Season: 2026-27
0 vs 0 
Heaton Stannington vs Knaresborough Town
The Stan’s FA Cup dream continues after a narrow win over Knaresborough Town & they have reached the second Qualifying Round for only the second time with the first being 77 years ago. It was a close & on at least 2 occasions a controversial match but after going ahead after 40 minutes the Stan deserved to hold on to win. There were 2 changes from Monday’s win over Ashington with Hornsby & Djalo replacing Evans & Errington. The match saw Dale Pearson make his 50th start for the Stan.
On a sunny afternoon, Knaresborough from a tier below the Stan in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division, hoped to cause a FA Cup upset. They were 1st to threaten in the 4th minute when they shot wide of the Stan goal. 3 minutes later & Lister got down to stop an effort from an advancing Knaresborough player. In the 8th minute, the Stan thought they had scored from a Gascoigne corner when Hall, the Knaresborough keeper, dropped the ball & it looked like it had crossed the goal line, but the referee disagreed. In the 13th minute, Pearson supplied Giraud, but he shot just wide. Giraud was looking dangerous again in the 21st minute when, from a Lister long free kick, he passed a defender but his ball into the centre of the box missed everyone. 3 minutes later & a Knaresborough long range effort was deflected for a corner. After a quieter period, in 37 minutes, Pearson came close to scoring when he blasted the ball just over the bar after being supplied by Giraud. The Stan took the lead in the 40th minute when, from a Gascoigne free kick, Djalo headed into the Knaresborough net. The goal came after a relatively quiet 1st half & livened things up. A minute later a Knaresborough free kick into the Stan box was headed over but the flag was up for offside.
Knaresborough started the 2nd half putting the Stan under pressure, but Lister collected the ball twice although the !st time involved him being fouled by a visiting player. Against the initial run of play in the 51st minute, Gascoigne supplied Djalo who turned & shot in the Knaresborough box but his effort hit the bar. After a quieter period, a ball from a Gascoigne corner was cleared. Soon after, Djalo & a Knaresborough player both jumped for the ball as it was sent forward into the Knaresborough box & the visiting player went down. Although the referee did not act initially, after complaints from Knaresborough players & speaking to the linesman Djalo was sent off for violent conduct in the 62nd minute. Soon after, Lister was flattened by a Knaresborough player who only received a yellow card. There was some Stan pressure in the 73rd minute although 2 minutes later a Knaresborough free kick went just over the Stan bar. In 77 minutes, Walker broke with the ball, which had been supplied by Pearson, but Hall dived at his feet to get the ball. 3 minutes later & a Knaresborough player deliberately collided with Lister. The visitors were getting more physical as they sought a way back into the game. In 84 minutes, a Knaresborough free kick into the Stan box saw Lister get up to punch the ball clear for a corner. From it, Lister punched clear a headed effort & the follow up shot from Knaresborough went well wide. In 86 minutes, a ball into the Stan box saw a Knaresborough player head the ball against the bar. As the visitors tried to keep the pressure on, a speculative long-range effort in the 89th minute was caught by Lister. Into 6 minutes of added time & Lister got up to catch another long-range effort & was flattened by a Knaresborough player in the process. Soon after, sub Boothroyd was brought down but nothing was given. Followed by 4 defenders, sub Errington twisted & turned as he approached the visitors’’ box & was brought down just outside it. From the resulting Gascoigne free kick, the ball went to Errington who dribbled the ball into the 6-yard box but was blocked for a corner. In 97 minutes, Knaresborough shot wide at the end of their 1st proper attack of added time. The final whistle came soon after & the Stan were through to the next round.
With a Wembley final still potentially on the cards, the Stan appropriately left the pitch to Doris Day’s rendition of Que Sera Sera. After only a 3-day break, the Stan next travel on Tuesday night to Morpeth Town who they play there in league action for the 1st time since April 1994.
Stan Team: Lister; Fil; Hornsby (Y); Kanda; Milburn; Shepherd; Gascoigne; Walker; Pearson (Boothroyd 90); Giraud (Errington 70); Djalo (R). Subs unused: Hopper; Storey; Morris. Attendance: 415. Man of the Match: Jay Hornsby.
Kevin Mochrie
Photo Gallery
1 vs 0 
Heaton Stannington vs Ashington
It was back to league action for the Stan as they hosted local rivals Ashington in a 12pm bank holiday kick off. The common theme from the last 3 cup games of not scoring from enough goal opportunities created & not finishing teams off nearly came back to haunt the Stan but a late 94th minute goal from Djalo gave the Stan all 3 points after Ashington had equalised. There were 3 changes from Saturday’s defeat to Wythenshawe with Shepherd, Walker & Errington replacing Hornsby, Storey & Djalo.
In front of a crowd of 512, the Stan were 1st to threaten in the 3rd minute when a Walker break & shot was caught by Alexander in the Ashington goal. Both teams were trying to attack but there was little threat at either end until a Stan free kick in the 16th minute was deflected just wide for a corner. From it, Kanda eventually shot wide. In 19 minutes, an Errington shot was easily collected. 3 minutes later from a Stan free kick into the Ashington box, Shepherd headed just wide. The ball came back in but Milburn’s shot from close range was blocked. In 24 minutes, Giraud was brought down in the visitors’ box, but nothing was given. Soon after, a ball across goal to Errington was cleared on the goal line & Walker tried to force it into the net but the ball was cleared. It was mainly pressure from the Stan now but with no end product. After 33 minutes there was some pressure from Ashington with Lister easily catching twice & a Giraud tackle stopped another Ashington attack. In 36 minutes, a Gascoigne shot was blocked followed by Errington shooting well over from distance. Both teams had another effort each before, in 41 minutes, a Gascoigne free kick went over the Ashington bar. In 44 minutes, Walker flicked on to the advancing Giraud who shot just wide. It was the closest either team had come so far. The half ended with both Gascoigne & Pearson being brought down but nothing was given on either occasion.
After a relatively poor 1st half, the action started almost immediately after the restart as the Stan took the lead in the 47th minute. From a Gascoigne corner, the ball went to Pearson who sent it back to Giraud on the edge of the box & he blasted it into the net. Alexander had dived the right way but couldn’t get to the ball as it went into the right-hand corner of the net. The Stan kept the pressure on & after a corner was cleared, a Giraud shot in the 50th minute was blocked followed by Pearson’s follow up shot being blasted high & wide. Soon after, Gascoigne did the same. The Stan pressure continued & in 55 minutes, from a Gascoigne free kick, Milburn headed the ball towards the net, but Alexander made a great stretching save to put it out for a corner from which the ball was headed wide. In 62 minutes, Giraud shot high & wide. Torrential rain started & in 65 minutes a Gascoigne shot was saved by Alexander. The Stan pressure continued & in 69 minutes a Giraud cross into the Ashington box was punched clear by Alexander just as sub Djalo was about to head the ball into the net. After a quieter 10 minutes, in 81 minutes, Giraud twisted & turned on the edge of the visitors’ box before shooting just wide. Against the run of play in 84 minutes Ashington were level. From a corner, the ball was initially cleared out to the edge of the box, but it went to Ryan Donaldson who blasted the ball through a busy box & it sneaked into the right hand corner of the net. In 85 minutes, from a 2nd corner, Giraud shot over the bar under pressure. 3 minutes later & Giraud advanced into the Ashington box & blasted the ball, but it was forced out for a corner by Alexander although there were calls for a penalty for hand ball. Into 4 minutes of added time, & it looked like the Stan were going to suffer for not converting more than one of the many chances created. In the 91st minute, a Gascoigne corner was cleared & Ashington countered & forced a corner. From it, Kanda headed clear. In 94 minutes, the ball was sent up to the advancing Djalo & although Alexander came out to clear it was Djalo who got to the ball 1st & slotted it into the net from a tight angle. A great goal & Djalo’s 1st league goal for the club. Soon after the final whistle went to the delight of the Stan Army.
So, the Stan left it very very late but got the win they deserved & an important 3 points. They are back in FA Cup action next Saturday when they host Knaresborough Town.
Stan Team: Lister; Evans; Fil; Kanda; Milburn; Shepherd; Walker (Hornsby 79); Gascoigne; Pearson; Giraud (Hopper 90); Errington (Djalo 63). Subs unused: Boothroyd; Storey. No cards. Attendance: 512. Man of the Match: Cyril Giraud.
Kevin Mochrie
Photo Gallery #1
Photo Gallery #2
2 vs 1 
Heaton Stannington vs Wythenshawe
The Stan were in cup action for the 3rd time in 7 days as, after receiving a bye in the preliminary round, they hosted newly promoted Northern Premier League West Wythenshawe in the FA Trophy 1st Round Qualifying. After dominating much of their previous 2 games, both in the FA Cup, & creating lots of chances but failing to score with most of them, the Stan did exactly the same today. They had most of the opportunities to score but could not find the back of the net unlike Wythenshawe who scored the only goal of the game in a rare attack in the 10th minute. There was 1 change from Tuesday’s FA Cup win over Kendal with Storey replacing Errington.
Although the Stan had started the match trying to attack, the 1st opportunity was for the visitors in the 3rd minute when a cross into the Stan box saw the ball headed over the bar. 2 minutes later Pearson advanced & shot but Forde in the Wythenshawe goal blocked & although Djalo took a follow up shot from 6 yards out, Forde put the ball over the bar. Both teams were trying to attack & it paid off for the visitors in the 10th minute when a player advanced down the right & crossed for ex-Burnley & Sweden Under 19 Mumbongo to tap the ball into the Stan net for 0-1. Lister blocked another Mumbongo shot after 14 minutes. In the 20th minute, a Giraud long range follow up shot from a free kick went over the bar. 3 minutes later & a Storey shot was blocked followed by a long high ball into the box by Hornsby going wide. In the 30th minute, Fil’s shot from just inside the box went just over the visitors’ bar. 2 minutes later & a Stan long range effort was headed clear. In 38 minutes, nothing was given after a foul on a Stan player in the Wythenshawe box. In 42 minutes, Pearson broke with only the keeper to beat but Forde got a hand to his shot. It was still Stan pressure & in 44 minutes a Hornsby ball into the box was headed towards goal by Djalo but it was easily headed clear. It was a fairly even 1st half which saw the teams separated by a 10th minute Wythenshawe goal. The Stan did have a number of chances but failed to find the net.
There was a quiet start to the 2nd half until, in the 51st minute, a Gascoigne free kick into the Wythenshawe box was headed clear & although Djalo eventually sent it back in, it was again cleared. 4 minutes later the Stan shot wide & in 58 minutes Lister had to collect just before a Wythenshawe player got to the ball. In 62 minutes, after Gascoigne was brought down, a Stan free kick into the visitors’ box saw Milburn miss it & Forde punched clear. In 66 minutes, Stan claims for a penalty from a hand ball were ignored & although Wythenshawe countered, Milburn stopped it. Soon after, a Gascoigne free kick into the visitors’ box was cleared & although Hornsby sent the ball back in, Fil’s shot went high & wide. In 69 minutes, sub Errington was brought down just outside the box. The resulting free kick by Gascoigne saw the ball go straight to Forde. In 76 minutes, Djalo won a corner. From it, the ball bounced on the goal line, but Djalo & the keeper couldn’t make contact & the ball went across the goal & out. It was all one-way traffic by the Stan now as they sought the equaliser that would at least take the tie to penalties. Their closest chance came in 85 minutes when sub Morris shot just wide. The Stan pressure continued, including through sub Boothroyd, & in 87 minutes sub Hopper was in on Forde as the ball bounced awkwardly but the keeper got to it just before Hopper. Morris then supplied Errington whose header from 6 yards was caught by Forde. Into 4 added minutes, & the action in the Wythenshawe box continued. In 92 minutes, the ball from a Giraud corner hit the vvisitors’ bar & the match ended after a Lister free kick into the Wythenshawe box was headed wide by Djalo.
A quieter 2nd half saw the Stan dominate but again they could not take advantage of the many opportunities created. As a result, Wythenshawe won narrowly & the Stan now only have the FA Cup route to Wembley, They are in action again in 2 days’ time on bank holiday Monday when they host Ashington in the league.
Stan Team: Lister; Evans (Y) (Gascoigne 78); Hornsby (Hopper (Y) 68); Kanda; Milburn; Fil; Storey (Boothroyd 60); Gascoigne (Morris 78); Pearson (Errington 46); Giraud; Djalo. Sub unused: Enwere. Attendance: 411. Man of the Match: Cyril Giraud.
Kevin Mochrie
Photo Gallery #1
Photo Gallery #2
0 vs 1 
Heaton Stannington vs Kendal Town
There was FA Cup fever at Willow Park as the Stan played Kendal Town for the 2nd time in 3 days. Just like on Saturday, the Stan should have had the tie sewn up by half time but made hard work of things in the 2nd half. In the end though they won by a comfortable 2 goals thanks to a mint Djalo hat trick & a great goal from Storey. There was 1 change from Saturday’s draw at Kendal with Milburn replacing the injured Shepherd.
Both teams started the match trying to attack. The 1st clear chance came in the 8th minute for Kendal when a free kick into the Stan box was put out for a corner. From it, a Kendal player headed over the Stan bar. After 12 minutes, the Stan had 3 corners in a row. From the 3rd Gascoigne corner in the 13th minute, Djalo headed into the net to put the Stan ahead. In 16 minutes, a speculative long range shot from Errington went just wide. 2 minutes later & Pearson supplied Djalo in the middle of the Kendal box & he passed the ball back to Pearson who blasted it over the bar. In the 20th minute, from a Stan corner, Errington sent the ball back across the Kendal box, but it was missed by everyone when it should have been in the net. Soon after, Giraud advanced past bailey in the Kendal goal but a defender managed to clear the ball. Pearson then sent the ball into the Kendal box to Djalo but his header was caught by Bailey. Both teams were trying to attack but it was the Stan who scored again in 28 minutes in identical fashion when a fast corner ball from Gascoigne was headed into the net by Djalo. The Stan kept the pressure on although Lister had to get out of his box to clear in the 36th minute. After a quieter period, Errington had a shot blocked after 43 minutes. In the 45th minute, a Djalo counter move saw him supply Pearson who eventually passed to Giraud & his diagonal shot across the Kendal goal was just put out by the diving Bailey. The ball from the resulting corner was caught by Bailey just before the half time whistle.
The 1st few minutes of the 2nd half were mainly one way traffic as the Stan tried to attack. In 50 minutes, an Errington cross into the Kendal box was cleared. Kendal then broke & shot wide. In 52 minutes, a long-range Kendal shot, through a busy Stan box, saw Lister get down to save. In 55 minutes, the Stan were 3-0 up & all from headed balls from corners as again a Gascoigne corner was headed into the net by the advancing Djalo. In 58 minutes, Jack Milburn (not the Newcastle one though) broke for Kendal on the left & blasted the ball into the Stan net from the edge of the box. It was back to mainly Stan pressure until Kendal shot wide under pressure in the 69th minute. Soon after, a Kendal player advanced down the right & into the Stan box but his shot was stopped by a full body save by Lister. A 3rd corner in a row for Kendal in the 74th minute, saw the ball hit a Stan player’s arm just inside the box. Dickson scored from the resulting 75th minute penalty to bring them back into the tie at 3-2. Soon after, a sub Hopper ball into the box was headed out for a corner. From it, Djalo headed wide. In 78 minutes, Pearson was pulled down in the Kendal box, but nothing was given. After some more Stan pressure, in 81 minutes Milburn could not stop an advancing Kendal player but his diagonal shot went wide. In 82 minutes, Pearson won the ball but his shot under pressure was blocked for a corner. The corner was cleared but soon after Gascoigne shot high & wide. In 84 minutes, the Stan Army could breath again when Storey won the ball & advanced before chipping the ball over Bailey from outside the box & into the Kendal net for 4-2. Into added time, & from a Stan corner, a shot from sub Enwere was cleared just in front of the Kendal goal line. The ball came back in, but Hornsby headed wide.
So, after taking a comfortable 3-0 lead, the Stan had to endure a nervy spell in the 2nd half when Kendal got back into the match with 2 goals. Everything was fine in the end after Storey scored with 6 minutes to go & it was good to see Djalo finally score for the club which he did 3 times. The Stan are back in cup action on Saturday but this time in the FA Trophy when they host Wythenshawe, but the win tonight means that the Stan senior team still have 2 chances to reach Wembley.
Stan Team: Lister; Evans (Boothroyd 56); Hornsby; Kanda; Milburn; Fil; Djalo (Morris 80); Gascoigne; Pearson (Enwere 88); Giraud (Storey 64): Errington (Hopper 64). All Subs used. No cards. Attendance: 342. Man of the Match: Sado Djalo.
Kevin Mochrie
Photo Gallery
4 vs 2 
Kendal Town vs Heaton Stannington
After a bye in the extra preliminary round, the Stan started their journey towards the FA Cup final at Wembley with a trip to Kendal Town in Cumbria. The tie contained all the ups & downs & tension & drama expected of an FA Cup tie. After dominating the 1st half & leading at half time, the Stan should have had the win sown up but 2 quick Kendal goals looked like they had lost until Hopper saved the day with his 100th minute penalty. There were 2 changes from Tuesday night’s draw at Silsden, with Errington replacing Hopper & Hornsby replacing Chrisp who was injured in the warmup. Stan A player George Riley made his 1st team competitive debut from the bench.
It was a hot & sunny day at Northern League Division 1 Kendal Town as the 2 teams met for the 1st time. The Stan started on the attack & in the 3rd minute a ball from a Giraud free kick was headed wide by Fil. There was more Stan pressure until Kendal’s 1st attack in the 7th minute was cleared. Giraud then had a shot blocked as the Stan pressure continued. 2 minutes later & Gascoigne passed to Giraud whose shot from just outside the home box went over the bar. The early pressure paid off in the 10th minute when the Stan went 1-0 up. Pearson sent a high ball into the Kendal box to the advancing Gascoigne who chipped the keeper & a defender & the ball bounced into the net. 2 minutes later Errington was held as he entered the home box, but the ball went to Djalo whose shot was blocked by the home keeper Bailey. The Stan kept attacking & in 17 minutes an Errington shot was blocked by Bailey & although Djalo got a close range rebound shot in it was blocked by Bailey & put out for a corner. The ball from the corner was initially cleared but it was sent back in, but Giraud’s shot was saved by Bailey & the ball went out for another corner. A Giraud free kick was cleared for a corner. & from it, Giraud supplied Errington, but he couldn’t get his shot in under pressure. In 21 minutes, Lister easily caught twice. A minute later & Gascoigne advanced into the home box but his shot under pressure was collected by Bailey. Both teams were trying to attack now & in 27 minutes Kendal shot over the Stan bar. 2 minutes later & an Errington shot was blocked followed by a Gascoigne ball into the 6-yard box being cleared. In 31 minutes, Lister had to get down to stop a Kendal shot. In 35 minutes, a joined-up Stan attack ended with Pearson supplying Djalo but his shot went over the bar. Djalo then won the ball, but both his shot & rebound shot were blocked. A minute later, a Gascoigne shot from outside the box went just wide. In 38 minutes, Errington advanced & crossed into the box, but Gascoigne sliced his shot high & wide. The Stan kept attacking & in 43 minutes a curving Djalo shot went high over the bar.
The Stan should have been ahead by 2 or 3 goals so there was still everything to play for in the 2nd half. It started with Djalo having a shot blocked & although Giraud sent the ball back in Peason couldn’t make contact. There was then some Kendal pressure ending with a corner which was partially cleared by Shepherd followed by Lister punching clear. A minute later & Lister easily caught. Soon after, Pearson advanced & passed to Errington whose shot was not held by Bailey, but a defender managed to clear for a corner. From it, Djalo headed just over. The Stan kept the pressure on but were making hard work of it. In 59 minutes, there was a huge blow for the Stan when centre half Shepherd went down injured & had to be replaced by Riley. After a quieter period, the Stan attacked again but they couldn’t break down the home defence. In 68 minutes, the Stan defence stopped Kendal getting a shot in, but the ball was crossed back in again to the Stan box allowing unmarked Wilkinson to put the ball into the Stan net. In 70 minutes, a Giraud free kick into the home box was headed clear. In 72 minutes, Lister came out to head clear but Wilkinson sent the ball back & although it was blocked he sent it to unmarked Milburn who slotted home past Lister for 2-1 to Kendal. The Stan Army were stunned by the turnaround in events as the Stan went from looking comfortable winners to now chasing a draw. It was all mainly Stan pressure until the end of the match, but they were unable to get many clear efforts in & Lister had to catch in the 77th minute. The Stan kept getting blocked in the home box as subs Morris & Boothroyd refreshed the Stan attack. In 85 minutes, Morris shot just wide. The Stan shots & balls forward kept getting blocked & in 89 minutes Gascoigne shot wide. The Stan pressure continued as 7 minutes of added time started. There were 2 rare Kendal counter attacks in 94 & 95 minutes from which Lister just managed to collect the ball in time & then Kanda won the ball to stop the 2nd. It was then back to the Stan with Boothroyd & Morris trying their hardest. In 97 minutes, Kendal attacked but they couldn’t get their shot in. In the 98th minute, Morris was brought down in the home box & the referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. The nerves were getting to everyone including penalty taker Hopper who had his 100th minute penalty saved but he blasted his rebound effort into the net for 2-2.
So, after a stressful end to the match, the Stan remain on the road to Wembley after securing a replay in the final seconds. The replay will take place on Tuesday night at Willow Park with extra time & penalties if required.
Stan Team: Lister; Evans (Y); Hornsby (Boothroyd 76); Kanda; Fil; Shepherd (Riley 60); Djalo (Morris 81); Gascoigne; Pearson; Giraud (Storey 81); Errington (Hopper 66). Subs not used: Chrisp. Attendance: 261. Man of the Match: Kane Evans.
Kevin Mochrie
2 vs 2 