The Stan had a new player between the posts – and Neil de Jesus was busy throughout the afternoon. On 10 minutes, he had to act fast to push a shot to his right and then get down for the rebound, which was luckily without too much venom.
Having prevented the home side’s first big chance, he helped to get the Stan up the pitch for their first opportunity. De Jesus rolled the ball out to Marriott who launched the ball forward to Leighton Hopper, who latched onto it, knocked it down for Konner Lamb on the edge of the area, but his shot rolled towards Clitheroe goalkeeper Hakan Burton.
De Jesus was called upon again just seven minutes later, producing another spectacular save – similar to his first of the game – to prevent Clitheroe from the edge of the area.
On 26 minutes, Danny Sayer tried his luck from range with an attempt very similar to Lamb’s earlier effort, but it was similar in every way as it skidded across the surface and easily into the arms of Burton.
Having held off the home side in a dominant opening half hour, the Stan had arguably the best chance so far on 33 minutes. In a rare spell where there were plenty of amber shirts parked in the opposition box, Lamb shot across goal from the right, forcing the keeper down low. The ball was pushed into the path of Hopper who couldn’t meet it with his foot, and Beattie at the back post who could only hit the side netting.
The Stan had done well to weather something of a storm in a first half where Clitheroe dominated the ball for large spells and piled on pressure. But just seconds after the restart, things started to unravel. The home side attacked straight from their kick-off, getting the ball from their keeper to their frontline very quickly. A dangerous in-swinging ball from the right produced a stabbed finish from makeshift right-back Andy Burn into his own net, in his mind presumably trying to get his foot in front of it before the striker behind him did.
Nine minutes later, Clitheroe gave themselves some breathing room. The attack began with some good defending to keep us out – with Lamb and Sayer both having attempted blocked or saved – before getting up the pitch quickly as they had done all game. Dan Capewell did well to get the ball out of the box from their first wave of attack, but his clearance fell to Connor High in space on 55 minutes. He took one touch to control the ball, before unleashing a low powerful shot into the bottom corner, out of the reach of the diving de Jesus.
Clitheroe made sure of their win on 66 minutes. A high ball from Miles Storey sailed over the midfield and defence to Louis Potts, who brought it down beautifully, used his defender to set himself up to the shot, before guiding it into the bottom corner.
But if there’s one thing we know about Heaton Stan, they never give up, even in a position like this which they aren’t so used to after last season’s promotion heroics. If anything they improved in the closing stages as Clitheroe started to take their foot off the pedal, with substitutes Louis Anderson and Joseph Thompson particularly standing out.
Anderson went close on 78 minutes, getting through on goal but being charged down before he could get his shot off, but he would later score a consolation goal, with Dan Stephenson seizing upon a lapse in concentration in the Clitheroe defence, racing to the by-line to cut one into the box for Anderson’s tap-in. It didn’t affect the outcome of the game, but it felt right that the Stan had something to reflect the effort they’d exerted.
And so the club’s first ever FA Trophy journey draws to a close. Manager Nicholson conceded afterwards that winning the competition was always going to be a long shot, and that cementing the team in the Northern Premier League East Division would now be a welcome primary focus.
Heaton Stannington: De Jesus, Burn (Anderson 69), Beattie, Stephenson, Marriott, Capewell, Hopper, Slaughter (Ellison 75), Lamb (Thompson 68), Walker (Richardson 62), Sayer (Hornsby 76).
Goals: Anderson 88.
Supporters Man Of The Match: Dan Stephenson.
Yellow Cards: Anderson, Capewell, Hopper.
Referee: ???
Attendance: 447.
Venue: Shawbridge, Pendle Road, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 1LZ.
Liam Milburn