The Stan’s 1st home game for 25 days saw them back to winning ways against local rivals Ashington after a rare defeat on Saturday at Dunston. The Stan have lost only once in the last 10 league games & they increased their undefeated home run to 5 matches. Despite dominating the match & having multiple chances to score, the Stan only won by a single goal & had to withstand a late scare from Ashington to hold on to win. There were 3 changes from Saturday’s defeat at Dunston with Chrisp, Shepherd & Errington replacing Walker, Robson & Lamb. The Ashington team included 3 ex Stan players Jay Hornsby, Marc Ellison & Liam Wotherspoon.

The match was preceded by a minute’s applause to remember late Stan fan Davy ‘no trousers’ Faichen. The match started lively with the Stan getting 3 corners in the 1st 3 minutes. The ball from the 3rd corner went out to Payne & his rebound shot hit the roof of the Ashington net. After the good start for the Stan, Gordon had to get down to make a good save after 5 minutes. In 9 minutes, a Stan then an Ashington attack were cleared. Errington then counter attacked but his shot was caught by Ashington keeper Alexander. 5 minutes later, Errington had 2 shots blocks as the Stan started to put pressure on the visitors again although they were also looking for opportunities to break. In 24 minutes, an Ashington shot was blocked by Gordon & the rebound shot went just over the bar. Ashington then attacked again & finished the move by shooting just wide. In 27 minutes, Burns shot just wide. In 30 minutes, a ball from a Stan corner went across the Ashington goal but missed everyone. The Stan took the lead in the 36th minute, when a long range shot by Evans hit the post & the rebound shot was put in the Ashington net by Errington. In 39 minutes, a ball chipped into the Ashington box saw Alexander get down to get to the ball just before Pearson. In 41 minutes, a Stan free kick was blocked & was followed by a Payne shot that was deflected for a corner. From it, the ball was initially cleared then was blocked twice in a busy penalty box before it was put out for another corner. From it, Milburn’s header was caught by Alexander. A move starting with a Burn free kick, ended with Pearson shooting wide. The half ended with Errington crossing to Pearson, but he sliced his shot high over the bar. 

The 2nd half started like the 1st half finished with one way traffic from the Stan. Almost immediately, a Burns shot was deflected for a corner. From it, the ball was punched away by Alexander. In 49 minutes, Ellison was sent off for a bad late tackle on Chrisp who had to be substituted by Beattie as a result. The Stan kept the pressure on but Gordon had to make a rare save from a deflected shot in 54 minutes. In 60 minutes, a great move saw Payne send a diagonal ball up to Errington who crossed to Pearson in front of goal, but his shot went wide. In 63 minutes, Payne supplied Pearson who although clear on goal again sliced his shot to waist the 2nd of 2 great chances. 2 minutes later & Hopper sliced the ball over the Ashington bar. In 66 minutes, a Burn free kick was headed wide by Capewell. Payne then advanced with the ball into the Ashington box, but Alexander got to the ball 1st. The Stan came close again in 69 minutes, when a joined-up attack ended with Burn hitting the visitors’ bar. In 75 minutes, Pearson had a shot blocked for a corner. From it, Alexander punched the ball clear & Milburn’s rebound shot went over the bar. In 78 minutes, Errington had a shot blocked under pressure as the Stan could still not get a 2nd goal. Alexander came out to clear, & in 81 minutes sub Johnson made a run & crossed to Errington but his shot was blocked. He then sliced another effort over the Ashington bar. In 83 minutes, Johnson forced a corner & from it Alexander dropped the ball & it went out for another corner. In 85 minutes, Ashington had a rare attack that was blocked. Pearson countered & was 1 on 1 with Alexander but he got down to block the shot when Pearson should have scored. Both teams were still trying to attack, & in 88 minutes Johnson broke but his shot was weak under pressure & collected by Alexander. There were 8 minutes of added time & it gave Ashington the opportunity to try & get back into the match & steal an equaliser. In 91 minutes, an Ashington free kick into the box was cleared twice. Beattie then broke & passed a defender but he sliced his shot wide. It was a tense ending to a match that should have been comfortably won by the Stan, but they were managing to have much of the possession. In the 98th minute, an Ashington ball into the Stan box was blocked by Shepherd for a corner. Keeper Alexander went up for the corner from which the ball was cleared off the line in a busy 6-yard box & then was sent up the pitch although Evans had been bundled into the net unlike the ball. One Ashington player claimed a goal but just like England’s 3rd goal in the world cup final, the ball did not cross the line but unlike it, the officials tonight got the decision correct & soon after the referee blew his whistle for the end of the match.

It was an important win for the Stan but a frustrating one as they made hard work of it when they could have easily won comfortably by at least 4 or 5 nil. Importantly the Stan are back up to 6th in the league and in the 2nd of 5 home games in 15 days they host Pontefract Colliery on Saturday. 

Stan Team: Gordon; Milburn; Chrisp (Beattie 52); Evans; Capewell; Shepherd; Payne; Burn; Pearson; Hopper (Johnson 80); Errington. No cards. Subs not used: Lamb; Storey; Deverdics. Attendance 369. Man of the Match: Andy Burn.                       

Kevin Mochrie

Before this top of the table local derby most Stan fans would have taken a point but, having led until the 94th minute when Dunston were awarded an undeserved & controversial penalty, a draw felt like the grinch, this time dressed in black & not green, had stolen Christmas & the 3 points. Both teams went into this tie having won their last 4 matches & there was a lot at stake which influenced the competitive nature of this match. There were 2 changes from Saturday’s 4-0 win at Bridlington with Chater & Stephenson replacing injured Evans & Chrisp who was ineligible to play against his parent club.

On a cold & damp but dry evening, the Stan had most of the early pressure & in 9 minutes, an Errington ball into the Dunston box saw their keeper Lowson get down to save before Hopper could get to the ball. 2 minutes later & Gordon also had to get down to save & he did so again 2 minutes later. In 14 minutes, a Stephenson free kick into the Dunston box saw Capewell head back towards Hopper on the edge of the box & his shot went over the bar, The Stan kept pressing & in 17 minutes from a corner a Capewell header was blocked followed by an overhead kick by Milburn also being blocked. 3 minutes later & the Stan had another shot blocked. In 21 minutes, a Stephenson free kick into the Dunston box missed everyone & went along the goal line. The Stan defence then stood up well to block a sustained Dunston attack. The Stan kept the pressure on but couldn’t turn it into goals although Hopper had a good effort blocked in the 40th minute. A minute later & a Dunston shot towards the right-hand corner of the Stan goal was put just wide by Gordon who got a hand to the ball. From the resulting corner, Pearson headed clear. Milburn then supplied Pearson who crossed to the advancing Stephenson whose blasting shot from just outside the box forced a great save from Lowson. 

Dunston started the 2nd half on the attack & they shot wide in the 47th minute. The Stan then had a period of sustained pressure including 2 corners. In 54 minutes, Walker was hacked down as he was through on goal. From the resulting 30 yard free kick in the 55th minute, Stephenson put the ball through the crowded box & it went under the diving Lowson & into the net to give the Stan a lead. Both teams continued to try to attack & in 60 minutes Hopper crossed to Errington, but his shot was easily stopped by Lowson. In 65 minutes, an Errington long range effort was caught by Lowson. The Stan were not sitting back as they tried to get a 2nd goal to kill off the tie. In 71 minutes, Gordon caught the ball from a Dunston free kick. Hopper then countered but his ball into the box was cleared. 2 minutes later & a Dunston free kick into the Stan box was headed clear by Shepherd. In 84 minutes, Gordon caught under pressure, but both teams were basically now cancelling each other out. Pearson then supplied the advancing sub Johnson but Lowson got to the ball 1st. In 88 minutes, a Dunston attack was cleared at the 2nd attempt. 2 minutes later & a joined up Stan attack saw Hopper come close, but he was blocked from taking a shot in the 6 yard box. There were 4 minutes of added time, & in 92 minutes Lowson sent a long ball up the pitch towards an accelerating Dunston player who got online with Shepherd & ‘stumbled’ & fell in the box as the ball bounced in front of them & into the hands of Gordon. To the shock of most people present but to the delight of the Dunston players who had complained & pestered him all evening, the referee awarded a penalty. McDonald took the penalty & the ball went into the net off the right post. The Stan frantically tried to attack but the match ended with Gordon having to come out to clear.

The Stan deserved to win this match after battling throughout & the team’s passing & pressing was of a high standard. Dunston played well at times but did not deserve to get anything out of this match. The Stan now host league leaders Redcar Athletic on Saturday.

Stan Team: Gordon; Milburn (Y) (Beattie 89); Stephenson; Burn; Capewell; Shepherd (Y); Hopper (Y); Chater; Pearson; Walker; Errington (Johnson 75). Subs not used:  Lamb; Storey; Payne. Attendance 391. Man of the Match: Ryan Chater.                       

Kevin Mochrie

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Grimsby Borough returned to High Heaton for the 2nd time in 11 days but tonight the match was completed unlike the 1st attempt which was abandoned due to a flooded pitch after 24 minutes with the Stan leading 1-0 & with Grimsby having missed a penalty. Building on Saturday’s 2-0 home win over Brighouse, the Stan had a comfortable 4-0 win over Grimsby & delivered a confident & entertaining performance for the Stan Army. There were 2 changes with Milburn & Errington replacing Robson & Lamb. The team was the same one that started the abandoned match against Grimsby.

On a blustery but mild evening the rain luckily stayed away. The Stan started on the attack & in the 2nd minute, after the ball from a corner was initially cleared, the ball came back into the 6-yard box & was cleared for another corner. The opening period was dominated by the Stan & the only 2 early Grimsby attacks were easily cleared in the 7th & 10th minutes. In the 11th minute, a speculative Stephenson long range effort went well over. 2 minutes later, & Evans nipped in front of an advancing Grimsby player to get the ball & stop the attack. Another Grimsby attack was cleared a minute later which led to Pearson advancing with the ball & he was brought down in the box by Lovett who was sent off. The penalty was taken by Hopper in the 16th minute who confidently sent the ball down the middle & into the net with the Grimsby keeper Auton diving to his left. So, with nearly 75 minutes still to go the Stan were 1-0 up & Grimsby were down to 10 men. The Stan kept attacking & in the 21st minute Errington crossed to the advancing Hopper in the box, but he couldn’t make contact with the ball & it was cleared. In 23 minutes, Walker shot from just outside the box, but Auton got down to save. In the 30th minute, the Stan were 2-0 up when a Stephenson ball into the Grimsby box was confidently put into the net by Pearson. A minute later & Pearson nicked the ball of a Grimsby defender & although his shot was on target it was deflected just wide for a corner. From the corner, the ball went initially out to the edge of the box but was sent back into the 6 yard box where there was a scramble but Auton managed to get himself on top of the ball. Play was being dominated by the Stan & in 36 minutes a Stephenson long range effort was caught by Auton. 3 minutes later & a Grimsby throw in into the Stan box was headed clear & the Stan counter attack involved 4 players, but the ball was eventually cleared. In 41 minutes, a Chrisp ball into the Grimsby box was blocked. Walker then supplied Pearson whose long range shot went just wide. Chrisp then sent a high cross into the box but it went wide & out. Soon after, Gordon came out to stop a Grimsby attack but missed the ball but luckily the Grimsby player’s shot deflected off him for a corner. From the corner, the ball went across the goal line to a Grimsby player at the far post, but his close shot was cleared off the line by Shepherd for another corner.

The 2nd half started with more Stan pressure & in 48 minutes Auton had to punch the ball clear although it was sent back in & he had to catch it. In 51 minutes, the Stan increased their lead when, from a joined-up attack, the ball was sent through by Stephenson to the advancing Pearson in the Grimsby box & he slotted the ball past Auton & into the net. 3 minutes later & Walker shot just wide. Hopper then crossed to towards the advancing Errington, but Auton got to the ball 1st. In 61 minutes, a Grimsby free kick was easily caught by Gordon. This was followed at the other end by an Errington shot from the edge of the box which was easily caught by Auton. There was more intermittent Stan pressure in between substitutions & in 73 minutes sub Johnson chipped the ball over the Grimsby bar from a corner. In 75 minutes, Pearson advanced with the ball & slotted it past Auton to make it 4-0 and get his hat trick. In 81 minutes, Johnson crossed to sub Lamb who shot just wide. 2 minutes later & sub Chater shot straight at Auton. The Stan kept pressing but the match ended still 4-0 to the Stan.

So a comfortable win & good team effort for the Stan saw them move up the table to 5th & into a play off place. On Saturday the Stan make the long journey to the Yorkshire seaside when they visit Bridlington Town.

Stan Team: Gordon; Milburn (Chater 76); Chrisp (Beattie 78); Evans; Capewell; Shepherd; Hopper (Storey 66); Walker; Pearson (Lamb 76); Stephenson; Errington (Johnson 66). No cards. All Subs used. Attendance 208. Man of the Match: Dale Pearson.                        

Kevin Mochrie

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Although the vast majority of the 408 crowd at sunny Willow Park had come to see the Stan play & win, it was Emley who undeservedly went away with all 3 points. There was not much between the 2 teams & while Emley went ahead because of 2 debateable decisions by the officials, the Stan did get a goal back with 20 minutes remaining & although they rallied for the remainder of the match, they could not find the net again. There were 3 changes from last Saturday’s win at Garforth Town with Evans, Beattie & Burn replacing Milburn, Stephenson & Slaughter. Leighton Hopper made his 150th start for the Stan & also scored as well as being awarded man of the match. 

With the backdrop of the fantastic new Heaton Stan Harry banner, both teams tried to attack from the kick off & after 4 minutes Burn shot wide. There was then a scramble in the Emley box which was cleared. 4 minutes later & an Emley attack was cleared. After 10 minutes, a long ball by Adamson saw Pearson break with the ball but was blocked. In 14 minutes, Lambton in the Emley goal caught a ball from a Beattie free kick. With 20 minutes gone, both teams were still trying to attack but the defences were doing well. Hopper was then hacked down on halfway, but nothing was given. In 24 minutes, an Emley ball into the Stan box was headed clear by Capewell. In 32 minutes, 4 minutes after a Pearson advance at the other end that came to nothing, a ball from an Emley free kick was headed just wide although the whistle had been blown for a foul for the Stan. In 37 minutes, Robson went in for the ball to stop an advancing Emley player but although he got to the ball 1st, the referee decided to award a penalty. Emley’s Gordon confidently put the ball in the left-hand corner of the Stan net to make it 1-0 to Emley after 38 minutes. The match had been relatively even until then & the Stan continued immediately trying to attack with Adamson shooting in the crowded Emley box, but Lambton caught his effort. The Stan kept the pressure on until half time including a Robson cross in 44 minutes being headed clear followed by a Burn free kick being caught by Lambton, but the half ended with Emley maintaining their slender lead.

Lamb replaced Beattie for the 2nd half as the Stan sought to get back into the game. It was Emley who threatened 1st in the 46th minute when they shot just wide. There was a quieter period until the 57th minute when an Emley player hit the side netting. Hopper then had a shot blocked. This was immediately followed with Emley’s Thompson breaking forward & his long-range effort beat Gordon & went into the Stan net. There were calls for offside, but they were ignored as the Stan went 2 goals down. Soon after the Stan forced 2 saves from Lambton. After 68 minutes, a Walker cross to Pearson saw him shoot across the Emley goal with his effort going just wide. In 70 minutes, Pearson broke through the Emley defence & into their box but was shoved down from behind. This resulted in Emley’s Barks being sent off & a penalty being awarded. The penalty, in the 72nd minute, was scored by Hopper who reduced the deficit to 1-2. Most of the remainder of the half saw Stan pressure as they tried to at least get an equaliser & maybe a winning goal. In 73 minutes, a ball from a Burn free kick was headed clear. A 2nd Burn free kick was also cleared twice. The Stan pressure continued but the next clear chance was after 82 minutes when a Capewell header was cleared. Despite the continued Stan pressure, the next clear chance was in 89 minutes when a ball into the Emley box fell to Evans in the 6-yard box whose shot was blocked. There was a great opportunity for an equaliser a minute later when Pearson turned & shot but his effort was blocked by Lambton for a corner. The Stan attacks continued & Hopper was brought down in the box in the 95th minute but nothing was given. The ball was sent back into the Emley box, but Hopper headed over the bar. The Stan soon after won a corner, which Gordon went up for, but it was cleared & the final whistle was blown as the Stan started to attack again.

So, despite the late rally, the Stan failed to enforce their authority on the match & 2 unfortunate goals conceded meant that it was the visitors who left with the 3 points. The Stan remain 10th in the league but face a difficult & long day on Saturday when they travel to Derbyshire to take on 2nd place Matlock Town.

Stan Team: Gordon; Evans; Beattie (Lamb 46); Robson (Y); Capewell; Shepherd; Hopper; Burn; Adamson (Errington 67); Walker (Storey 92); Pearson. Subs not used: Flynn; Milburn. Attendance 408. MoM: Leighton Hopper.                          

Kevin Mochrie

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Photo Gallery #2

The Stan’s 6 match undefeated run in the league ended abruptly as they were deservedly beaten by Bridlington Town. They were 3 down at half time & Bridlington looked dangerous every time they had the ball in the 1st half. The Stan rallied in the 2nd half & got one goal back, but it was too little too late. There was one change from Saturday’s draw at Bradford Park Avenue with Walker replacing Payne.  

The Stan started positively but there were 2 early attacks by Bridlington resulting, in the 3rd minute, in a corner that was eventually collected by Gordon. 2 minutes later & a 2nd Bridlington corner was punched clear by Gordon but the Stan counterattack came to nothing. Both teams were trying to attack but the Bridlington defence were dealing with the Stan attacks. In the 10th minute, the visitors broke & Capewell put the ball over the Stan bar. Gordon got up to catch the ball from the resulting corner. In 12 minutes, the Stan were behind when a Bridlington player won the ball & broke & shot past a defender & Gordon. 2 minutes later, & an Errington ball into the box was cleared. He then attempted a curving long range shot which went over the bar. In 16 minutes, Bridlington were 2-0 up when a free kick, which was deservedly disputed by the Stan team & Army, was sent into the Stan box& was headed into the net. Both teams had efforts cleared & in the 19th minute, from a Bridlington corner, there was a scramble in the Stan box but the ball was eventually cleared partially & then cleared again by Capewell. 2 minutes later, a Stan cross into the visitors’ box was kicked out for a corner from which Robson headed just wide. 2 minutes later & the Stan again headed wide from a corner. In 27 minutes, the Stan sent a ball across the Bridlington goal & although the keeper got a hand to it the ball landed with Beattie whose high shot went wide. Although there had been a period of sustained Stan pressure, Bridlington were 3-0 up in 31 minutes when a counter attack saw a Bridlington player lose the chasing defender & passed Gordon to slot the ball into the net. In 36 minutes, a Stan ball into the Bridlington box was cleared. Soon after Bridlington had a corner from which Gordon did not hold onto the ball but he had been fouled. A minute later & Errington broke towards the outcoming keeper & defender & as they all came close together the ball flicked towards the empty net & was going just wide as the advancing Pearson made contact at a tight angle but the ball hit the side netting. In 41 minutes, a ball from a Bridlington free kick was headed towards goal but Gordon easily caught. In 44 minutes the visiting keeper got out to clear but after one minute of added time the Stan were left with a mountain to climb in the 2nd half rather than a pleasant seaside stroll. 

The Stan made 3 substitutions at half time with Milburn, Burn & Lamb replacing Beattie, Robson & Errington. In 47 minutes, Walker broke forward but the keeper got out to block him. Soon after, Lamb had a shot deflected & although the ball was sent back into the box by Evans, the keeper got up to punch it clear. In 54 minutes, a Burn free kick into the Bridlington box was punched clear by the keeper & was headed back towards goal but the ball went slightly wide. The Stan were more in the match this half but they were no real threat to the Bridlington defence. Both teams continued trying to attack & in 68 minutes Bridlington had a shot deflected for a corner. The Bridlington keeper got down to catch in 73 minutes, & 6 minutes later sub Storey tried a speculative long range effort towards an empty goal but the ball went just wide. In the 80th minute, the Stan got a goal back when Storey supplied the advancing sub Adamson who shot into the net from the edge of the Bridlington box. The Stan tried to step up a gear & Lamb had a shot blocked in 85 minutes as they continued to keep the pressure on Bridlington. In 87 minutes, a Bridlington counterattack saw Gordon put an effort by them just wide for a corner. From it, Capewell had to head clear followed by Gordon punching the ball clear before a Bridlington player blasted the final ball over the bar. Into 4 minutes of added time & a Shepherd header & an Adamson shot were blocked by the Bridlington keeper. . Shepherd was then brought down in the Bridlington box but nothing was given when it should have been a penalty. 

Despite an attempted 2nd half comeback, a 3-1 defeat meant a disappointing night for both the players & the Stan Army. The Stan slip down the league but still sit comfortably in 13th place. Saturday involves a trip to Yorkshire to take on Garforth Town.

Stan Team: Gordon; Evans (Y); Beattie (Milburn 46); Robson (Y) (Burn 46); Capewell; Shepherd; Hopper (Storey 70); Slaughter; Pearson; Walker (Adamson 70); Errington (Lamb 46). All subs used.  Attendance 288. MoM: Richie Slaughter.                           

Kevin Mochrie

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