A bumper midweek crowd of 130, including a spy from Consett in advance of Saturday’s FA cup tie, watched the Stan’s first competitive home match of the season and witnessed a vast improvement in their performance although it was nearly thrown away in a 2 minute spell in the second half. Due to injury, there were 3 changes fromSaturday with the recently retired Legend Yates emergency cover on the bench. 

A poor clearance after 4 minutes allowed the lawmen the first opportunity of the game when a player got through the defence but Smith made himself big and blocked their effort. The Stan countered and one of the best opportunities of the match saw McKenna trap the ball on the right outside the box and from a tight angle hit the ball well but it hit the cross bar. In 7 minutes, Robinson shot wide and 6 minutes after that Smith had to catch. A Deagle free kick then hit the wall and Holland’s rebound shot was caught by the keeper.

It was reasonably even with much midfield action but with chances at each end including Imray shooting wide in 22 minutes, Smith then made 2 confident clearances and Orton the visiting keeper caught a long shot. The Stan then had a corner ball cleared before Smith punched clear a Tow Law effort in 28 minutes. A high ball was then sent to the advancing Holland who got up and sent a well-timed volley which required a good save from Orton. The resulting corner saw the ball ricochet on the line but didn’t go in. Johnson came on for the injured Chapman in 32 minutes and the Stan then attacked which resulted in Holland hitting wide from an Imray pass. 

The Stan broke the deadlock in 38 minutes when Stoddart sent a fantastic cross to the advancing Johnson in the crowded Tow Law box who powerfully headed the ball to make it 1-0. The remaining minutes of the half saw the Stan press for a second including Holland putting the ball just over in a crowded box. The half finished after a great Stan attack resulted in a corner having to be cleared. Although the Stan were 1-0 up, overall it had been a relatively even 1st half.   

The Stan attacked from the restart followed by Smith blocking a ball from a corner. Tow got another corner in 48 minutes from which the ball was headed in by Thexton at the far post of a crowded goal. A minute later and the visitors were leading as Soulsby volleyed from outside the box and the ball went over the defence and high into the left corner of the net. 3 minutes later and a Tow long shot went just wide. 

It was all the lawyers now as they battered the Stan defence again and again The Stan finally got a shot in after 59 minutes and in 64 minutes the Tow’s efforts saw a setback when they had Lewis Brown sent off for using his head on Johnson after another Tow player was booked for a foul on the advancing McKenna. 4 minutes later McKenna headed just over as the Stan searched for the equaliser and this was helped by replacing a defender with another striker although the Tow defence dealt well with high ball after high ball sent towards them which they blocked. 

They might not  have done as well stopping attacks down the wings and in behind them. The rest of the half was almost all Stan attacks with Holland working hard the visiting keeper making numerous catches. It wasn’t until the 86 minute that the visitors had an attack again when a lone forward beat the defence and had 3 chances but couldn’t score.

In 87 minutes, a Hoggins shot went wide followed by another shot from him hitting a defender’s hand in the box but nothing was given. The Stan attacks continued and in the 91st minute there was finally success as an Imray shot from the edge of a crowded box deflected off a Tow player and went into the net for 2-2.

It was a hard fought point but appreciated by the cheering Stan army who could just be heard above the visitors’ whinges.

Heaton Stannington: Smith, Stoddart, Deagle, Wear (Hoggins 73), Ray, Imray, Holland, Chapman (Johnson 32), Robinson, McKenna, Laidler. 

Subs Not Used: Dixon, Yates, Jones.

Goals: Johnson 38, Imray 90 (+1).

Attendance: 130.

Kevin Mochrie