Two days before Christmas, the Stan players & fans got an early present (or late if you count the 88th minute winning goal) when the weather finally allowed a home game to be played for the 1st time since 24th October. The conditions though were blustery and wet although the fans were provided with an entertaining match especially in the second half which saw the Stan deservedly put in a great shift to get a late winner. The Stan’s last match was a controversial away defeat at Penrith & it was the same team that made the long trip from Cumberland today. There were changes from that match with Flynn, Doyle, Anderson & Burn replaced by Brass, Evans, Hopper & Ryan Carr who made his debut. Nathan Greenwood was making his home debut.
Both teams started lively but it was the Stan who had most of the ball & all of the attacks until Penrith had a free kick deflected for a corner in 9 minutes. 2 minutes later, Penrith shot across the Stan goal but there was no danger for Brass. There was then a long ball sent up the advancing Greenwood, but it was going too fast for him to intercept. Penrith then got another corner which was cleared. With both teams trying to advance, it was Penrith who scored 1st in 17 minutes when 2 Stan defenders tried to shield the ball as it went back to Brass but the Penrith player trailing behind them managed to stretch his foot past them & poke the ball past Brass & into the net.
The Stan had an attack cleared in 18 minutes & 3 minutes later a Penrith ball went across the Stan goal, but it was missed by everyone. The ball was sent back in but was easily caught by Brass. A minute later & the Penrith keeper caught a Stan ball but put it over the line for a corner. From the resulting 23rd minute corner, Stephenson sent the ball into the box & Scott rose above everyone else to head into the net for 1-1.
A minute later & Lamb ran down the right & in towards the box but his ball across it was missed by everyone. A Greenwood shot was then deflected for a corner which then saw Penrith having to clear 3 times. In 31 minutes, Turnbull cleared a Penrith corner before the ball was cleared another twice.
Although there was now a quieter period, partly due to the poor weather, Penrith had attacks cleared in 32 & 36 minutes & had a corner cleared in 38 minutes. In 41 minutes, Penrith sent a shot high & over. After a quieter spell, the Stan finished the half with 2 efforts although one went wide & over & the other was blocked.
Shepherd replaced Greenwood for the 2nd half which was going to prove to be livelier than the 1st, although the 1st 5 minutes were relatively quiet. This changed in 51 minutes when the Stan went 2-1 up. An Evans counter-attack had seen him brought down on the right in line with the edge of the Penrith penalty box. Stephenson sent the ball from the resulting free kick into the Penrith box & it was confidently headed into the net by Carr.
The Stan continued to keep the pressure on but Penrith were also trying to attack when they could. There was a long quieter period although the Penrith approach was getting more physical as they realised that time was running out. In 75 minutes, the ball was sent up to Lamb who made a good run & even though he was blocked by 2 defenders on the edge of the box he managed to get the ball back but was then blocked again by them & the keeper.
In 78 minutes, Brass sent a long ball up to Reid who passed to Lamb who then twisted past 1 player before another deflected the ball out for a corner. From the corner by Stephenson, Carr headed onto the underside of the bar followed by it being cleared off the line by a Penrith defender.
In 81 minutes, a Penrith long range effort went just wide. In 86 minutes, another long-range effort was put out for a corner. The ball from the corner was sent straight into the net to make the score 2-2 with only a few minutes to go.
The Stan were not going to settle for a draw & in 88 minutes they were 3-2 up. A joined-up Stan attack saw Hornsby send the ball into the box to Hopper who was blocked but managed to send the ball over to the right side of the box & it was sent back towards the goal allowing Carr to blast it into the net. The Stan made 3 late substitutions as 5 added minutes began. It was mainly pressure by the Stan until a 96th minute Penrith corner was cleared followed immediately by the final whistle.
It was a hard won, but deserved & important win for the Stan who brought lots of Christmas cheer to the Stan Army. It was a particularly memorable day for debutant Ryan Carr who scored 2 goals & was awarded man of the match.
Heaton Stannington: Brass, Evans (Doyle 89), Hornsby, Reid, Turnbull (C), Scott, Hopper (Lashley 90), Stephenson (Burn 89), Lamb (Anderson 80), Carr, Greenwood (Shepherd 45).
Goals: Scott 23, Carr 51, 88.
Supporters Man Of The Match: Ryan Carr.
Yellow Cards: Turnbull.
Referee: G Guilfoyle.
Assistants: N. Alexander, W. Carter.
Attendance: 342.