The Stan had a comfortable but very wet win over Seaham Red Star. Even though it was a miserable night, 541 fans packed into Grounsell Park & they were able to witness 5 different Stan players scoring. There were 2 changes from last Saturday’s win at West Auckland with Evans and Hopper replacing Cassidy and Burn.

Both teams tried to attack from kick off & in 6 minutes Reid supplied Lamb whose shot went only just wide. The Stan were 1-0 up in 11 minutes when Hopper crossed the ball into a packed box & the ball was forced into the net by Anderson. The Stan continued to pressurise & in 14 minutes Reid headed wide & 2 minutes later the Seaham keeper caught a Lamb effort. The visitors then had a free kick from 30 yards which forced a great save from Brass. 

The Stan doubled their lead in 22 minutes when Anderson supplied the advancing Reid who, followed by 2 defenders, confidently put the ball into the net. Evans then broke free & passed to Lamb who shot wide. In 25 minutes, Hopper shot into the side netting & Mark Turnbull made a great defensive tackle at the other end. 

It was mainly all Stan pressure now & in 36 minutes a joined-up Stan attack was blocked in the Seaham box, but the ball came out to the edge of the box allowing Lamb to blast it into the net. Red Star got a rare corner in 38 minutes, but it was cleared & led to a Stan counter attack that was only stopped by the keeper who blocked the advancing Lamb. In the 2nd minute of added time, Hopper’s lovely chip from the edge of the box made it 4-0.

The rain got heavier as the 2nd half progressed & this was reflected in a slower tempo and less action than in the 1st half with both teams hoping for the match to finish sooner rather than later but for different reasons. Sawyer replaced the injured Turnbull for the start of the 2nd half which started quietly until Brass had to get down to save in 51 minutes followed by a Stan corner being headed clear at the other end. 5 minutes later Red Star shot wide. 

There was a good chance for the Stan in 58 minutes when Lamb supplied Reid, but his shot hit off the keeper’s chest. The visiting keeper then caught a Hopper effort. It was now almost one way traffic as the Stan pressure continued although at a slightly slower pace due to the rain. 

In 71 minutes, a good run by Lamb into the box saw his resulting shot blocked but the ball went back to Burn on the edge of the box whose shot made it 5-0. The game remained at a slow pace but all the pressure & chances that did occur were by the Stan. In 85 minutes, a Burn shot was deflected for a corner. The Stan nearly made it 6-0 in the 90th minute when a long ball into the Seaham box saw Lamb slide in at the far post & make contact but the keeper was in right in front of him & able to catch the ball.

It was a good win for the Stan which will help the goal difference as they climb up the league table. Seaham played some good football, but they could not pierce the Stan’s solid defence & the Stan also had more attacking options. The team & the fans did well given the conditions and hopefully they will have all dried out by next Saturday when the Stan are back on the road to Wembley when they host Ilkley Town in the FA Vase.

Heaton Stannington: Brass, Evans (Doyle 69), Shepherd, Reid (Dunn 69), M. Turnbull (Sayer 45), Scott, Hopper, Slaughter (C), Anderson (Lashley 60), Stephenson (Burn 60), Lamb.

Goals: Anderson 11, Reid 22, Lamb 36, Hopper 45 (+2), Burn 71.

Supporters Man Of The Match: Leighton Hopper.

Yellow Cards: Anderson.

Red Cards: None.

Referee: Barry Tones.

Assistants: R. Goodman, N. Alexander.

Attendance: 541

Kevin Mochrie.

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