comfortably beat Sherwood Colliery to go up to 12th 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 1st shot after 4 minutes which was cleared. The Stan could have scored from a 7th 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 16th 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 1st half saw Sherwood having a lot of possession but they did not create any clear chances.

There was a quieter start to the 2nd half until in the 54th 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 62nd minute, when a corner from the right was sent into Capewell who headed into the net for his 1st 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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Heaton Stannington vs Brighouse Town

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 1st 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 1st 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 20th 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 2nd 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 (13th) after a solid & hard-working performance. A win always looked assured after the 1st 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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Bradford Park Avenue vs Heaton Stannington

Heaton Stannington gave themselves a mountain to climb at Bradford (Park Avenue) – and never quite recovered from a shocking start which saw them 2-0 down inside six minutes.

It was the Stan who got the game underway, playing the ball straight back to goalkeeper Lewis Brass who launched the ball upfield. The home side sent the ball back his way and put him under pressure immediately. He found Liam Doyle but the right-back’s first touch was heavy, putting the ball on a plate for the advancing Jack Normanton, who was able to scoop the ball over Brass into an empty net.

The second blow was dealt just five minutes later, as Bradford’s left winger was able to burst past Doyle out wide and then play a perfect through ball into the centre for Connor Shanks to slot away.

Many in the Horsfall Stadium would’ve expected this to become a procession, but the Stan stabilised. The damage that had been done in the early stages meant that the home side were much harder to break down, but had the game remained goalless after the opening exchanges, there’s every chance this could’ve been a positive result.

After a quarter of an hour, Dan Stephenson tried his luck from 25 yards to attempt to pull back into the game, but it wasn’t too much of a challenge for goalkeeper Ed Hall. Another 15 or so minutes later, Konner Lamb was able to burst into the area and shoot, but again, the keeper only had to move minimally to get himself on top of the ball.

While the result will have undoubtedly been a disappointment for manager Dean Nicholson and his staff, the biggest concern of the afternoon will have been the loss of Leighton Hopper, Louis Anderson and Liam Doyle to injury, with the latter looking the most serious. But the effort of the players can’t be faulted – mistakes happen but it’s how you recover and learn from them that matters, and although they came away from West Yorkshire empty-handed, they can be pleased with their work rate and determination when the game settled to keep the score down and to try to get something out of it.

Attention turns now to a Coast Road derby against Whitley Bay in the Northumberland Senior Cup, which could prove to be a good opportunity to make some changes and build some confidence ahead of a return to league action next Saturday when the Stan are at home to Brighouse Town.

Liam Milburn

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Heaton Stannington vs Newton Aycliffe

Heaton Stannington climbed into the top half of the Pitching In Northern Premier League East Division table after coming out on top in a six-goal thriller with North East neighbours Newton Aycliffe.

Lewis Brass returned in goal after missing the previous seven games through injury – and the away side tried to put him under pressure from the kick-off, shooting from the halfway line but without enough lift or power to really test him.

The Stan struggled in the opening stages of the game with Newton Aycliffe playing with dominance and determination. Their first big chance produced the game’s first goal, with some neat passing getting them from midfield to the front line with two quick touches. Cieran Jackson seized upon the ball, weaved between two defenders to get it into his right foot, before slotting into the bottom corner.

Aycliffe tried to double their lead just a few minutes later, but Dan Capewell got down to slide in front of an attempted low cross from captain Ethan Wood. The resulting corner was cleared behind for another one – and from that, Joe Ferguson saw an effort from the edge of the box crack the post, via at least one deflection.

Having improved as the half progressed, the Stan bagged an essential equaliser on 37 minutes. The Aycliffe defence got in front of Joseph Thompson to block the ball from finding him for what would’ve surely been a goal, and then the resulting corner was saved well by the goalkeeper Jim Pollard, but only into the path of Leighton Hopper to stab home his seventh of the season.

Whatever manager Dean Nicholson said at half time had clearly had an effect, because the home side turned the game in their favour from the restart, creating all of the chances in a frantic opening 15 minutes. They deservedly went ahead just after the hour mark when a good spell of passing play in the opposition third ended up at the feet of Connor Walker with enough time and space to steady himself, pick his spot and fire the Stan into the lead.

Just six minutes later, a bit of breathing room. Brass got the ball forward, Joseph Thompson gambled on the flick from a teammate, battled with his defender to retain possession, and then racing through to slot it into the far side of the goal. Louis Anderson had only been on the pitch for around 30 seconds when he made it 4-1, running onto a neat flick by Richie Slaughter before poking home with his left foot.

It could’ve been even more comfortable just a couple of minutes later but Aycliffe’s defence tightened up and gave themselves a platform to rescue something from a game that had totally fallen away from them. It looked as though they would have a fighting chance on 78 minutes when they were awarded a penalty, but Dean Thexton blazed his kick over the bar, much to the delight of Stan goalkeeper Brass who received a booking for his overzealous celebration.

Aycliffe did pull a goal back to make it 4-2 in injury time through Cole Kiernan, but the job had been done earlier in the match with the Stan showing the kind of dominance and clinical finishing that some games have missed this season. Another historic night as the club secured its first home league win in the Northern Premier League East Division – and attention now turns to a trip to Bradford (Park Avenue) on Saturday to see if they can make it back-to-back league victories for the first time.

Liam Milburn

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