Competition: Northumberland Senior Cup

Heaton Stannington vs Whitley Bay

One hundred seasons since the Stan 1st qualified for & entered the Senior Cup, they were at St James’ Park for a 2nd year in a row to defend the trophy. This time they were the finalist from a higher division as their opposition was Northern League Division 1 Whitley Bay. After a relatively even 1st half, although most of the play took place in the Whitley Bay half, the Stan took an early 2nd half lead, but their opponents equalised 6 minutes later & neither team could find a winning goal. The match went straight to penalties & although the Stan had the opportunity to win with their 5th penalty, it was Whitley Bay who won 6-5 to lift the trophy. There were 2 changes from the final league game versus Hallam with Payne & Lamb replacing Burn & Errington. 

The start of the match was accompanied by singing & drums from the 3289 crowd who were mainly located in the East Stand. It was Whitley Bay who threatened 1st in the 1st minute although Brass got down to easily save. The Stan won a corner in the 4th minute but the ball from it went out. Soon after the Stan had a free kick into the Whitley box that came to nothing. In 7 minutes, Capewell got in the way of a ball into the Stan box & it went wide for a Stan goal kick. Both teams were trying to attack & in 13 minutes, Brass easily collected from a Bay shot. 2 minutes later & Hopper broke but was tackled. Soon after the Stan broke again & Hopper passed across to Lamb who supplied Walker but he shot over. The Stan were still pressing & eventually forced a clearance from Asikaogu in the Whitley goal. In 18 minutes Capewell partially cleared a Whitley attack then the ball was put out for a corner. From it, the ball was headed onto the hit the roof of the Stan net. In 20 minutes, Asikaogu got out to clear before Pearson could get to the ball. The ball from the resulting throw in was caught by Asikaogu. Walker was then pulled down & from the resulting Chrisp free kick, Shepherd’s header was easily collected by the keeper. Soon after, Pearson was brought down & Chrisp’s free kick was punched clear by Asikaogu. The ball went out to Lamb but his ball back into the box was cleared to Chrisp whose long-range effort went over the bar. The Stan had another attack cleared followed by a Bay attack which ended with a shot going high & wide. In 30 minutes, a Stan shot was blocked & the ball sent back into the Bay box by Evans was cleared. In 32 minutes, there was a joined-up Stan attack that was eventually cleared. Hopper was brought down and the resulting Pearson free kick from just outside of the Bay box went over the wall but Asikaogu stopped it & although the ball went back out to Pearson his rebound shot went over the bar. In 37 minutes, Bay broke & shot but Brass got down to stop it although the rebound shot was smothered in a scramble in front of the Stan goal & was eventually cleared. Although it was against the general run of play, Bay should have scored from this opportunity. 2 minutes later & bay attacked again but Chrisp cleared for a corner. From it, the ball was partially cleared before ending in the arms of Brass. He then sent a long ball up for the advancing Hopper but Asikaogu got to it 1st. Soon after, Lamb sent a diagonal ball to Pearson who eventually managed to supply Hopper, but his effort went just wide. In 44 minutes, Pearson supplied Walker who passed a defender & ran in on goal but his shot was saved by Asikaogu. During the minute of added time, the Stan had another opportunity to take the lead, but Pearson shot wide.

Despite the Stan having most of the ball in the 1st half, the 2nd half started goalless, but this was to change very soon. In 48 minutes, Pearson supplied Lamb in the Bay box, but he shot wide but a minute later in the 49th minute, the Stan were 1-0 up. From a throw in, the ball was passed to Pearson who advanced into the box from the left & his unexpected shot from a tight angle forced a great save from Asikaogu but the ball went out to Payne on the edge of the box & his shot went past everyone in the crowded 6 yard box & into the net. 3 minutes later, Brass got out to clear then Asikaogu had to also clear at the other end. In the 54th minute, Bay shot wide but the ball was deflected for a corner. From it, in the 55th minute, the ball was blocked in the Stan box twice before being slotted into the net by sub Nkunku for 1-1. The Stan didn’t give up & resumed trying to attack & in 59 minutes, Lamb sent a ball through to the advancing Pearson but, with only the keeper to beat, he shot over the bar. 2 minutes later & Lamb supplied Pearson again, but he was blocked. Bay then sent a long ball up, but Brass got out to clear. Bay then had another shot cleared out to the edge of the box resulting in a blasted shot that saw Brass get down to put the ball out for a corner. In 63 minutes, Brass got up to clear a Bay corner. Sub Errington forced a 65th minute corner from which Chrisp put the but the ball across the Bay goal & out. In 65 minutes, a Bay cross into the Stan box met an advancing player but his effort went wide. Soon after Bay attacked again & after the ball had been blocked & Robson had cleared, a follow up long range shot went high & wide. Chrisp & Hopper supplied the advancing Pearson in 70 minutes, but he was offside. In 73 minutes, a Stan attack eventually ended with Errington shooting well over. In 77 minutes, a ball from a Bay corner was headed clear by Shepherd & the rebound shot from the edge of the box went just wide. In 81 minutes, Robson supplied Chrisp whose ball into the box was saved by Asikaogu. Bay countered but the ball was cleared. In 86 minutes, sub Burn’s speculative long range effort went well wide. Errington then sent a diagonal ball into the box but it went straight to Asikaogu. In 88 minutes, a 40-yard Bay free kick went well over. In the last minute, sub Storey supplied Pearson but his shot was easily saved. Into 5 minutes of added time, & a joined up Stan attack saw the ball blocked in the Bay box 3 times. The Stan attacked again & this time Hopper was blocked. Bay were defending well & stopping the Stan’s persistent efforts. Against the run of play in the 93rd minute, Brass got out to punch the ball clear & relatively soon after it was all over bar the penalties.

So just like last year, the match was to be decided by penalties which were again taken at the Gallowgate end. Bay went 1st & scored as Brass went the wrong way. Hopper then casually sent Asikaogu the wrong way for 1-1. Bay scored from their 2nd penalty as Brass again went the wrong way. Pearson then calmly slotted the ball under the diving keeper’s arms to make it 2-2. Bay scored their 3rd as Brass again didn’t predict the direction. Storey sent the keeper the wrong way for 3-3. Brass went the right way for Bay’s 4th penalty but it sneaked into the corner of the net. Errington confidently sent his penalty into the top left corner of the net even though Asikaogu went the right way. The 1st 8 penalties had all been scored & it was 4-4 each going into the last round of standard penalties. Brass saved Bay’s 5th penalty to give Andy Burn the chance to win the cup for the Stan. He took the penalty well but Asikaogu saved it. For the 6th round of penalties, the Bay penalty went under Brass & Chrisp confidently put his into the left-hand corner of the net. It was now 5-5 & Bay scored from their 7th penalty putting the ball into the left corner of the net. Robson took the Stan’s penalty, but Asikaogu saved it for Bay to win the cup 6-5 on penalties. 

Despite having opportunities to win, & Whitley Bay tiring in the 2nd half, the trophy just slipped away from the Stan on the 7th & final round of penalties. Thanks must go to the Stan Army for their impressive turn out at St James’ Park. Despite the narrow loss, it was still a great achievement for the club making the final two years in a row & the Stan also have had their highest ever league placing, 7th in the Northern Premier League East Division, to celebrate. The Stan now look forward to the 26-27 season & the opportunity to aim for both league & cup glory. 

Stan Team: Brass; Evans; Chrisp; Robson; Capewell; Shepherd; Hopper; Payne (Storey 75); Pearson; Walker (Burn 75); Lamb (Errington 64). Subs not used: Gordon; Johnson. Attendance 3289.         

Kevin Mochrie


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2026-05-05 Whitley Bay SCF

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Heaton Stannington vs Newcastle University

It took the Stan 38 seasons to reach their 1st Senior Cup final, 26 years to the 2nd & another 45 until their 3rd & 1st successful appearance but it’s only been a season since then & the Stan are going back to St James’ Park to defend the Senior Cup. The Stan had to come from behind against a competitive Newcastle University team who had taken an early lead & the match was pretty even at half time. Thanks to a motivational speech by manager Dean Nicholson at half time, the Stan came out all guns blazing & ended up winning comfortably. There were 2 changes from last Friday’s win over Ossett United with Payne & Pearson replacing Lamb & cup-tied Hornsby. 

Under very wet conditions, there was cup fever at Willow Park & the match started with the Stan almost immediately testing Logan the Uni keeper. In the 4th minute he had to get up to save to stop a Shepherd headed effort. The Uni then had 2 attacks from which Brass easily caught both times. In 7 minutes, a Stan corner was headed clear. Both teams were trying to attack but it was Newcastle Uni who took the lead in the 11th minute when a run down the left saw Powell take a speculative long range shot as other players were also advancing into the box & his effort went past Brass & into the net for 0-1. 3 minutes later & the Uni advanced again but Brass got down to save. The Stan were back level in the 19th minute when a Johnson run forced a corner. From it, Robson headed forcibly into the Uni net from 6 yards for his 1st Stan goal. Soon after, a long high Stan ball into the Uni box was cleared by Logan before Storey could get to it. In 25 minutes, an advancing Johnson was pulled back but nothing was given. There was then a joined-up Uni attack but it ended with them shooting well over when they should have scored. In 32 minutes, there was a sustained attack by the Uni with 2 clearances followed by a long-range effort that forced a great stretching save from Brass. In the 34th minute, Johson got the ball on the right & advanced & shot but his effort was deflected just wide for a corner. From it, Shepherd got up to head & the ball was deflected for a 2nd corner from it the ball hit the post & was then cleared. In 37 minutes, the Uni won the ball on the right & the ball was sent into the Stan box towards an advancing player sliding in, but he just missed the ball. In 41 minutes, after Hopper had been brought down, Chrisp’s free kick went high over the bar. The half ended with a Stan attack being blocked & the match being finally balanced.

It looked like the Stan team had been fed rockets at half time as they came out on fire & battered the Uni defence. In 47 minutes, a Stan attack saw the ball hit the post & then went off Logan in the Uni goal & out. From the resulting corner, there was a scramble before the ball was cleared off the line for another corner. From it, Logan got down to catch. After these 3 good efforts, the Stan scored in the 50th minute when an attack was cleared but the ball was put back in to Storey who put the ball in the net for 2-1. In 54 minutes, a Uni cross into the box led to Brass getting up to catch. The Stan then had a corner cleared & was followed by a Uni attack which ended with Brass getting down to catch. In 58 minutes, Pearson advanced with the ball & rounded Logan & confidently slotted the ball into the net for 3-1. A minute later & Logan got down to collect the ball just before Hopper got to it. There was then a long ball to Pearson who advanced under pressure, but his shot was blocked by the advancing Logan. In 62 minutes, Logan got to the ball just before Hopper. Soon after, the advancing Johson was blocked. In 68 minutes, Hopper broke with the ball & rounded 3 players but Logan dived at his feet to get the ball. In 69 minutes, a Uni attack from the right into the box was slotted just wide. The Stan were looking comfortable but the Uni were not giving up. In 73 minutes, Pearson shot straight at Logan. 2 minutes later, the Uni forced a great save from Brass. From the resulting corner, the ball went high & out. In 82 minutes, Lamb won the ball in the Uni box, but Logan made a good save to prevent him scoring. Hopper, who had been to Lamb’s right, then advanced & forced a great save from Logan. In 85 minutes, the Stan were 4-1 up when Logan couldn’t get his hands on a ball coming in from Burn on the right which allowed Hopper to slot the ball into the net. In 87 minutes, a throw in into the Stan box saw a Uni player brought down. From the resulting penalty, Brass went the right way & made a great save. Lamb countered & passed to Pearson on the left but his shot went just wide of the far post. Into 2 added minutes & in the 91st minute a ball in from the left to Pearson in the Uni box saw him blast the ball into the Uni net for 5-1. Soon after, Chrisp blasted over the Uni bar followed by the final whistle.

A game of 2 very different halves, saw the 2nd relatively one sided in the Stan’s favour as they scored 5 goals in total to win for the 2nd time in a row. Despite the score, congratulations must go to the Uni keeper Ross Logan who delivered a great performance. The Senior Cup final will be played at St James’ Park on Tuesday 5 May at 7.30pm. Before that, the Stan have 2 final league matches with Grimsby away on Saturday & Hallam at home on the following Saturday.

Stan Team: Brass; Johnson; Chrisp; Robson; Capewell; Shepherd; Hopper; Payne (Burn 64); Pearson; Walker; Storey (Lamb 64). Subs not used: Gordon; Flynn; Errington. Attendance 436. Man of the Match: Sam Johnson.                  

Kevin Mochrie

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Heaton Stannington vs Blyth Town

After receiving a bye in the 1st round, the Stan started their defence of the Senior Cup on a mirky & miserable night & on a heavy pitch. It is 100 seasons since they 1st entered the trophy & this is their 53rd time but 1st as holders. The Stan won through to the semi-finals but did so the hard way as they should have tied up a comfortable win in a 1st half which contained a number of scoring opportunities. Instead, after picking up an early lead, they went into half time level & although Blyth stepped up a gear in the 2nd half, while the Stan stepped down one, they managed to hold on to comfortably win on penalties. There was 1 change from the home defeat to Pontefract with Johnson making his 1st start as he replaced Beattie. Ex Stan goalkeeper De Jesus was between the posts for Blyth Town.

The Stan started the match positively & in the 2nd minute Hopper forced a save from De Jesus. The Stan then had another attack cleared & in 4 minutes Pearson should have scored when he was 1 on 1 with De Jesus who saved. The Stan pressure paid off in the 6th minute when another Stan attack saw Payne supply Pearson who blasted the ball into the Blyth net for 1-0. In the 9th minute, a Blyth corner was cleared & resulted in a Stan counter which saw Payne supply Pearson who was again 1 on 1 with De Jesus but the keeper got down to put the ball out for a corner. From the corner, Johnson’s weak shot was cleared. Blyth then countered but Gordon managed to block the player & the ball deflected out for a corner which was then cleared. Both teams were trying to attack including through counter moves. In 14 minutes, a Johnson high ball into the Blyth box was cleared followed by a Hopper & Pearson joint attack which came to nothing. 2 minutes later a Blyth high ball into the Stan box was cleared. In 19 minutes, there was a good move when a high ball was sent in to Johnson on the edge of the Blyth box, but he lost it under pressure. Both teams had attacks cleared then in 21 minutes, a ball into the Blyth box saw De Jesus drop but then collect just before Errington could make contact with the ball. De Jesus then punched clear a Stan free kick into the box & Johnson’s rebound shot hit the post & was then cleared. In 24 minutes, the Stan attacked again but De Jesus got down to smother the ball. There was a quieter period until in 37 minutes a ball into the Stan box was blocked twice before being forced into the net as Gordon couldn’t get to the ball in the crowded 6-yard box. The Stan were straight back on the attack & continued to do so until half time. In 40 minutes, De Jesus had to catch the ball. Blyth then had to block or clear another 6 Stan efforts in just over a minute. In the 45th minute, Johnson supplied Pearson & they advanced together with the move finishing with Johnson passing to Pearson whose shot was blocked & although the ball eventually came back to him, he shot over the bar. The half finished with Blyth’s 1st attack since their equaliser being cleared. 

The 2nd half started more quietly than the 1st with an Errington attack being cleared in the 52nd minute. The Stan were not having as much of the ball this half & in 59 minutes a Blyth attack saw a high ball go across the Stan goal & was eventually cleared. In 60 minutes, a long diagonal Johnson ball reached Errington, but his shot was put out by De Jesus  for a corner. In 61 minutes, a Blyth corner was cleared followed by another 2 Blyth attacks. In 64 minutes, a Stan attack into the Blyth box was blocked & a Blyth counter was stopped by a Burn tackle. In 66 minutes, from a corner, the visitors sent a downward header towards the Stan goal but it was cleared. In 72 minutes, there was a great defensive tackle from Capewell. Blyth attacked again & forced a corner. From it, the ball was cleared then sent back in & Gordon easily collected it. After some Stan pressure, Blyth had 2 corners cleared in 78 minutes. In 82 minutes, a Blyth shot was blocked by Gordon, but it went across the Stan goal & out for a corner. The game was getting scrappy partly as the Stan couldn’t hold onto the ball. In 87 minutes, Gordon punched clear for a corner from which he caught the ball. Into 4 minutes of added time, sub Lamb advanced but the ball was cleared. A joined-up Stan attack was then cleared. In 93 minutes, a Blyth free kick was sent left of the Stan goal towards a player but Capewell made an important block for a corner. The corner was cleared & the final whistle blew signalling a penalty shoot-out. 

The penalties were taken at the car park end. Gordon saved the 1st Blyth penalty followed by Hopper confidently scoring for the Stan. Blyth then blasted their 2nd penalty into the net, but Pearson also comfortably blasted into the net to keep the Stan 2-1 ahead. Blyth then blasted their 3rd penalty wide while sub Storey cooly blasted into the net to give the Stan a 3-1 lead. Blyth needed to score their 4th to remain in the tie & did while sub Deverdics, who would have won the tie for the Stan if he had scored, hit the post to make it 3-2 to the Stan. Blyth had to score their 5th penalty but shot wide so the Stan didn’t haver to take their 5th penalty & won 3-2. 

The Stan are now only 1 match away from another St James’ Park final. The semi final will be against either Benfield, Newcastle University or the winners of Whitley Bay v North Shields. First up though is s trip to Bishop Auckland in the league this Saturday. 

Stan Team: Gordon; Milburn; Evans (Storey 89); Burn; Capewell; Shepherd; Johnson (Lamb 79); Payne (Y) (Deverdics 69 (Y)); Pearson; Hopper; Errington (Walker 67). Sub unused: Flynn. Attendance 170. Man of the Match: Dan Capewell.                       

Kevin Mochrie

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Heaton Stannington v Morpeth Town

What a night & what a season for the Stan who lifted the Senior cup for the 1st time and on the hallowed pitch of St James’ Park in front of a huge crowd of 3841. The Stan matched their opponents & the fact that they play in the league below Morpeth was not apparent from their display on the pitch. They held their nerve during the penalties & thoroughly deserved their win after 1st entering the Senior Cup 100 years ago in the 1925-26 season. They had not played in the Senior Cup final since 1980, having also played in it in 1964, & had not played at St James’ Park since 1990. Winning the Senior Cup rounded off a great season which had seen the Stan play at the 4th Tier of non-league football for the 1st time & deservedly avoided relegation including through only losing once away in the league in 2025. There were 3 changes from the final league game with Brass, Capewell & Lamb replacing Cassop, Turnbull & Errington. This historic match was particularly so for Dan Stephenson who started his 150th match for the club & Richie Slaughter who was starting his 100th. It was a family final for Kane Evans as his brother Rhys was playing for Morpeth.

The Stan started positively & had the 1st effort of the match in the 3rd minute when Hopper passed to Slaughter just outside the box but his effort went just over the Morpeth bar. Although there was much activity in the middle of the pitch, the next clear attack was for Morpeth but not until the 8th minute when the ball was deflected out for a corner from which the ball was cleared. 2 minutes later & a defensive mistake allowed Lamb in, but the Morpeth keeper mopped up the ball before Lamb could do anything with it. The game was still very even when, in 15 minutes, Morpeth attacked & after an initial clearance the ball came back in & they had their 1st shot of the match which went over the Stan bar from just outside the Stan 6-yard box. In 19 minutes, the Stan had a sustained attack which ended with the Morpeth keeper punching out a ball from Slaughter for a corner. From Stephenson’s corner, the ball was initially cleared but it landed with Lamb whose effort from the edge of the box went well wide. In 23 minutes, a Morpeth player sneaked through the Stan defence, but his shot went wide. In the 28th minute, the Stan came close to scoring when Stephenson sent a free kick into the Morpeth box to Slaughter but the ball was cleared back to the edge of the box to Stephenson whose long-range effort hit the bar. The Stan kept the pressure on & won a corner from which Robson had a header at the far post cleared on the line. In the 31st minute though it was Morpeth’s turn to have an effort when they sent a long range shot over the Stan bar from a good goal scoring opportunity. Hopper then had an effort cleared & it was followed by a couple of minutes of Morpeth pressure that included a clearance by the Stan then a shot going over the Stan bar under pressure. In 36 minutes, Slaughter supplied Lamb but his shot went straight to the Morpeth keeper under pressure. Slaughter, who was battling well, & Evans then stopped a Morpeth attack. In 39 minutes, a long ball into the Stan box saw great defending by Evans who was fouled. Soon after, a joined-up Morpeth attack saw Brass brought into action for the 1st time when he had to block with his feet. The ball eventually went back into the Stan 6-yard box but was cleared by Slaughter. A Morpeth attack was then deflected out for a corner from which Shepherd put the ball out for another corner which was cleared. In the 43rd minute, Lamb won the ball & advanced but was brought down just outside the Morpeth box when he had a clear goal scoring opportunity. The guilty Morpeth player, who was the last man, was booked rather than being sent off. The resulting Stephenson free kick hit the wall & Lamb’s follow up shot was cleared followed by an uneventful minute of added time.

The 2nd half although still relatively even, saw less chances for both teams. The 1st shot came in the 49th minute when a Slaughter long range effort went just over. The Morpeth keeper then had to parry shots by Lamb & Burn but this was followed almost immediately by Brass having to get down to block at the other end followed by Evans ensuring that the ball was cleared. In 53 minutes, Slaughter made 2 clearances followed by another by Shepherd. There was another Morpeth attack in the 57th minute which saw Brass get down to save a shot from the edge of the box. The Stan then had an attack cleared. In the 60th minute, a Morpeth 30-yard free kick went well over the bar. After a couple of Stan advances, Morpeth shot wide in the 63rd minute. Both teams were trying to attack but the next effort came in the 68th minute when Shepherd shot wide. In 72 minutes, Slaughter passed to Burn who sent the ball to Hopper & although he made a great run he was dispossessed just outside the box. The match was pretty even now with neither team really threatening. In 85 minutes, a Morpeth corner saw one of their players fall in the box allowing a Stan counter attack that was cleared. In 87 minutes, a Stan attack ended with a Burn long range effort going well over. Morpeth then attacked but a high ball was caught by Brass. Into 4 minutes of added time & a Morpeth ball into the Stan box was cleared allowing Hopper to counterattack but he was brought down. The resulting free kick into the box from sub Groves was cleared back to him & his follow up shot was caught by the keeper. In 94 minutes, a poor clearance by a Morpeth player allowed Hopper to have a shot but it was caught by the keeper. Morpeth then sent the ball into the Stan box, but the advancing player couldn’t make contact & the ball went out. The match therefore ended in a stalemate & went straight to penalties.

The penalties were taken at the Gallowgate End, nearest the Morpeth fans who were located at that end of the East stand. Morpeth took the 1st penalty & both teams scored their 1st 4 penalties with Slaughter, Hopper, Burn & sub Adamson scoring for the Stan. Lewis Brass saved Morpeth’s 5th penalty but then Langley in the Morpeth goal saved Walker’s penalty. On to sudden death & Brass saved Morpeth’s 6th penalty. The pressure was now on Dan Groves to score & he did so confidently for the Stan to win 5-4 on penalties. The team & coaches all ran onto the pitch to congratulate him & the Stan were now Northumberland Senior Cup Winners for 2024-25.

There were wild celebrations after the winning penalty & the Stan were presented with the trophy in front of their supporters in the East Stand. There had been a great confident performance from all of the team although specific mention should be given to Richie Slaughter who was outstanding all night in the midfield & for Lewis Brass for his 2 penalty saves. So, it’s time to celebrate & have a rest before the 2025-26 pre-season friendlies begin on 5 July.

Kevin Mochrie

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Heaton Stannington v Newcastle United U21

Tell me Ma me ma I won’t be home for tea, I’m going to SJP Que Sera Sera. After a 35 year wait, the Stan will again be playing at St James’ Park although it is 45 years since they have been in the Senior Cup final. A crowd of 1652 watched the Stan take on Newcastle United Under 21s in the 1st ever Senior Cup match between the 2 clubs in the Stan’s 52nd season in the competition. The whole team put in a fantastic performance against their full-time opponents who included players with international experience & some who have been in the 1st team squad including for Champions League matches. The Stan scored 3 great goals, achieved a clean sheet & restricted their opponents to just 2 clear shots. There were 2 changes from Saturday’s defeat against Carlton with Evans & Shepherd replacing Burn & Marriott. It was Kane Evans 100th start for the club.

Apart from a Newcastle cross into the Stan box going out in the 3rd minute, it was the Stan who started the livelier & in 4 minutes Hopper did a 1-2 to advance into the Newcastle box but Harris got down to save easily. There was more Stan pressure before Harris easily collected from a long-range header from a long range throw. In 6 minutes, Capewell headed just wide from a corner.2 minutes later & Adamson ran through, but Harris got to the ball 1st. The Stan kept attacking & in 12 minutes a Hopper shot was deflected for a corner. From it, Adamson headed just wide. Hopper attacked into the box again in 14 minutes, but the ball was eventually cleared. The Stan were 1-0 up in the 15th minute when a joined up attack saw Adamson shoot against the right post but the ball went across the goal for Hopper to tap it into the net. The Stan Army erupted. In the 19th minute, after 16 minutes of the ball only leaving the Newcastle half once, Stanton had Newcastle’s 1st shot of the match but it went high & wide. In 22 minutes, Newcastle got their 1st corner but Brass made sure he caught the ball from it. A long ball was then sent into the Newcastle box but it was missed by Slaughter. In 27 minutes Turnbull cleared in the Stan box. In 30 minutes, Hopper twisted & turned before shooting just wide from the edge of the box. In 38 minutes, Harris got up to save under pressure from a Stan corner. The Stan kept pressing & in 42 mutes a defender did well to stop Hopper shooting. A joined-up Newcastle attack in 44 minutes was stopped by a great block by Shepherd. In 44 minutes, Newcastle were down to 10 men when Bailey was sent off for a 2nd bookable when he fouled Walker. In the 4th minute of added time, the Stan headed wide from a throw in.

The start of the 2nd half saw Lamb replace Hopper. In 50 minutes, Harris got up to catch a Slaughter cross into the box. 2 minutes later & a Stephenson free kick at the side of the box looked like it was going into the net but Harris got up to save. Lamb & Walker were combining well although it was a Capewell header from a corner in 54 minutes that was deflected for another corner. The Stan kept the pressure on & in 57 minutes a long-range Lamb effort went just wide. Stephenson then took a free kick from halfway which was initially blocked before Lamb chipped the ball over the defence but Harris caught it. In 61 minutes, a Turnbull long ball to Stephenson was put out for a throw in. From it, Adamson shot from the edge of the box & the ball went through the crowd & into the net for 2-0. In 65 minutes, it was nearly 3-0 when a Stephenson free kick from just outside the box went just over. The Stan kept the pressure on & in 70 minutes, from a Stephenson cross, Lamb’s effort was saved by Harris. It was still one way traffic until Newcastle had their 1st effort of the 2nd half put out by Brass in the 77th minute. In the 80th minute, a Shepherd effort went straight to Harris. It was all Stan pressure until a Newcastle attack was cleared in the 89th minute. There was icing on the win for the Stan in the 90th minute when a Stephenson free kick from halfway was put into the net by Marriott. There was 4 minutes of added time followed by Doris day starting singing.

Everyone associated with the club was ecstatic about the win & the Stan Army partied into the night. Thanks must go to all the volunteers, Newcastle United for their support & help & to all the fans. As well as a cup final to look forward to, both the win & the performance should put increased confidence into the Stan’s fight to avoid relegation. Hopefully the impact will be seen on Saturday when the team travel to Ossett United who won on Tuesday night to go 6 points ahead of the Stan.

Kevin Mochrie

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