Last season Heaton Stannington won the Northumberland Football Association Les Todd Senior Benevolent Bowl by defeating Ponteland United 3-0 at Whitley Park in early May. That triumph was part of a wonderful treble that saw The Stan be promoted from the Northern Alliance Premier Division, which was also captured to the Northern League Division 2, which the Grounsell Park outfit stood proudly at the top of at kick off. The third leg of the treble was the Northern Alliance George Dobbins League Cup, which The Stan won after a tumultuous 6-2 victory over today’s opponents at Ashington’s Woodhorn Lane ground at the back end of April.
Wallington may have lost that game, but 2012/2013 was still a highly successful year for the Scots Gap side, who won the Northern Alliance Division 1 title to achieve promotion. Not only that, they gained revenge over Heaton Stannington, by taking the scalp of the holders in this round one cup tie, by the less than flattering margin of 3-1.
The crowd at scenic Oakford Park may only have been counted at 14, but such was the prestige of the game that the Sunday Sun’s Steve Brown was in attendance as this was the paper’s featured non-league game of the day. Sadly The Stan were unable to step up to the mark and left shamefaced following not only a cup exit, but also by the news that no longer did they stand at the top of Northern League Division 2. North Shields have moved to the summit after a 2-0 win over Norton and Stockton ancients, though The Stan remain in second after Seaham Red Star were surprisingly beaten at home by Whickham, though things are extremely tight at the top of the table.
After a bright opening by the visitors, the home side took the lead just before half time when Alex Slack took a pass from Sam Walton and steered an attractive, rising drive into the roof of the net beyond Shaun Backhouse. Wallington looked to increase their lead after the break, but The Stan held firm and equalised on the hour, when Paul Chapman’s speculative cross cum shot came back from the woodwork and was unwittingly bundled into his own net by Trevor Baston. This was as good as it would get for The Stan and Wallington secured their deserved passage into the last 8 of this competition with goals by Jake Walton and Josh Gilmartin.
Heaton Stannington would like to wish Wallington all the very best for the rest of this season. They are a smashing friendly club and play the game in the right spirit. Well done lads; you deserved it.
Stan Team:
Subs:
Yellow Cards: Chapman, Blakey.
Attendance:
Goals: Own Goal 59
Kevin Mochrie