The Stan went looking for a second consecutive away win on a pleasant afternoon in an industrial Birtley setting. The Stan army outnumbered the home support and were joined intermittently by train passengers speeding past on the east coast mainline. As it was a sunny afternoon, it was appropriate that the referee was called S.Dial. There were three changes to the team including the return of Dan Rule in goals as Shaun Backhouse was away on a sledging holiday.

Rule had to get down for a ball in the first minute but the match was then quiet until a Stan free kick in the fifth minute. After a run by Hoggins in the ninth minute, a corner taken by Campania a minute later was headed in by Wear to give the Stan the lead. The Stan continued to put pressure on Birtley with three subsequent attempts including a cross by Burns that was parried away by the home goalie before Johnson could get to it.

The Stan continued to battle hard although Birtley did get a shot in the seventeenth minute. Three minutes later, Burns had a great run and appeared to be brought down in the box but the referee gave a free kick just outside it. Hoggins got his head to Johnson’s free kick but the keeper put the ball over. Campania shot high in the twenty fourth minute followed by a great solo move by Burns whose run ended with him shooting just wide. It was a team effort that made it 2-0 though. Campania passed from the right to Yates in the box who was blocked but then Hoggins got the ball and scored.

Town did not have another shot until the thirty third minute and it was another Stan joined up attack that resulted in the next goal in the thirty seventh minute. Campania went down the right wing and crossed to Hoggins in the box who did a one two with Yates before giving the ball back to Yates for him to score his fifth goal in three games.

The next few minutes saw two attempts at each end with one Birtley effort going just over. Just before half time, a good ball from Johnson had Hoggins running into the box but he was clipped by a home defender and went down. To the surprise of most of the crowd the referee did not award a penalty.

After two early efforts by the Stan, the start of the second half was more even than the first. In the sixty second and sixty seventh minutes Birtley had chances, the second after a mistake by Rule. Substitute Carr had a good chance a minute later and three minutes after that Campania should have scored. A ball by Ray to Hoggins eventually went into the box towards Campania but he was too slow and the keeper got to it first.

Johnson blocked a Birtley shot in the seventy first minute but it was the Stan who made it 4-0 four minutes later. Burns passed to Hoggins on the left who curled the ball into the right hand corner of the net. Birtley did not give up though and in the seventy seventh minute one of their forwards beat Rule only to see the shot go slightly wide.

There was some good passing by the Stan who tried to add to their tally. A good ball in to Hoggins in the seventy ninth minute was blocked for a corner. Four minutes later and a great run and cross by Burns saw Hoggins’s effort caught by the keeper.

There were more runs by Burns but it was Birtley who nearly scored just into injury time. Their free kick required a full stretch save from Rule. The resulting corner was cleared which then saw a solo run by Carr, with a Birtley player in close pursuit, but his shot was caught by the keeper.

The match ended with a 4-0 win for the Stan. Assistant manager Geoff Walker was pleased with both the result and the clean sheet. The Stan Army are hoping for another massacre on Saint Valentine’s Day next Saturday although Ryton are likely to offer tougher opposition.

Stan Team: Rule; Telford; Stoddart; Ray; Wear; Bailey; Campania (McDougal); Johnson, L (Dodsworth); Yates (Carr); Hoggins; Burns.

Sub unused: Lowson.

Goals: Wear 10, Hoggins 27, 75, Yates 37

Attendance: 72

Kevin Mochrie