What a day. What a season. The Stan beat West Auckland 3-0 to win promotion to Northern Premier League East Division in the 4^th tier of non-league. This was achieved in front of a record crowd of 2107 & was followed by the team & the Stan Army partying into the night. There was 1 change from Thursday night’s semi-final win over Birtley with Sayer being replaced by Slaughter who returned from suspension. There was a 100^th start as a Stan player for Leighton Hopper.

The first 6 minutes of the match saw mainly pressure from West Auckland but both teams were trying to attack. In the 6^th minute Reid past to Burn who was blocked & the visitors countered but put the ball wide under pressure from Brass. A Stan attack started by Slaughter was then headed clear & although the ball came back in it was caught by the keeper. 2 minutes later, a West free kick was blocked then cleared & Hopper countered & suppled Hornsby who was fouled. The resulting Stephenson free kick was headed over by Shepherd. Both teams were trying to attack & in 12 minutes a West free kick was cleared by Turnbull. The West keeper then had to catch twice before West hit the side netting in 19 minutes. In 20 minutes a ball from a Stan corner was punched clear by the keeper for another corner from which the ball was headed clear. The action continued at both ends & West had 2 corners before they shot over the Stan bar. Both teams were trying to attack but the defences were also working hard to stop them. In 31 minutes, the visiting keeper got to the ball just before Hopper. In 34 minutes, a ball from a Stephenson corner was headed clear before Slaughter sent it back in but the keeper caught it. In 36 minutes, there was a high defensive header from Turnbull but Brass then had to punch the ball over the bar. After Lamb had broke & was tackled just outside the West box, a Stephenson free kick was tipped away & down by the keeper although Shepherd’s close follow up shot was blocked. In 40 minutes there was some sustained pressure by the Stan ending with Burn heading just wide. 2 minutes later & the visitors shot wide & then sliced another effort over the bar. In the 45^th minute, Lamb was about to shoot in the box but was prevented by a good tackle. Soon after he broke again & passed to Reid whose header was saved by the keeper & Stephenson’s follow up shot went wide.

With nothing between the teams at half time, manager Dean Nicolson did what he had done on Thursday & switched Lamb to the right wing. In less than 2 minutes the change had paid off when Lamb passed 2 players on the left corner edge of the West box & instead of passing he shot from the edge of the box & his diagonal high ball went into the far corner of the net for 1-0 in 47 minutes . What a goal! Almost immediately, Lamb again passed 2 player & shot just wide. The Stan kept attacking & in 56 minutes it was 2-0 when Slaughter passed to Reid whose effort was headed off the West goal line, but Burn was there to head the rebound effort into the net. West were not going to give up, but the Stan were also looking for more goals. In 65 minutes, Hopper broke, beat 3 men & tried to chip the keeper but the ball went just over. In 70 minutes, Brass got down to put a West effort just wide. West then sent a diagonal ball into the Stan box but it went high & over. 2 minutes later & Brass had to push the ball clear from a West corner. In 75 minutes, Burn shot over the West bar. Both teams continued trying to attack & in 80 minutes a West corner was headed clear by Reid. This was followed by a sub Anderson speculative long range shot which the keeper had to get down to save. West then saw an effort from a free kick being headed wide under pressure. In 85 minutes, sub Doyle shot just over. Almost immediately the Stan were 3-0 up as Doyle passed to Anderson who confidently shot past the keeper. Sub Lashley broke but was blocked & West shot well over in 89 minutes. Into 5 minutes of added time & West shot over again. In 93 minutes Lashley shot just wide under pressure. The match ended with a joined up Stan attack which finished with Anderson being blocked & Doyle then slicing the ball over the bar.

After a relatively even 1^st half, the Stan stepped up a gear to comfortably beat West Auckland 3-0. The whole team put in a strong performance & as a result they were collectively given the man of the match award. Congratulations must also been given to Dean Nicolson & his management team. The team were also cheered on by most of the crowd including the Far Corner & the mini ultras. The result also means that the Stan have not been beaten at home in league related action since the 1^st game of the season & are currently unbeaten in 13 games. It was a historic day which paves the way for a future in a league (& the FA Trophy) & at a level that the Stan have never played in before in their 114 years of official existence. And no, it is not a dream- the Stan have actually achieved promotion & after only two seasons in Northern League Division 1. What a team!

Kevin Mochrie

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Interview – Dean Nicholson

Interview – Andy Burn

Interview – Paul Dixon (BBC Newcastle)

Success in probably the Stan’s most important match in their history means that on Monday they will play in an even more important match as they host the play-off final. Birtley had been slightly the better team in the 1^st half but the Stan stepped a gear in the 2^nd half & although they only won by 1 goal it could have been by many more. There were 2 changes from last Saturday’s win at Crook with Brass & Sayer replacing Corkhill & Cassidy.

A cold Thursday evening was warmed up by a bumper crowd of 1235 which included a good following from the visitors. Both teams started positively. In the 3^rd minute, Birtley keeper Gordon got to the ball just before the advancing Lamb, but the ball came back to Lamb although his effort hit off Gordon from close range for a corner. Both teams were trying to attack & in 12 minutes Lamb crossed into the Birtley box towards Reid but the ball was put out for a corner from which the ball was headed clear. Birtley then got a corner from which Brass punched clear for another corner & from it Reid headed clear. 2 minutes later & another Birtley corner was cleared by Evans. A 3^rd attack in a row from the Stan saw, in 16 minutes, Gordon getting to the ball just before Hopper & Lamb. In 18 minutes, a Stephenson free kick into the Birtley box was headed just wide by Reid. It was still end to end & in 26 minutes Reid shot just over from just outside a busy Birtley box. Gordon then caught from a Stephenson free kick before Brass had to catch from close range at the other end. Brass then had to catch from a 2^nd Birtley corner in 34 minutes. Both teams were still trying to attack but Birtley were having slightly more of the ball. In 37 minutes, Birtley attacked again followed by Gordon having to get down to save from Lamb. Another Birtley attack was cleared followed by Gordon having to catch at the other end. The half ended with 2 more Birtley attacks with the 2^nd seeing the ball being headed clear 1^st by Burn then by Evans. The 1^st half showed that the match could go either way although Birtley had slightly more of the pressure.

Dean Nicolson showed he meant business by moving Lamb at the start of the 2^nd half to the right wing. This increased his threat & he should have got a few goals if not for the skill of Gordon the Birtley keeper. In 48 minutes, a Stephenson corner saw the ball go high across a busy Birtley box but miss everyone. The 1^st few minutes of the 2^nd half saw mainly pressure from the Stan & this paid off in 51 minutes when the Stan went 1-0 up. Hornsby sent the ball into the Birtley box & although it was blocked it came out to Shepherd just outside the box & his blasted shot took a slight bounce which fooled the keeper & went into the net. 3 minutes later & it was back to defensive work for Shepherd as he had to clear from a Birtley attack. Both teams continued to try to attack. In 57 minutes, a Birtley corner was cleared by Burn. Birtley had 2 corners before, in 63 minutes, a Lamb ball into the visitors; box was put out for a Stephenson corner. From it the ball was initially cleared before Lamb’s follow up long range effort was spliced wide. Burn then sent a low range effort of his own into a busy Birtley box & although it was deflected, Gordon got down to save it. The Stan defence stood strong against another Birtley attack before Hopper had a great chance but put his effort over the bar. In 69 minutes, a Burn free kick went over the wall & hit off the keeper, but his rebound shot was blocked & cleared. A Stan throw in into the Birtley box was then headed clear followed by a Stephenson shot from the edge of the box hitting the keeper & Lamb’s rebound shot was blasted well over the bar when he should have scored. The Stan kept the pressure on & in 75 minutes a ball from Lamb was headed on by Reid but Gordon tipped it off the bar. It was a fantastic save. 2 minutes later & Brass  had to get down to save. The Stan shot wide then just wide in 79 minutes. Birtley then shot over the Stan bar followed by a Reid shot being saved by Gordon. It was then back to the Stan end & Birtley shot over. It was end to end with both defences having to work hard. In 89 minutes, a long ball to Lamb on the right saw him supply Reid who forced a fantastic leaping save from Gordon. In the 90^th minute, Reid headed clear from a Birtley corner. There were 4 added minutes as both teams still tried to attack. In 93 minutes, a  Brass clearance then saw Lamb counter & pass to Hopper who was brought down but the flag had gone up for offside. A Birtley attack was cleared & it led to another counterattack with Hopper supplying Lamb who beat the keeper but the ball hit the outside of the post & went out. In 95 minutes a Birtley effort was blasted over the Stan bar.

It was an entertaining & hard-fought game especially in the 2^nd half when the Stan demonstrated what they could do up front while still being strong at the back. They were only limited to 1 goal due to some great saves by Birtley keeper Alfie Gordon but this meant that there was the threat of Birtley getting a late equaliser.  The Stan now host West Auckland Town on bank holiday Monday afternoon in the play-off final. The prize for the winners is promotion to Northern Premier League East Division.

Kevin Mochrie

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With a play-off place having been secured in the previous match, the Stan needed 4 points from their last 2 matches to ensure a home play-off match rather than an away one. They stayed on course to achieving this after a hard-working performance saw them deservedly grind out a 1-0 win against tough opposition. Boro Rangers, visiting Grounsell Park for the 1^st time, put up a good fight & although they put on a great deal of pressure as the 2^nd half progressed, the Stan stayed strong & weathered the storm. There were 2 changes from last Saturday’s draw at Guisborough with Scott & Lamb replacing Turnbull & Reid.

The match started on a cold Thursday night with Boro shooting into the sun. The 1^st 10 minutes involved mainly pressure from the Stan but with no real threat attached. In 10 minutes, Hooper shot wide followed 2 minutes later by a Boro long ball to an advancing player but Brass got to it 1^st. In 16 minutes, a Stephenson long ball towards Lamb saw the Boro keeper get out of his box to get to it just before Lamb did. Hopper then flicked the ball onto Lamb, but he was blocked. A Boro attack was then cleared followed at the other end by Lamb supplying the advancing Lashley but his effort hit the bar. The ball came back in from Burn, but the Boro keeper got down to collect it. There was then a relatively quiet period although Sayer shot well over in the 30^th minute. There was though still some intermittent attacks from both teams & in 32 minutes a Boro free kick hit the Stan wall & the rebound shot went wide. In 37 minutes, from a Lashley corner, a Stephenson shot hit a Boro player’s arm & a penalty was given. Hopper, in the 38^th minute, sent the keeper the wrong way & scored to make it 1-0. There was some late pressure from Boro, including them shooting well over the Stan bar twice, but the half ended 1-0 to the Stan.

There was a livelier 2^nd half but with no goals. It started with a Hopper shot being caught by the Boro keeper. In 48 minutes, Scott had to head clear. This was followed by a Stan counter attack but the Boro keeper got to the ball before Lamb. Brass easily caught a Boro effort a minute later. In 51 minutes, a Stephenson long ball to Hopper saw the Boro keeper get to it 1^st. Both teams were trying to attack & in 53 minutes Brass had to punch clear a Boro effort. In 56 minutes, an advancing Boro player forced a diving save from Brass. From the resulting corner, the ball was headed clear & a rebound shot went well wide. In 58 minutes, a Lamb shot was blocked & there were calls for a Stan penalty as Hopper & a Boro player went down in the box. In 66 minutes, after a quiet period, a Boro counter attack saw the ball sent across the Stan box but no one was able to make contact. In 70 minutes, Marriott replaced Lamb to help strengthen the defence & protect the slender lead. In 74 minutes, the Stan shot wide. Although both teams had been trying to attack, the last 10 minutes saw relatively sustained pressure from Boro with the Stan defence having to work hard. In 83 minutes, Brass had to make a catch & 2 minutes later he made a great save. Boro attacked again but shot over. Boro kept attacking & Brass had to save again in 89 minutes. Sub Lennox then counter attacked but was offside. Soon after he counter attacked again but the Boro keeper got to the ball 1^st. There was a great moment in the last minute when Ryan Baily came on as a sub for his 1^st appearance in 18 months due to long term injury. 6 minutes of added time were played & although there was some more Boro pressure the Stan achieved both a clean sheet & 3 points.

There was delight at the final whistle throughout most of the 421 crowd as a determined Stan held on against late pressure to secure all 3 points. The Stan’s last league game of the season, where they now only need a point to ensure 3^rd place, takes place on Saturday & involves a trip to Crook Town.

Kevin Mochrie

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