Season: 2024-25

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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Pontefract Collieries vs Heaton Stannington

The Stan’s first away game in the Northern Premier League East Division was another indication of the difficult task ahead this season as they fell to a 3-0 defeat at last season’s play-off semi finalists Pontefract Collieries.

Having felt hard done by and unlucky in the previous game against Belper to lose having gone ahead, there could very little argument this time as the West Yorkshire side set out their stalls from the first minute and frustrated the Stan from then on.

The home team’s breakthrough came after just over a minute. A free kick from Stan goalkeeper Lewis Brass just to the left of his penalty area was returned his way by a Pontefract defender which quickly put them on the front foot. You would have backed our 3-man central defence to deal with them this early on, but when Mark Turnbull lost his footing, a crack in our armour appeared. Mikey Dunn gratefully accepted his gift and slotted it under Brass.

Moments later, the Stan had their first chance to respond but Slaughter’s effort from 25 yards was high and wide. At the other end, Brass was forced to save at his far post following a Pontefract corner which eventually landed for an attacker in a lot of space.

The Stan struggled to settle for the first quarter of the game, with Pontefract’s dominance clearly frustrating our lads, leading to mistakes, turnovers and limited possession.

The deficit doubled on 27 minutes as the Pontefract right back received the ball midway into the Stan half, decided to run at the back line, cut onto his left and fired at goal. Brass got down to make the save, but could only push it into the path of Kieran Ceesay who was fast to react and squeezed the ball in from a tight angle.

The game was almost completely out of sight just a minute later. A failed Stan free kick sparked a counter attack and put Pontefract’s winger in a battle with Jay Hornsby down the left. The home side’s fitness and sharpness was evident throughout the game, and especially here as the usually unmovable Hornsby was brushed aside. The winger cut into the box, rounded Brass, but typical of a side that doesn’t let their heads drop, Hornsby recovered from losing his tussle to hack the shot off the line.

After a shaky start, the Stan grew into the game and while they never looked like taking anything from the match, there were glimpses of the ability that got us promoted in the first place. A left-footed Stephenson shot on 37 minutes registered our best effort on goal of the half, and three minutes later a header was flashed wide from a corner.

Konner Lamb is an integral part of the Stan’s attacking play, and will have considered himself unlucky to have failed to score on the stroke of half time, but also that he didn’t win the Stan a penalty after being hauled down in the area. The linesman’s flag nullified all possibilities, but better timing on Slaughter’s through ball to find him could’ve given the Stan a lifeline.

The introduction of Liam Doyle – a half time sub for Mark Turnbull who limped off for the second consecutive game – provided the Stan with a new outlet and suddenly more questions were being asked of the home side’s defence.

The Stan can take heart from the fact that having largely struggled in the first half, they more than matched Pontefract for the first 30 minutes of the second.

A mostly tight and technical spell turned into a light flurry of action in the final 15 minutes as the home side looked to make sure of their win. Two saves in a minute from Brass kept the faint Stan hopes alive, but they were ended once-and-for-all on 84 minutes when substitute Derry Robson pinched the ball from the tired legs of the Stan defence and fired into the far top corner from 6 yards out.

Nobody said it was going to be easy for the Stan at this level, and these opening games have proved that there is still much to do. After the game, manager Dean Nicholson accepted that they lost to a good team and didn’t get the basics right, but he is well aware of the ability, togetherness and character of the squad which has got them so far, and based on the never-ending effort and commitment shown at Pontefract, there is every hope that things will turn back in our favour soon enough.

Lewis Brass; Kane Evans, Alfie Marriott (Matt Foster 72), Mark Turnbull (Liam Doyle 46), Joe Shepherd, Jay Hornsby (James Harper 82); Andy Burn (Jordan Lashley 55), Richie Slaughter, Dan Stephenson; Leighton Hopper, Konner Lamb

Liam Milburn

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