On a cold but clear evening at St. James’ Park, Alnwick, the Stan hoped to make amends for their FA Vase defeat on Saturday. There were four changes to the Vase line up and, due to lack of player availability, only two players on the bench. There was a competitive debut on his return from Jarrow Roofing for Jonathan Wright.
Jon Jon made his presence quickly felt when in three minutes he blasted a left footed shot into the roof of the Alnwick net to make it 1-0 to the Stan. Although the Stan were now confident, the next twenty minutes saw mainly pressure from Alnwick. There were though some Stan counter attacks with Creswick volleying just wide in the fifteenth minute and Telford, the best player on Saturday, doing some good running.
In the nineteenth minute, a long ball to an Alnwick forward saw him slip past two defenders and shoot just wide with only Rule to beat. Almost immediately Wright was clear at the other end but shot wide. The Alnwick pressure paid off though when in the twenty third minute Colley got past two defenders to then volley into the net to make it 1-1.
Although Rule had to pull off a double save after the restart, the Stan kept trying and there was some good work by Wright and a good run by Johnson, with the ball being stopped by the goal keeper’s feet, in the twenty seventh minute.
A minute later, Johnson sent a long ball into the box from the left which bounced about, hit the underside of the bar and was then put away by Wear to give the Stan a 2-1 lead. A minute later though and it was 2-2 when the Alnwick number seven run down the right past the Stan defenders and crossed for Colley to score again.
Two minutes later and the home side were 3-2 up when a ball from the left found Brown unmarked in the middle which he put away. Alnwick continued to look dangerous, with a relatively free run on the wings, and kept the Stan under pressure. Apart form a Burns run down the right which led to Wright shooting just wide, the rest of the half was mainly all fast Alnwick attacks.
The Stan started the second half well with a couple of chances but the lack of cover on the wings began to make them vulnerable again. In the fifty third minute, after a ball in from the left, Rule saved a shot only for Colley to tap in the rebound for his hat trick. Two minutes later and it was 5-2 to Alnwick when they got a pinball goal. The ball hit the bar, then the post before being put away in a packed box.
The Stan did not give up and in fact got better as the half went on. A minute after the fifth goal, a Telford solo run nearly resulted in the Stan getting one back but the keeper palmed the shot just wide. Wright was looking increasingly dangerous and creating chances, sometimes out of nothing, though it was Alnwick who came closest next when Rule had to make a fine double save in the seventy fourth minute.
After a good move and shot from Wright, although there was no one there for the rebound, Telford made a good move down the right in the seventy ninth minute. He got the ball past two defenders at a tight angle near the bye line and it was deflected past the keeper by a defender to make it 5-3.
Alnwick were now flapping and time wasting and the referee missed a pass back with eight minutes to go. The Stan were now in control but it was too little too late. Johnson had a chance saved and then was brought down in the box but only got a corner.
The Alnwick keeper, who seemed affected by the full moon that had appeared, nearly put the ball into his own net but it hit the bar. Despite the late rally, time had ran out and the Stan were out of the Senior cup with a 5-3 defeat.
Stan Team: Rule: Telford; Dixon, G; Dixon, I; Wear; Stoddart; Creswick (Carr); Johnson, L; Wright; Burns; Weeks.
Sub not used: Hoggins.
Goals: Wright 3, Wear 28, Telford 79.
Yellow Cards: Creswick, Wright.
Attendance:
Kevin Mochrie