It was grim in Grimsby for the Stan as they were brought back down to earth after the celebration of having booked their place in the St James’ Park senior cup final 3 days earlier. Although there was limited action from both teams, Grimsby Borough seemed to want the result more & they definitely needed it as the 3 points meant that they are now mathematically safe from relegation. In the 1st half, Grimsby converted almost all their chances into goals while the Stan only had one clear effort. 3 substitutions at half time saw the Stan get back into the game in the 2nd half but they could not overcome the 3-goal half time deficit. There were 2 changes from Wednesday’s Senior Cup win over Newcastle University with Hornsby & Burn replacing Chrisp & Robson. 

With the wind behind them, Grimsby showed they meant business when, in the 2nd minute, they had a shot but it went wide of the Stan goal. They had another weak shot in the 8th minute but 4 minutes later they were in the lead through a Wireko shot from the edge of the Stan box. The Stan defence stopped a Grimsby attack in 14 minutes & did really well a minute later when a Grimsby header was cleared on the goal line followed by Brass saving the rebound effort. The Stan should have scored in the 29th minute when a Burn free kick saw the ball somehow not go in the net as it hit the bar & then also the keeper before being cleared. Grimsby though went 2-0 up with their next effort in the 37th minute when Flett lobbed Brass. A minute later & Brass stopped a Toppo shot but Ceesay put the rebound effort into the net for 3-0. It was a relatively quiet 1st half but despite this Grimsby had a comfortable 3 goal lead & the Stan had only really threatened through one free kick. 

Hoping to take advantage of both the wind behind them & fresh legs, the Stan made 3 substitutions at half time with Lamb, Evans & Errington replacing Hopper, Payne & Walker. After a quiet start to the 2nd half, Brass had to save in the 51st minute. The Stan were looking better this half & in the 61st minute they came close when they forced a good save from the home keeper, but the rebound Stan shot went over the bar. In the 67th minute, the Stan got a goal back from a set piece with man of the match Capewell scoring. Although Grimsby were tiring as the half went on, it was them who scored again on the break in the 87th minute when Ceesay was supplied in the Stan box & he made it 4-1 to Grimsby allowing them to avenge their 4-0 defeat to the Stan in December.

Although the 1836 miles on the road this season ended with a defeat, a great season overall was celebrated on the long bus journey home. The Stan hope to bounce back on Saturday & secure a 7th place finish, their highest in their history, when they host Hallam in the last league match of the season.

Stan Team: Brass; Johnson; Hornsby (Y); Burn; Capewell (Y); Shepherd; Hopper (Lamb 46); Payne (Evans 46); Pearson; Walker (Errington 46); Storey. Sub not used: Gordon. Attendance 165. Man of the Match: Dan Capewell.                  

Kevin Mochrie

 

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While some people in Newcastle were watching a parade, the Stan Army made a 3-hour trip to Grimsby & the team made sure that they went home happy & singing. The Stan convincingly beat Grimsby Borough, with a well thought out & excellent team performance. They dealt well with playing into the wind in the 1^st half & defended. Unlike Grimsby who didn’t so in the 1^st half, they took advantage in the 2^nd half of playing into the wind themselves & being able to attack basically at will. There were 3 changes from last week’s home defeat to Bridlington with Stephenson, Robson & Lamb replacing Shepherd, Burn & Turnbull. Jeremy Perera made his debut from the bench.

Grimsby had the 1^st clear threat in the 2^nd minute when they had a free kick into the Stan box which was cleared. In the 5^th minute another Grimsby attack was blocked by Capewell & 3 minutes later Brass easily caught. With the wind in their faces, the Stan found it difficult to attack but in 8 minutes a long ball from Stephenson to Hopper saw him shoot but the ball was easily caught by Higton in the home goal. 2 minutes later & a Grimsby free kick was cleared followed soon after by a great defensive block by Robson. Grimsby kept attacking & the Stan kept defending & keeping them out. The Stan eventually got another attack in 17 minutes but although Adamson was in on the keeper, Higton easily cleared. The Stan had another attack cleared 4 minutes later. In the 24^th minute, a Hopper effort was easily caught by Higton & 2 minutes later he advanced again but was brought down. A Grimsby player then broke but Brass got to the ball 1^st. In 28 minutes, a Stephenson free kick resulted in Hopper heading wide. In 33 minutes, a Grimsby corner was cleared & soon after another home effort was easily caught by Brass.  The Stan then had a shot blocked followed by Brass easily clearing a long-range Grimsby effort. In 36 minutes, a Lamb shot went across the home goal & wide. The ball came back in, but Lamb’s follow up shot was easily caught by Higton. Both teams attacked again & in the 39^th minute a Grimsby shot was blocked by a Stan defender & the follow up shot went wide under pressure. In 41 minutes, Robson headed clear from a Grimsby free kick & Brass easily caught the rebound effort. 2 minutes later & the Stan had a corner cleared. In 45 minutes, Robson headed out for a Grimsby corner from which Brass easily caught the ball. In the 46^th minute, Lamb broke but the high ball sent forward for him was cleared before he could get to it.

The 2^nd half started with mainly pressure from the Stan. There was a sustained Stan attack in the 48^th minute which include a Slaughter header being cleared. The positive restart by the Stan continued & in 52 minutes a Stephenson long range effort was caught by Higton. It was still mainly 1 way traffic & in 59 minutes a Capewell header, from a Slaughter throw in, hit the Grimsby post. Grimsby finally had their 1^st clear effort of the 2^nd half after 61 minutes when a ball from a free kick was headed over the Stan bar. The Stan pressure continued, including a Stephenson free kick being cleared in 66 minutes, until Grimsby had a shot deflected for a corner in 69 minutes. It was cleared & the long range rebound effort went well over the bar. It was back to Stan attacks & in 73 minutes, Lamb won the ball & passed to the advancing Errington, who had replaced the injured Adamson, but his shot went just wide. The Stan pressure finally paid off in the 74^th minute when Lamb received the ball in the home box & took his time to confidently shoot past Higton & put the Stan ahead. 3 minutes later & the Stan were 2-0 up. Lamb was brought down just outside the Grimsby box & the ball from Stepheson’s free kick was headed into the net by Capewell at the far post & his celebrations with the jubilant Stan Army behind the goal earned him a booking. Soon after, a long-range Stan effort was caught by Higton. In the 80^th minute, a Grimsby free kick was cleared & the Stan counterattack ended when Lamb was brought down but nothing was given. In the 82^nd minute, the Stan secured their win when a penalty was given for a Grimsby hand ball in the box. Hopper took the penalty & sent Higton the wrong way to make it 3-0 for the Stan. Grimsby shot over in the 90^th minute & 2 minute a long-range effort was saved by Brass who had had a relatively quiet game. Errington had a shot easily caught before the celebrations started after the final whistle.

This well-deserved win allowed the Stan to move out of the relegation zone & they are now 2 places & 1 point above it. A win at home on Friday night against Bishop Auckland will see them move up to 12^th place.

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