There was a bumper crowd of over 170 for this Friday night league match. There were 4 changes for the Stan from Saturday as they aimed to bounce back after both a disappointing performance and result against Billingham Synthonia. As both teams were keen to win, the match remained competitive to the end and this resulted in very few fans sneaking into the clubhouse early to watch some England players with funny shaped balls play in another sport’s opening world cup fixture.

Whickham had the first effort in 4 minutes when Rule parried away a ball from a corner. 3 minutes later and Watson undertook a solo run towards the Whickham defence but his shot from outside the box went just wide. In 12 minutes, Hayton ran in on goal and passed to Wright who broke through and, with only the keeper to beat,shot over when it looked easier to score.

Rule then saved from a corner and it was yo-yo play from the teams for a while after this. In 19 minutes though during a Whickham attack, the referee played advantage and David Fitzpatrick sneaked in to make it 1-0 to the visitors.

A minute later and a Stan attack was cleared for a corner which then saw the ball again cleared but this time off the Whickham goal line. In 25 minutes, it was 2-0 to Whickham when the ball was crossed from the left to the incoming Mark Fitzpatrick who easily beat Rule. The visiting players might not have been 2 footed but they were definitely 2Fitzed.

A corner in 32 minutes saw Hayton head downwards only for his effort to be cleared off the line. Three minutes later, from another corner, a Stan effort was again cleared off the line. Hayton then shot over and Wright shot wide.

In 38 minutes, a Whickham player broke forward and shot just wide when he should have scored. In 41 minutes during an attack, just when it looked like the Stan would not score, the ball was surprisingly deflected over from the left to the unmarked Telford on the right who shimmied past a defender and made space for himself. He shot through two defenders and although the keeper got his hand to the ball it went in to make it 2-1.

Two minutes on and the keeper just got down to stop another Telford shot when it looked like it was going in. The Stan, although behind, ended the half more positively than earlier on.

There were early attempts in the second half by both sides including a Wright attempt that was ruled offside and one by Telford which went over. Rule caught a Whickham effort in 55 minutes followed by Watson turning a defender and shooting just wide. Wright was then ruled offside twice.

Three important attacking substitutions also took place for the Stan. In 72 minutes, Rule parried away the ball after a Whickham corner. It was 2-2 after 73 minutes when Rowntree crossed to Wright from the right and he blasted the ball which snookered off a defender and into the net.

Wright then blasted over. At the other end, against the run of play, the ball went across the Stan goal but was missed by both Rule and a visiting forward. In 79 minutes, Wright was topically rugby tackled on the edge of the box but nothing was given.

In 84 minutes, the Stan pressure paid off when Rowntree went down the right and passed to Hoggins in the box who made it 3-2. Burns shot just wide then good defending by Wright at a Whickham corner meant that the match ended with a victory for the Stan and the weekend could now begin!

Stan Team: Rule; Stoddart; Morrison; Axon; Wear; Imray; Telford (Hoggins); Dodsworth; Wright; Hayton (Rowntree); Watson (Burns).

Unused Subs: Johnson, L; Quine.

Goals: Telford 41, Rowntree 73, Hoggins 79

Yellow Cards: imray.

Attendance: 176

Kevin Mochrie