Having picked up their first point of the season at North Ferriby two days earlier, Heaton Stannington ended the August bank holiday weekend with a first point at Grounsell Park with an entertaining 3-3 draw against Consett.
The away side had the first chance inside the first minute – Callum Corkhill’s kick up field was seized upon by a red shirt in midfield, who played the ball forward to their left winger. He ran into the area and tried to sneak the ball in under the keeper at his near post – it was off target but it showed their confidence in attack and willingness to hit us early.
The Stan took the lead on 10 minutes. A corner pinballed around the box, eventually landing for Hopper inside the six-yard box, but he was tripped as he tried to hold it up and the referee had no hesitation as he pointed to the spot. The only person with less hesitation was Hopper himself as he calmly side-footed the penalty into the bottom-right corner.
It was almost 2-0 just a few minutes later as some good combination play between Hopper, Sayer and Walker put Louis Anderson in on goal, but a heavy touch on the bouncing ball meant that he had to improvise and scissor kick for his finish, and ended up giving the keeper a save from close range.
Being more clinical is something the Stan need to sort out sharp if they are to start turning draws into wins. Having had plenty of opportunities to go further ahead, Consett seized upon some good fortune and equalised with four minutes of the first half remaining. The referee incorrectly awarded them a throw 18 yards from goal, which they used to their advantage, managed to work a cross into the area for Marc Costello to flick home.
Just before the break, Richie Slaughter forced a good save from the Consett keeper with a neat side-footed volley from the edge of the area.
The Stan restored their lead on 56 minutes. Kane Evans pumped forward a diagonal ball towards the penalty area, and Leighton Hopper got between the Consett centre-backs to control it beautifully. He had the time and space to work it onto his left foot and he bent a shot into the far top corner.
But the lead was short-lived – a cross from the right wasn’t dealt with and allowed Isaac Walker to drill a shot low into the bottom corner.
Things would get even worse just four minutes later as Consett went ahead. Another failure to clear our lines – this time from a corner – presented Liam Colledge with the chance to head into the far corner.
If there’s one thing we’ve seen so far this season, the Stan don’t go down without a fight, and they piled on the pressure to take something from the game. Having had one saved in the first half, Slaughter tried his luck from outside the box on 76 minutes and was successful this time.
The Consett keeper fisted away a corner, but the Stan got back onto the ball and kept the move alive. A second cross was headed out of the six-yard box, but only to our captain, who controlled, took it past one man, and then unleashed the cleanest of hits, leaving the keeper unable to do anything but watch it fly past his head.
Both sides had chances to win the game. Corkhill made a brilliant save low to his left on 86 minutes, and Connor Walker should’ve done better with an opportunity presented to him from Consett trying and failing to play out from the back.
Although it’s far too early to take the league table seriously, this point lifted the Stan out of the relegation zone, and once again there were plenty of signs to be optimistic about the first win of the season not being too far away.
Heaton Stannington: Corkhill, Evans, Beattie (Hornsby 58), Turnbull, Shepherd, Sayer (Ellison 80), Burn (Walker 71), Slaughter, Stephenson, Hopper, Anderson (Harper 62)
Unused Subs: Lashley.
Goals: Hopper 10 (Pen), 56, Slaughter 76.
Supporters Man Of The Match: Richie Slaughter.
Yellow Cards: Shepherd.
Referee: Samuel Packer.
Attendance: 503.
Match Photos: Flickr 1 and Flickr 2.
Liam Milburn