This game was prefaced by a minute’s applause for the recently deceased Whitehaven chairman, Dick Stamp, though many of the Heaton Stannington contingent were also thinking of the tragic deaths of Bob Crow and Tony Benn, two true fighters for the working classes. RIP.

When the game got underway, The Stan belied their atrocious recent form and attempted to put successive home defeats to Darlington RA and Chester le Street behind them with a blistering opening ten minutes.

From kick off Lee Johnson chased down a ball, but Whitehaven keeper Danny Eccles cleared his lines. Eccles then distinguished himself with a superb tip over from a Brian Dodsworth header following a brilliant Dean Deagle cross. From the subsequent corner Gary McGarrigal’s header hit the underside of the bar, before Lee Johnson forced it home. Sadly, this was the end of The Stan’s great start as bad habits crept back in and an unbelievable 4 goals were conceded in 20 minutes.

Matt Tymon scored two wonder strikes in The Stan’s 4-2 win at Grounsell Park back in October; however, he scored an easy one today. His tame shot somehow eluded the diving Shaun Backhouse and bobbled apologetically in. Worse was to follow on 25 minutes when a suspiciously offside-looking, though utterly unmarked Darren Donald shot home from the middle of the box after the ball was crossed from the wing. If goals make for entertainment, the next one The Stan conceded was right up there with the best of Brian Rix’s Whitehall Farces. As Shaun Backhouse called for the ball, as Donald shaped to cross, Dean Deagle (erroneously named as Bean Beagle on the team sheet in the clubhouse) attempted to clear and sliced the ball into his own net. If that put him in the dog house (geddit?), he could have no reason to upbraid himself for the unintentional deflection that he got onto Craig Robson’s effort that completely wrongfooted Backhouse on 40 minutes, which made it 4-2.

In between Deagle’s two unfortunate deflections, Paul Blakey had scored a majestic finish, powering home after Lee Johnson had made a telling intervention to flick the ball on to Blakey. Indeed, it looked likely The Stan would equalise before Robson’s lucky goal. The Stan were lucky minutes later when a presentable penalty shout for a barge on Tymon was not given. Finally, just before the breakTymon was denied by a one-handed save by Backhouse. That was to be Whitehaven’s final serious effort of the game as a tirade of constructive criticism by Derek Thompson at the break saw The Stan up their game dramatically, spending the entire second period camped in the Whitehaven box.

The chances came and went with monotonous regularity. Dodsworth took a clever free kick and Eccles held it well. Mark Davison hit the post from close range after a scramble in the box. Davison was denied again on 75 minutes after another scramble.

Finally, almost into injury time, Eccles and three defenders got in each other’s way, before Paul Brown apologetically toe-ended the ball into his own net from almost on the line. One last chance came and went; Lee Johnson in on the keeper, but Eccles stayed big and saved the striker’s effort. Sadly, a 5 hour round trip ended in defeat, though the therapeutic benefits of a team bonding session on the bus home cannot be denied. Let’s hope the encouraging second half can influence the rest of the season, as with 10 league games and a cup semi-final still to go, it is not time to run up the white flag just yet.

Stan Team: Backhouse, Telford, James, Blakey, McGarrigal, Dasvison, Mills, Fulcher, Johnson L., Dodsworth, Deagle.

Subs: Johnson A., Dixon. (unsure who was used)

Goals: Lee Johnson 5, Blakey 35, Own Goal 90.

Attendance: 51.

Kevin Mochrie