After 15 days short of a year since the last time that they had done so, the Stan drew 0-0 at home to share the points with Newton Aycliffe. They had come close to scoring in the 1st half while the visitors had only 1 clear effort on goal. In the 2nd half, Newton Aycliffe got back into the game but both teams ultimately cancelled each other out. There were no changes from Saturday’s win over Bishop Auckland. 

On a pleasant autumn afternoon, both teams started positively although there was nothing to report in the 1st 15 minutes apart from 2 flags up against the Stan for offside.  After 15 minutes, a Stephenson free kick into the Aycliffe box was headed clear. Most of the action had so far been in the visitors’ half. In 18 minutes, a ball from a Stephenson corner was cleared out to Slaughter whose blasted shot hit a defender & was cleared. Payne then had a shot cleared & 2 minutes later a sustained Stan attack ended with the ball going wide. Another Stan attack was then cleared followed by a Hopper ball across the box which was too fast for everyone else & although it was sent back in the Aycliffe keeper easily caught it. After 27 minutes, Gordon made a low save from an  Aycliffe effort. In 28 minutes, a long ball from Gordon saw the visiting keeper just get to it before a Stan player. Soon after a Slaughter long throw into the box was headed clear. The ball was sent back in, but the keeper caught it from a Payne effort. In 30 minutes, a Stephenson long ball into the box saw a glancing header from Pearson but his great effort went just wide of the post. Soon after there was a sustained joined up Stan attack which was cleared for a corner from which Slaughter blasted the ball over the bar. It was still mainly all Stan after 33 minutes when Pearson broke but was blocked. There was still no threat from Aycliffe & in 39 minutes Hopper blasted a shot wide. The Stan kept attacking but the half ended 0-0.

A minute into the 2nd half during a Stan attack, although the ball bounced awkwardly the Aycliffe keeper just managed to get to it before a Stan player did. In 51 minutes, Aycliffe broke but Gordon made a great save. The Aycliffe pressure continued & after a 2nd corner Gordon got down to catch. Aycliffe then had a corner which hit off Gordon & avoided crossing the line.  In 56 minutes, a ball from a Stephenson corner was cleared & his follow up shot was blocked. After another Stan attack was blocked, Gordon had to easily catch in 59 minutes followed by another Stan attack being cleared. In 63 minutes, Errington shot wide & the next 4 minutes saw 2 more Stan attacks although they came to nothing. There was some sustained Aycliffe pressure after 72 minutes that apart from man of the match Shepherd having to head clear came to nothing. In 75 minutes, after a Pearson advance was blocked, Stephenson sent a ball into the Aycliffe box for Pearson, but it was headed clear. Soon after, a long ball to Pearson saw him advance again but the advancing keeper got out to save his shot. From the resulting throw in, Capewell headed wide. A ball was then sent up to the advancing Stepheson, but his deflected shot hit the side netting. 2 minutes later & sub Lamb advanced & passed to Evans but the ball was deflected for a corner which was subsequently cleared. It was all Stan again now, but the Aycliffe defence were dealing with the pressure. In 87 minutes, Aycliffe had the ball in the net, but the offside flag was already up. An Aycliffe ball then went across the Stan box, but it was too fast for everyone. Into 7 minutes of added time & a Stephenson free kick into a packed Aycliffe box was cleared. In 94 minutes, Walkers sent a ball into Pearson in the Aycliffe box, but the keeper got to it 1st. Aycliffe then had an attack blocked twice resulting in a corner from which Gordon got up to catch the ball. In 96 minutes, Gordon got up to clear & a minute later he easily caught the ball. He then sent a long ball up to Pearson but him & the keeper collided with each other. The final whistle went soon after to confirm a stalemate.

A 2nd clean sheet in a row for the Stan who are undefeated in 5 league game but although they threatened, they failed to score at home for the 1st time this season. The Stan remain in the top half of the table at 10th while Newton Aycliffe remain 20th. The Stan travel on Saturday to Bradford Park Avenue for the 2nd time in 15 days. 

Stan Team: Gordon; Evans (Y); Stephenson; Payne (Robson 71); Capewell; Shepherd; Hopper (Lamb 71); Slaughter; Pearson (Y); Walker; Errington. Sub not used: Storey; Beattie; Adamson.  Attendance 361. MoM: Joe Shepherd.                           

Kevin Mochrie

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After a wait of 47 days, the Stan return to home league action a day before the 90th anniversary of the 1st ever match at Willow Park, formerly known as both Newton Park & Grounsell Park. The only statistics that really matter though are that the Stan achieved 3 points, a clean sheet & are now up to 9th in the league. There was sad news though as Stan legend Harry the dog passed away yesterday although the Stan Army all had great memories of him & his flag stood proud at the far corner. There were no changes from Tuesday night’s historic win at Blyth Spartans & Dan Capewell was making his 50th start for the club.

On a beautiful afternoon, 639 fans turned up to watch the Stan host old foes Bishop Auckland. Most of the early action was in the Bishop box & after 6 minutes, Payne advanced down the left & supplied Errington who passed towards Hopper, but he just missed connecting with the ball. 5 minutes later & the Bishop keeper got down to save from Hopper. Soon after, Errington beat a player but his effort was headed clear. In 14 minutes, a Stan attack was cleared in the Bishop box. This was followed by another joined up Stan attack which eventually saw a ball from Errington going out of play. In 17 minutes, Hopper broke forward & supplied Pearson who was blocked for a corner. The 1st Bishop effort came in 20 minutes when Gordon had to catch. This was followed by a Bishop player heading over the Stan bar from a long throw. In 23 minutes, an Errington cross was deflected high by a defender & the Bishop keeper then managed to catch the ball. Soon after Walker broke but was offside. In 26 minutes, a Hopper header was blocked & although the ball went back in the move finished with Walker blasting the ball over the bar when he should have scored. A Hopper high cross into the box was then cleared. Almost immediately after, a loose Bishop ball allowed Hopper to tribble forward with the ball but his shot was well over. Gordon then had to clear twice but the Stan were in control of the game & the expected opening goal came in the 31st minute. A Slaughter long throw was headed on across the Bishop goal by Payne to Pearson on the right & he headed it into the top right corner. A minute later & the Stan attacked again. From the resulting corner the ball was initially cleared & although it was sent back in the Bishop keeper caught it. In 34 minutes, the Stan sent a long high ball up to Hopper but although both Hopper & the keeper got up for it, neither made contact & the ball landed in front of Pearson who blasted it into the net for 2-0. In 36 minutes, a sustained Stan attack eventually saw the ball headed outwards to Stephenson, but his shot was easily caught by the keeper. In 42 minutes, Errington won the ball & broke & although he was fouled, it was given against him. In 44 minutes, Shepherd could not get a touch on a ball into the Bishop box from a Stephenson corner. The half ended with the Stan in control & 2-0 up although the defence had worked well when required.

The 2nd half was a quieter & goalless affair although the Stan continued to play well & Bishop failed to make much of a threat. In 47 minutes, a Stan corner was cleared & 2 minutes a later a Stan ball went over the Bishop bar. It was all Stan until 51 minutes when a Bishop free kick was easily caught by Gordon. The ball was then sent up the other end with Pearson breaking & he made a good shot but the keeper made himself big & got a foot to it. Walker then shot wide as the Stan kept the pressure on. It was mainly 1 way traffic & Gordon wasn’t tested again until he had to catch twice after 68 minutes. In 74 minutes, Gordon got down to easily stop a long range Bishop effort. Walker then dribbled into the Bishop box & passed to Pearson but his pass was intercepted. Payne then recovered the ball but eventually lost it. Walker then advanced again & eventually passed to Hopper who made a great shot but the keeper somehow put the ball over the bar. From the resulting Stephenson corner, Capewell was fouled but nothing was given. The ball was then sent up towards the Stan goal but Gordon cleared. In 81 minutes, from another Stephenson corner, Hopper headed just wide. The Stan then shot just over. 3 minutes later & SDhepherd had to head clear followed bya  Bishop player shooting just over. In 86 minutes, sub Beattie advanced into the Bishop box & was brought down but nothing was given. In the last minute, Gordon made a good save. Into 4 minutes of added time & sub Lamb sent a curving shot just wide. He was then blocked before sub Adamson also advanced into the Bishop box & was blocked just before the final whistle.

It was a comfortable, confident & very watchable victory from the Stan & unlike on Tuesday night there was no late wobble. The Stan are now unbeaten in 5 league matches & continue to move up the league. Unfortunately for Bishop Auckland, who were a shadow of themselves compared to last season, they now sit at the bottom of the table. The Stan host another County Durham team on Wednesday when Newton Aycliffe are the visitors.                 

Kevin Mochrie

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After a solid performance & an important away point at North Ferriby, it was a bad day at the office as the Stan lost 5-1 to Consett. Last season the Stan drew twice with the team from the former steel town, but they were not able to repeat the achievements or steal a win as they were thrown into the furnace with a 5-1 defeat. There was 1 change from the draw at North Ferriby 2 days earlier with Burn replacing Milburn.

The match was played in hot & sunny conditions on a bank holiday Monday unlike the last time the 2 teams met on New Years’ at Belle Vue in a blizzard. It started with a Stan corner being headed clear in the 4th minute. Consett counter attacked forcing Brass to block the 1st shot from a cross but the rebound effort from the 6-yard box was put into the net by Todd. Consett were blocked in the box 2 minutes later followed by a Stan free kick being headed on, but the ball was caught by the Consett keeper, Moss. Things got worse in the 8th minute when a Consett attack saw Ramsey force the ball into the net for 0-2. Groves blasted over the visitors’ goal 2 minutes later followed by Brass having to punch clear at the other end. In the 14th minute another Groves ball went wide but 4 minutes later the Stan got a goal back when a Beattie header hit the bar & Hopper headed the rebound into the net. There was some Consett pressure in the 19th minute which Robson & Slaughter dealt with & 3 minutes later Robson had to head clear from a Consett free kick. The Stan then had 3 efforts which were all blocked & a 4th went wide. In the 26th minute, a Beattie free kick hit the far post when it looked like it was going into the net. Consett counter attacked but Brass got down to block before the Stan advanced again ending with a ball from the resulting corner being headed clear. The Stan went 2 goals behind again in the 28th minute when, from a corner, the ball hit the far post & went into the net off a Stan defender. The Stan were still trying to attack but there was a quieter period until a Slaughter long ball saw Moss just get to it before Hopper. A ball from Errington in the 40th minute went right across the Consett goal, but no one could get to it. Moss in the Consett goal then made 2 easy catches followed by Brass also making an easy catch. In the 44th minute, the Stan nearly reduced the deficit when Hopper forced a corner. From Groves’s corner ball, Capewell’s header hit the post. Consett counter attacked but it came to nothing.

After a long period of injury, Lamb returned to action replacing Hopper at half time. He attacked right from the restart & was 1 on1 with the Consett keeper but Moss caught the ball at the 2nd attempt after it had hit off himself & Lamb. In 50 minutes, a Slaughter free kick into the Consett box was stopped twice. The Stan were having most of the possession in the 2nd half but the next effort came for Consett in the 56th minute when they shot well over. 2 minutes later the Consett keeper had to catch from a Stan effort as both teams tried to attack. In 63 minutes, an Errington long range blasted shot was caught by Moss. In 69 minutes, sub Stephenson had to clear off the line from a corner. 3 minutes later, Lamb had a shot blocked & Stephenson’s follow up long range effort was caught by Moss. He then had to clear a ball from sub Adamson. In 76 minutes, Brass made a great close range save. From the resulting corner though the Stan went 3 goals down with time running out. Capewell headed clear the initial ball from the corner & Slaughter cleared again but it went out to Daniels outside the box & he blasted the ball through the assembled players & into the net. Moss then got down to stop a sub Storey effort as the Stan tried to get back into the game. A Capewell ball was deflected wide, Moss got down to clear a Lamb effort & an Errington ball into the box was cleared. In 85 minutes, an Adamson ball was deflected for a corner & the ball from the resulting Stephenson corner was punched clear. In the 89th minute, Consett counter attacked & sub Armstrong confidently slotted the ball past Brass to make the afternoon even worse for the Stan Army.

It was an unusually large defeat for the Stan as they lost a competitive match at home for the 1st time since 8 March. A disjointed Stan did not look threatening for much of the match compared to a more clinical display from the visitors. The Stan are back in FA Cup action on Saturday as they continue to head towards Wembley but this time via the short trip to Scotswood to take on Newcastle Blue Star.                              

Kevin Mochrie

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Wednesday marked a welcome return to proper floodlit evening games with the visit of newly promoted Blyth Town. 416 brave souls had ventured out for the game, which was played in increasingly cold conditions as the clouds cleared, and the warmth of the last few months became a distant memory.  Many had been unprepared for this change in weather; still donning short sleeves and shorts, although to be fair most of them were on the pitch. There was one change from Saturday’s FA Cup win over Marske with Walker replacing. Burn. Ex-Stan keeper De Jesus was in goals for Blyth Town.

It wasn’t until the 5th minute that we got our first real action when Errington shot, aspirationally, from 35 yards. He kept it low, but it was well wide of the goal. Barely 4 minutes later, Blyth were one up when Johnson, their speedy No.11, crossed into the box and in the resulting scramble, Fishburn, scored a scrappy goal. Over the next 15 minutes, the Stan started to dominate the midfield culminating in several unsuccessful shots on goal.  Blyth Town’s Richardson, perhaps frustrated by this period of play, was booked for a careless challenge on Errington. Blyth Town however, remained dangerous with their No.7, Millington, having a shot just over the bar after a fast break.  Almost immediately, another rapid series of passes led to their No.10, Giles, being free on goal, who drilled a powerful shot towards goal only for it to be well saved by a diving Brass. After a couple of Heaton Stannington corners that came to nothing, the Stan had their best chance of the half on 32 minutes when Beattie battled past a string of defenders and unleashed a great shot that had to be tipped over the bar by Blyth’s keeper. The Stan largely finished the half stronger, with another Blyth player, Fell (No.5), being booked for a late challenge on Hopper but it remained 1-0 to Blyth at half time.

An early attack by Blyth in the second half led to a goalmouth scramble, not unlike their first goal, but thankfully in this case it was successfully defended.  Soon after, Errington picked up a yellow card for holding a Blyth player back who had beaten him in a challenge and was heading to the Stan box.  Heaton Stannington then made two successive substitutions: Storey for Adamson and Burn for Beattie, with Stephenson then moving to left back. These substitutions quickly paid off for the Stan with Burn scoring from close range on the 59th minute following a long throw-in from Slaughter which was flicked on at the near post and into his path. The status quo did not last long, as within 5 minutes, Millington scored a second goal for Blyth after some strong play from Giles. Two minutes later after a Hopper attack down the right and into the penalty box, Heaton Stannington were awarded a penalty, when his run was prematurely ended following a reckless challenge by a Blyth defender. Hopper duly converted the penalty to make it 2-2. It was end-to-end stuff for a period following this flurry of goals. The best chance was on 70 minutes when Slaughter, clear on goal, side-footed over the bar from 18 yards, following an excellent pass across the box from Errington.  On 77 minutes, Blyth replaced Johnson with Lively.   On 79 minutes, the Stan played a ball through the Blyth defence that Errington was first to chase but the Blyth keeper, De Jesus, showed good anticipation and cleared the danger. Into the last 10 minutes of normal time, Heaton Stannington replaced Milburn with Shepherd, and soon after Blyth made a double-substitution: Cooper for Millington, and Nicholson for Giles. These substitutions seemed to benefit both teams, as soon after there were close chances, and important saves, at both ends of the pitch.  There seemed to be another goal to come in the game, but despite a further two substitutions for Heaton Stannington, Payne for Walker and Groves for Stephenson, it failed to materialise.

A draw seemed to be a fair result for two teams who played entertaining and clean football. The Stan now travel in the league on Saturday to North Ferriby.             

Neil Gammack / Ben Sartain

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