A bumper 538 crowd filled Grounsell Park on a sunny & warm Friday night to watch the Stan take on Whickham who after 3 wins out of 3 were joint top of the league. By the end of the match though it was the Stan who had been the better team but unfortunately, as is even more important at this new level for the Stan, it was the visitors who got the important winning goal despite all the opportunities created by the Stan. There were three changes from Tuesday with Taylor, Slaughter & Ward replacing Watson, Bailey and Hopper.

The opening 13 minutes saw Whickham have most of the ball until their keeper Harker had to catch when the Stan had their 1st shot through Ward. 2 minutes later & a speculative Whickham long shot saw Flynn save but then drop the ball & the rebound shot was cleared by Evans. The pressure by the visitors continued but the home defence was working well. 

In between a number of Whickham attacks, Ward ran & shot in 19 minutes, but Harker caught the ball & soon after he also got to the ball before the advancing Burn. The Stan were getting into the game now & a Stephenson cross to Burn in the box was headed out for a corner from which Burn headed wide. Anderson then ran at the keeper but hit the outside of the post. Slaughter then had a speculative long shot which went over as the Stan started to put the pressure on Whickham. 

Both teams were trying to attack & in 29 minutes Taylor had to clear off the line.  4 minutes later & Harker had to save from Ward. Burn & Evans both headed clear as the ball went from end to end. Harker made a great save from Ward. Both teams continued to attack and make each other’s defences keep on their guards. The half ended with some heavy pressure from Whickham which saw Flynn drop the ball then clear for a corner. The Stan had survived the 1st half & looked more confident & composed as the half went on.

The 2nd half was a different affair from the 1st with the Stan almost continuously attacking the visitors’ goal. Almost immediately, Stephenson sent the ball into Ward in the box who passed the ball to Anderson in the 6yd box but he couldn’t get his foot to it. The Stan defence had to make a couple of clearances but in 53 minutes Anderson headed just over. 

The Stan were looking dangerous & a minute later a Stephenson long ball to Anderson started a sustained attack which eventually saw the keeper having to get down to save. There was action in both halves but almost all the chances were for the Stan including through an increasing number of corners. In 57 minutes Stephenson shot wide & Ward did the same 5 minutes later when he had a good chance to score. A minute later & Harker had to save from a corner & Anderson then forced another. 

Whickham were looking increasingly flustered & there was nearly an own goal in 66 minutes when a Whickham player headed just wide from another corner. In 71 minutes, Whickham’s 1st clear opportunity of the 2nd half came when a player broke & went 1 on 1 with Flynn with both players colliding in the box. The referee booked Flynn & awarded a penalty which was comfortably put away in the 73rd minute by Dunn.

The Stan kept their heads up & the sustained pressure on the Whickham defence resumed. In 78 minutes, the advancing Anderson was brought down just outside the box but Cassidy’s resulting free kick went over the bar. Esdaille was brought on up front in 85 minutes as the Stan continued to seek the deserved goal. 

A rare Whickham attack though in 87 minutes saw Flynn get down to stop it then clear. There was then a great chance for the Stan when a long ball to Esdaille saw him head across to Johnston but his header was blocked by Harker who dropped the ball before picking it up. Whickham then countered & hit the outside of the post. The 3 minutes added time saw sustained pressure by the Stan & even Flynn was up for a free kick. It was backs to the wall for Whickham & unfortunately the match ended with the better team losing.

In the 2nd half especially, the Stan were a joy to watch &, despite not taking any deserved points from this match, their performance gave the fans lots of optimism & confidence for the future & specifically for Wednesday night when they host Redcar Athletic.

Heaton Stannington: Flynn, Evans, Stephenson, Bamborough (Johnston 80), Taylor (Esdaille 85), Shepherd, Cassidy (Proctor 80), Slaughter (C), Anderson, Ward ( Cowburn 80), Burn.

Unused Subs: Hornsby.

Supporters Man Of The Match: Matty Ward.

Yellow Cards: Flynn 72.

Referee:. B. Tones.

Assistants: P. Quinn, D. Ure. 

Attendance: 538.

Kevin Mochrie