Season: 2024-25
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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0 vs 4 0 vs 1 Heaton Stannington vs North Ferriby
After securing league safety with a game to spare, the Stan entered their last game of the season in both a celebratory & confident mood & secured a win that saw them finish the league in 12th place out of 22 and 8 points above the relegation zone. Their opponents North Ferriby ended the season in 8th place. There were 3 changes from the win on Monday at Ashington with Cassap, Turnbull & Burn replacing Corkhill, Capewell & Lamb. It was Mark Turnbull’s last league match as he is retiring after the Senior Cup final. Ryan Bailey made his 1st appearance of the season from the bench. The match also saw the 1st appearance of the Stan’s new 100 capacity covered enclosure, the 3rd 50 seat stand & a new turnstile unit.
North Ferriby were 1st to threaten in the 2nd minute when they entered the Stan box, but the attack came to nothing. 2 minutes later & the Stan had an attack cleared. After a continued quiet start, Errington supplied Hopper in the 9th minute, but his effort was cleared. There was another quiet period until the visiting keeper easily caught in the 15th minute. In the 16th minute, a back pass by a Ferriby defender took a deflection & the keeper had to punch the ball over his bar for a corner. From it the ball went across the Ferriby box & was cleared. In the 20th minute an Errington shot from outside the box was punched clear by the keeper. It was both a good effort & a good save. 2 minutes later it was North Ferriby who unexpectantly took the lead when a ball into the Stan 6-yard box was headed across to Johnson who put the ball into the Stan net for 0-1. Although quieter, the next 10 minutes involved mainly pressure from the Stan. In 25 minutes, a Walker ball into the box was easily collected by the visiting keeper. 4 minutes later & Errington ran into the box under pressure & shot as the keeper advanced, but his effort went wide. In the 30th minute, a North Ferriby counterattack saw Stephenson lose the ball & a visiting player tried to lob the ball into the net but his effort went just wide. Errington was then pulled down at the other end. From the resulting free kick Burn shot just wide. In 33 minutes, the Stan attacked again but the keeper collected under pressure followed by a Ferriby attack. Errington then advanced but the loose ball was collected by the advancing Ferriby keeper. In 38 minutes, the Ferriby keeper got down to block from the advancing Hopper then cleared again. In 42 minutes, Walker hit the side netting & soon after Ferriby shot wide from the edge of the box. In the 45th minute, the Stan were back level when the advancing Errington was supplied with the ball & shot into the net to the keeper’s left from just inside the box. Just before the half time whistle, Errington was brought down just outside the North Ferriby box but nothing was given.
Although both sides were trying to attack, there was a relatively quiet start to the 2nd half. In the 57th minute, Hopper ran into the visitors box with the ball but his weak shot was easily collected by the keeper. Hopper then got into the box again but was blocked for a corner. A minute later, & Hopper was into the box again & he passed to Errington, but the keeper got down to stop his shot from close range. Ferriby then attacked but the ball was cleared. In the 62nd minute, a North Ferriby effort from just outside the box was blasted wide. Soon after, a joined-up Stan attack was cleared. After a quieter period, Burn shot just over in 73 minutes. 2 minutes later & a Walker shot from outside the box was put over the bar by the North Ferriby keeper when it looked like it was going into the net. In 78 minutes, Cassap caught under pressure before another North Ferriby attack was cleared. The visitors then won a corner from which Capewell headed clear. The ball came back in & was headed over the bar by a visiting player. In 82 minutes Capewell had to clear. 3 minutes later & the Stan were in the lead when a Burn 30-yard free kick went through everyone in the box & into the net. North Ferriby didn’t give up & a minute later Cassap had to get down to save but he didn’t hold the ball & it went out for a corner. From it, a North Ferriby header at the back post was caught by Cassap. In 87 minutes, sub Bailey broke through but put the ball over the North Ferriby bar. In 89 minutes, a Ferriby attack was cleared & the ball was sent up to Errington who won the ball from a defender & passed to Hopper but he collided with the Ferriby keeper & the ball bounced to Groves but the keeper managed to dive at his feet & catch it. After 3 added minutes, the match ended with a deserved Stan victory.
So the Stan ended the league season on a high & can look forward to tier 4 football again next season. Before that there is the Northumberland Senior Cup Final against Morpeth Town on 14 May at Saint James’ Park.
Kevin Mochrie
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6 vs 0 Ashington vs Heaton Stannington
An Easter Monday visit to relegation rivals Ashington saw the Stan’s league resurrection completed by a win that saw them secure Northern Premier League East status for another season. A huge contingent of the Stan Army greatly contributed to Ashington’s highest crowd of the season which saw 707 fans witness the Stan’s success although Ashington were also save just over 2 hours later after Brighouse had been defeated & relegated. There were 3 changes with Corkhill, Shepherd & Slaughter replacing Brass, Turnbull & Burn.
The Stan attacked from the kick off, but Lamb’s shot was caught by the home keeper. Then at the other end, Shepherd helped stop an Ashington attack. The Stan then lost the ball but there was good work by Robson to recover it. Both teams were trying to attack but neither came close until 11 minutes when an Ashington corner was punched clear by Corkhill. In 16 minutes, Stephenson headed an Ashington cross into the Stan box clear & although the ball was sent back in, a home player sliced it over the bar. In 18 minutes, Errington was brought down as he advanced & the resulting free kick by Stephenson went over the bar. Both teams were still trying to attack. In 30 minutes, an Ashington corner saw the ball go across the Stan goal & it nearly went into the net at the far post. After 2 attacks that came to nothing, the Stan had a corner headed clear in 37 minutes. The last 4 minutes of normal time saw some sustained pressure from the Stan. In the 1st minute of added time Corkhill punched the ball clear from an Ashington corner & a relatively even 1st half ended 0-0.
Burn replaced Lamb for the 2nd half & it started with Errington charging into the home box, but the ball was eventually blocked for a throw in. 2 minutes later Evans cleared in the Stan 6-yard box followed by an Ashington corner being cleared. Errington then shot over at the other end followed by Hopper being shoved off the ball in the home penalty box but nothing was given. To the joy of the Stan Army, the Stan went ahead in the 51st minute when a long throw in was cleared in front of the home goal by the ball deflecting off a player & a bounce saw it landing at the feet of Burn who made no mistake in sending it into the Ashington net. There was some good defending by Shepherd 2 minutes later before Errington attacked again twice. In 59 minutes, Ashington shot over the bar from a corner. They then had 2 further attacks cleared followed by 2 Stan attacks that came to nothing. After a quieter spell, Errington was brought down in the 67th minute as he advanced with the ball. The resulting 30-yard free kick saw Burn shoot just over the bar. An Ashington long range effort then saw Corkhill get down to catch. This was followed soon after by an Errington shot being blocked by the home keeper & the rebound ball was cleared. In 73 minutes, Hopper forced a corner from which Capewell headed just wide. 2 minutes later & an Ashington shot was blocked by Capewell. The Stan were on top but Ashington were still a threat & in 79 minutes they had a corner cleared after Corkhill had dropped the ball under pressure. In 81 minutes an Ashington attack was blocked by Evans followed by a Hornsby counter attack although a defender got to the ball 1st. 2 minutes later Capewell cleared an Ashington attack in the 6-yard box & it was followed soon after by a long range Ashington effort going just wide. At the other end, Burn blasted an effort over the bar. The last few minutes of normal time saw some Stan pressure, but it was Ashington who came close in the 90th minute when Corkhill punched clear & when the ball came back in he got down to catch it. 2 minutes later & a deflected shot looked like it was going into the Stan net at the far post, but Corkhill managed to catch it although the flag went up for off side anyway. In the 4th added minute, an Ashington attack ended with a header going well over.
It was a hard fought but deserved win for the Stan. After an even 1st half, the Stan got the only goal of the game early in the 2nd half & held onto their lead through good defensive work, especially through Capewell, but they also kept looking for more goals with Errington especially playing an important role upfront. The Stan’s last game of the season is on Saturday at home against North Ferriby where there will be a party atmosphere as the club looks forward to next season as well as the Senior Cup final.
Kevin Mochrie
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