Season: 2024-25

Heaton Stannington vs Consett

Having picked up their first point of the season at North Ferriby two days earlier, Heaton Stannington ended the August bank holiday weekend with a first point at Grounsell Park with an entertaining 3-3 draw against Consett.

The away side had the first chance inside the first minute – Callum Corkhill’s kick up field was seized upon by a red shirt in midfield, who played the ball forward to their left winger. He ran into the area and tried to sneak the ball in under the keeper at his near post – it was off target but it showed their confidence in attack and willingness to hit us early.

The Stan took the lead on 10 minutes. A corner pinballed around the box, eventually landing for Hopper inside the six-yard box, but he was tripped as he tried to hold it up and the referee had no hesitation as he pointed to the spot. The only person with less hesitation was Hopper himself as he calmly side-footed the penalty into the bottom-right corner.

It was almost 2-0 just a few minutes later as some good combination play between Hopper, Sayer and Walker put Louis Anderson in on goal, but a heavy touch on the bouncing ball meant that he had to improvise and scissor kick for his finish, and ended up giving the keeper a save from close range.

Being more clinical is something the Stan need to sort out sharp if they are to start turning draws into wins. Having had plenty of opportunities to go further ahead, Consett seized upon some good fortune and equalised with four minutes of the first half remaining. The referee incorrectly awarded them a throw 18 yards from goal, which they used to their advantage, managed to work a cross into the area for Marc Costello to flick home.

Just before the break, Richie Slaughter forced a good save from the Consett keeper with a neat side-footed volley from the edge of the area.

The Stan restored their lead on 56 minutes. Kane Evans pumped forward a diagonal ball towards the penalty area, and Leighton Hopper got between the Consett centre-backs to control it beautifully. He had the time and space to work it onto his left foot and he bent a shot into the far top corner.

But the lead was short-lived – a cross from the right wasn’t dealt with and allowed Isaac Walker to drill a shot low into the bottom corner.

Things would get even worse just four minutes later as Consett went ahead. Another failure to clear our lines – this time from a corner – presented Liam Colledge with the chance to head into the far corner.

If there’s one thing we’ve seen so far this season, the Stan don’t go down without a fight, and they piled on the pressure to take something from the game. Having had one saved in the first half, Slaughter tried his luck from outside the box on 76 minutes and was successful this time.

The Consett keeper fisted away a corner, but the Stan got back onto the ball and kept the move alive. A second cross was headed out of the six-yard box, but only to our captain, who controlled, took it past one man, and then unleashed the cleanest of hits, leaving the keeper unable to do anything but watch it fly past his head.

Both sides had chances to win the game. Corkhill made a brilliant save low to his left on 86 minutes, and Connor Walker should’ve done better with an opportunity presented to him from Consett trying and failing to play out from the back.

Although it’s far too early to take the league table seriously, this point lifted the Stan out of the relegation zone, and once again there were plenty of signs to be optimistic about the first win of the season not being too far away.

Callum Corkhill; Kane Evans, Kailem Beattie (Jay Hornsby 58), Mark Turnbull, Joe Shepherd, Daniel Sayer (Marc Ellison 80); Andy Burn (Connor Walker 71), Richie Slaughter, Dan Stephenson; Leighton Hopper, Louis Anderson (James Harper 62)

Subs not used: Jordan Lashley

Liam Milburn

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North Ferriby vs Heaton Stannington

History was made at the Dransfield Stadium as Heaton Stannington picked up their first ever point in the Northern Premier League East Division – but they would’ve had three if they hadn’t conceded another late goal.

The first big chance of the game went to the home side midway through the first half – some good footwork from North Ferriby’s left winger allowed him space to drive a bal into the area, a gift for someone in the area, if only that person existed. They would have an almost identical chance at the start of the second half, again with no-one to turn it in.

The Stan responded with their first good opportunity on the half-hour mark as some good pressure from Marc Ellison forced the home side to turn possession over, Richie Slaughter seized upon the loose ball to ping a lofted ball into the path of Hopper, who dragged his defender this way and that before bending a strike towards goal from the edge of the area – narrowly off-target.

A few minutes later Konner Lamb had a go at a curling shot, this time from the other side of the box. Given that this was the same spot that he scored his play-off final screamer from in May, you’d have fancied him to find the back of the net, but it was an easy catch for home goalkeeper Ben Bottomley.

The Stan took a deserved lead on 60 minutes. Mark Turnbull lofted in a free kick from just inside the North Ferriby half which was gleefully knocked on by Danny Sayer. The men in amber were dominant in the box and eventually found Konner Lamb in an ideal position to shoot on his left. The home defence will have felt that they had him covered from his favoured weapon, so he improvised and flicked the ball with the outside of his boot and found the top corner. A goal just as impressive as his stunner in the previous game against Garforth – but in a completely different way.

It looked as though the lead was going to be short-lived, as just four minutes later North Ferriby were awarded a penalty when their right-winger burst into the box and was hauled down. But Callum Corkhill – deputising for Lewis Brass – dived to his left and confidently pushed the penalty out of danger.

Just as they have in previous games, the Stan could’ve put the game out of sight and made sure of their first win. A good low ball across the face of goal on 77 minutes was just missing a touch to double the lead. Minutes later a central free kick on the edge of the D was fired straight at the keeper.

The Stan are learning fast that they need to take their chances when they get them – and they were punished once again on 88 minutes. North Ferriby piled on the pressure, found space to cross from the right, and in trying to clear the ball, Marc Ellison turned it into his own net.

A heartbreaking way to drop two points in the dying minutes, but another encouraging performance showed that if the Stan can be more clinical and concentrate on seeing games out, the first win at Step 4 can’t be too far away.

Callum Corkhill; Kane Evans, Kailem Beattie, Mark Turnbull, Joe Shepherd, Jay Hornsby (Jordan Lashley 74); Richie Slaughter (Andy Burn 61), Marc Ellison; Konner Lamb (Louis Anderson 66), Leighton Hopper (James Harper 86), Daniel Sayer

Subs not used: Alfie Marriott

Liam Milburn

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Heaton Stannington v Garforth Town

Having brought them back to Grounsell Park following a 1-1 draw in West Yorkshire, Heaton Stannington were eliminated from The FA Cup by nine-man Garforth Town in an entertaining replay.

The Stan came flying out of the traps and within less than a minute had opened the scoring. A Connor Walker tackle midway into the Garforth half presented Konner Lamb with the time and space to shoot from around 35 yards, with his effort flying into the top corner. A goal to remember, especially when we come to choose our favourite of the season when all is said and done.

Just seven minutes later, that lead would be doubled. The Stan drew a foul in a position which would ordinarily be a good place to cross from, but Dan Stephenson decided to throw his hat into the ring for Goal of the Season and hammered the ball, squeezing it between the near post and the goalkeeper at full stretch.

Midway through the half, Garforth began to fight back. Connor Walker slipped with the ball in the centre circle, and Jay Davis seized upon it quickly. Spotting the keeper slightly off his line, and using the swirling wind to his advantage, Davis took one touch to steal possession and a second to loft the ball over Corkhill from inside his own half.

From there, the away side had their tails up and piled on the pressure. The Stan’s narrow lead survived until half time, but was eliminated just three minutes down when a Garforth player was bundled over in the box and Max Tweddle converted the penalty.

The game took another twist on 55 minutes. Konner Lamb was put through on goal and managed to get a shot away, albeit not the sort of clean strike he would have hoped for had he not been pulled back by the last man in defence Joe Smith, who was shown a straight red card.

A basketball match ensued as both sides had big chances – Garforth even tried another goal from ridiculously long range – but no-one could prevent the game going longer.

Having battled against 10 men, but without making their man advantage count, the Stan’s task appeared to get easier with a few minutes of extra time remaining when Jamie Barkway was shown a second yellow card. But it was the nine men of Garforth who secured a place in the next round, as substitute Charlie Marshall was found on the edge of the box, and his first time finish was cushioned low into the net.

A night to forget for the Stan, one that manager Dean Nicholson called the worst in his tenure as manager in his post-match comments. Heaton will return to cup action with the club’s first ever FA Trophy tie at home to NPL East Division rivals North Ferriby on September 7th.

Callum Corkhill; Liam Doyle (Kailem Beattie 46), Mark Turnbull (Alfie Marriott 74), Joe Shepherd, Daniel Sayer (Jay Hornsby 102); Connor Walker, Richie Slaughter, Dan Stephenson; Konner Lamb (Matt Foster 88), Louis Anderson (Jordan Lashley 74), Leighton Hopper

Subs not used: Marc Ellison, Andy Burn

Liam Milburn

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2024-08-21 Garforth FACP-R 2

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Garforth Town v Heaton Stannington

The Stan face the prospect of a home tie with former Football League giants Bury in the Emirates FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round – but an 88th minute Garforth equaliser in their Preliminary Round tie in West Yorkshire denied immediate progression.

After a bruising 3-0 defeat at Pontefract earlier that week, manager Dean Nicholson will have been hoping to see a response from his players. Both sides kept it tidy for the first ten minutes and signs were much more positive that this would be a more even contest.

The first big opportunity came for the Stan on 11 minutes, when Daniel Sayer – having played a beautiful one-two with Leighton Hopper on the left – was able to drive a mid-height cross into the area for Louis Anderson, who ran to the near post to meet the ball, but his flicked effort to the back post went agonisingly over the bar.

Moments later, the Stan were handed another chance to cause chaos in the Garforth box. This time, a floated Dan Stephenson free kick to the far side of the area was flicked into the six yard box by Joe Shepherd, but the home team’s defence got in front of Anderson to stop him having a shot.

Garforth’s first opening followed shortly after, as a searching ball from the halfway line wasn’t deal with by Kailem Beattie on the edge of the Stan’s penalty area, which allowed them a chance to shoot, but the effort was slightly too high, and would’ve been palmed away by goalkeeper Lewis Brass if it was lower.

The ball was in the net for the Stan midway through the first half. Hopper and Sayer combined again, this time Hopper pinging the ball from the right side to Sayer on the left, who used the momentum of the ball to loop it into the area for Konner Lamb who – much like Anderson for our first chance – flicked over his head to the back post, finding the net on this occasion, but denied by the assistant referee’s flag.

But a breakthrough came ten minutes later. Sayer was once again instrumental, played in behind down the left by Richie Slaughter, then had his shot pushed to the other side of the box by the Garforth keeper. Lamb leapt to strike the rebound towards goal, but was denied by another big save – except this time it was by defender Harry Viggars, who therefore conceded a penalty and could’ve had no complaints about the red card he was issued. No problem for Hopper who calmly tucked away his second penalty of the season and third goal overall.

With their man advantage, the Stan looked to make their lead more comfortable heading into the break, but Lamb’s right-sided effort from the edge of the area flashed wide of the far post. That attacking pressure continued in the second half as a panicked goalkeeper – under the duress of Lamb – played the ball straight to Anderson on the edge of the area with the goal gaping, but the Stan no.9’s decision to shift the ball between his feet took the sting out of the gift he’d been given and it went wide.

Garforth may have been a man down, but they never considered themselves down and out as they pushed for a route back into the game. A first time cross into the area on 70 minutes may not have found someone to poke it towards goal, but it was an indication of the kind of pressure the Stan defence would face in the closing stages.

Victory should’ve been secured for the Stan a couple of minutes later. A dominant spell on the ball in the final third – which started with the Garforth keeper giving possession away cheaply yet again – eventually found Dan Stephenson in acres of space on the edge of the area. A towering defensive header fell nicely onto his favoured left foot, but seconds later he fell to the floor in disbelief as he watched his low curling shot hit the base of the post.

With six minutes of normal time to go, Garforth would also crack the woodwork. A neat ball in behind from midfield to their left winger allowed him to run onto goal, carve between two Stan defenders, but his cushioned finish towards the near top corner smashed against the frame.

The home side had turned the tide and were determined to stay in the hat for Monday’s 1st Qualifying Round draw. No.8 and no.16 combined once again, and even with four Stan defenders in front of him, Muhammed Fadera found a gap to shoot low and snuck it under Brass to equalise.

Having rode their luck to stay in the game on numerous occasions, it was almost the ten men of Garforth who booked their place in the next round in the closing seconds. They moved the ball around well in a packed penalty area before finally getting a shot away. Brass had to keep his concentration to get down low and hold onto an effort that could’ve easily crept in.

The way the win fell away from the Stan at the end will have frustrated Dean and his players, but there was much to be encouraged about from the way they played. Although not a league game, this was the first game the Stan have faced this season against a side from the Northern Premier League East Division in which they avoided defeat.

If the Stan can be more clinical in Wednesday’s replay at Grounsell Park, they’ll face Bury – who were in League One until they were expelled in 2019 – on the weekend of August 31st.

Lewis Brass; Liam Doyle, Kailem Beattie, Alfie Marriott, Joe Shepherd, Daniel Sayer (Jay Hornsby 75); Richie Slaughter, Dan Stephenson; Konner Lamb (Marc Ellison 83), Louis Anderson (Jordan Lashley 74), Leighton Hopper

Subs not used: Callum Corkhill, Andy Burn, Matt Foster, James Harper

Liam Milburn

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