It was a night of mist and missed (chances) for the Stan as they crashed out of the Ernest Armstrong Cup at the first hurdle just as they had done so in the three other cup competitions this season. Unusual for the Stan there was an unchanged side from Saturday as Jon Jon remained missing. There was a first start, as a substitute, for new Italian signing Gianpaolo Campania.

Fans arrived at Grounsell Park to find their view of the pitch restricted by the mist that had started to form. Although thick to begin with, it eventually began to lift during the first half unlike less than a mile away at Benfield where their match was abandoned early in the second half. Many of the Stan fans would have wished to have swapped places with the Benfield fans given the performance and outcome.

The Stan started well when in the fourth minute Dodsworth, who had a good game, got through on goal. He got round a defender and the keeper to confidently put the ball away to make it 1-0. Almost immediately after the restart, Thornaby had a good chance that was headed over. Although the Stan applied pressure, it was Thornaby who took advantage of the ‘pea souper’ conditions.

In the thirteenth minute, after the ball had pinballed about the box, the Stan failed to clear the ball which an away forward then failed to connect with. McQueeny, who could just be faintly seen through the mist, then put the ball away with the follow up attempt to make it 1-1. The Stan then lost the ball (not in the mist though) and Backhouse did well to save the resulting Thornaby attempt.

A Stan effort in the sixteenth minute was then followed by the mist lifting and a period of end to end moves with poor finishing. The Stan then had a number of chances that should have been put away including by Waugh, who shot over with only the keeper to beat, Creswick and Dodsworth who would have got a conversion if playing for the Falcons.

It was the away side though who put the ball in the net next but it was clearly offside. More Stan chances followed but none of them could be put away and it was Thornaby who actually came closest again to scoring with a rare attack in injury time.

Unlike the first half, the second saw few Stan shots on goal as Thornaby began to take control. It was only five minutes into the half when, through the mist, the ball was not cleared and Barton tapped it in to give the away side the lead.

Seven minutes later and the Stan’s cup exit was sealed when a long cross from the left to Lopps saw him score. Almost immediately after coming on as a sub, Lee Johnson saw a good shot go just wide.

Not much else happened, apart from substitutions, and Thornaby comfortably won. The Stan can now concentrate on the promotion race beginning with the High Heaton derby on Saturday.

Stan Team: Backhouse; Telford; Pearson; Stoddart; Ray; Wear (Campania); Dodsworth; Cairns (Johnson, L); Creswick (Hoggins); Waugh; Burns.

Unused subs: Johnson, A; McGarrigal.

Goals: Dodsworth 4

Attendance:

Kevin Mochrie