The first Stan match of 2015 was played on the top of Whickham bank on a beautiful sunny but cold afternoon. The team though forgot their New Year resolution to win while other squad members forgot their resolution to be available and turn up.

There were three changes from last Saturday and an unused place on the bench for new signing from the Northern Alliance, Russell Ward. There was a good turn out from the Stan Army along with some glory hunters from the Heed Army who had not travelled to West Brom for Gateshead’s FA cup tie.

The Stan started positively and were marshalled by Backhouse in goals on a churned up and sloping (from side to side) pitch. In eight minutes Burns was pulled down outside the box but the resulting free kick was put over. Whickham started to have more of the attacks and in twelve minutes a bad kick out from Backhouse resulted in a Whickham forward being tackled in the box. Correctly the referee did not award a penalty.

On nineteen minutes another Whickham attack from a free kick was cleared and the follow up shot was put over. The Whickham pressure paid off a minute later when the ball came out to Craig Jelley who did not wobble when he shot from outside the box. The ball went through all the players and into the left hand corner of the net to make it 1-0 to Whickham.

After twenty five minutes, the Stan did have a couple of attacks and in the twenty ninth minute a mishit ball across the box was put out for the Stan’s first corner. Almost immediately Backhouse made a good save. This counted for nothing a minute later when Swanston scored direct from a corner. The ball was hit down the slope and past everyone in the box and, although he got a hand to it, Backhouse was unable to stop the goal.

There were few further chances for either side although Whickham tried to use the slope again in the thirty fourth minute when a curling shot was stopped by Backhouse.

Yates came on for Johnson at half time and the Stan were the better team in the second half. The half started with the Stan having most of the pressure and with the Whickham keeper being kept busy. It was the Stan though who had to clear the ball off the line in the fifty fourth minute.

In the sixty second minute, Telford put a ball into the box only for the receiving Stan forward to be shoved. A Wear tackle then led to a Whickham free kick that went wide.

In the seventieth minute a Carr cross was shot over the bar by Burns. Backhouse then kept the Stan in the game by making a great double save with the third attempt being hit wide. There were then chances for both teams but with the Stan slightly edging it. There was a good chance for substitute Lowson when his header from a free kick was blocked. His effort paid off in the eighty fifth minute when he ran into the home box and the slotted the ball into the net to make it 2-1.

For the remaining minutes of the match, the Stan fought for an equaliser but the match ended in a third consecutive defeat for the Stan and shivers for the freezing fans.

Stan Team: Backhouse; Stoddart; Deagle; Ray; McGarrigal; Wear; Telford; Cairns; Burns; Carr (Lowson); Johnson, A (Yates).

Sub unused: Ward.

Goals: Lowson 85.

Yellow Cards: Telford, Wear, Ray, Deagle.

Attendance: 71.

Kevin Mochrie