It was a fantastic day out for the Stan as they made the long 334 miles round trip to the picturesque Causeway Lane ground in Derbyshire to take on Matlock Town for the 1st time.
The Stan competed equally with 2nd placed Matlock in front of a crowd of 761. The home side had gone ahead against the run of play & although the Stan equalised they were unlucky to go into half time behind. The Stan came out fighting in the 2nd half & never gave up. After getting level on 66 minutes, they peaked in the Peak District with a 92nd minute Hopper winner which sent the Stan Army ballistic.
There were 5 changes from last Saturday’s defeat to Emley with J.J. Chrisp, making his loan debut, Slaughter, Errington, Stephenson & Lamb replacing Beattie, Robson, Adamson, Walker & Pearson.
The 1st action of the game came in the 3rd minute, when Errington broke & was brought down by the last man on half way. 2 minutes later & a Stan attack saw a ball from Lamb go across the Matlock goal but was just missed by Hopper & went wide.
In 11 minutes Matlock got their 1st corner which was partially cleared by Capewell & the rebound shot went over. In 13 minutes, Errington broke & the move ended with his curving shot going just wide. 4 minutes later & a deflected Errington shot was caught by Boney in the Matlock goal. Almost immediately at the other end, Chrisp’s trailing leg caught a Matlock player & a penalty was awarded. The 18th minute penalty kick was put away by Wilson with Gordon going the wrong way & Matlock were surprisingly in the lead.
In 21 minutes, Boney dived at Hopper’s feet to prevent his shot. A minute later, Stephenson then sent a long ball to Lamb who lost the ball. Boney then dropped the ball in front of Lamb allowing him to put it in the net but the referee blew his whistle claiming Lamb had taken the ball from the keeper’s hands. Soon after Errington sent a ball into the home box & it eventually came back to him & he supplied Hopper whose header was easily caught by Boney.
In 25 minutes, the Stan were back on level terms when a Chrisp long ball to Errington saw him beat a defender & calmly put the ball past Boney for a great goal. In 28 minutes, Gordon caught the ball from a Matlock corner. & he easily caught again 2 minutes later. It was still mainly Stan pressure although Matlock shot just wide in 38 minutes.
In 43 minutes, Matlock were again unexpectantly in the lead when a player advanced into the Stan box & crossed to the advancing Viggars who slotted the ball into the net. Into 2 minutes added time & Boney had to make a catch from Shepherd who was shoved. The half ended with a great Evans tackle resulting in a home corner from which Gordon easily caught the ball.
The 2nd half started with an Evans ball going just wide of the Matlock net. In the 48th minute, Gordon had to save & he also caught the ball from the resulting corner. There were then several Stan attacks & in 52 minutes an advancing Lamb was brought down. Stepehenson’s free kick into the home box was headed wide by Capewell. Hopper then broke & Boney could not hold onto his effort but Lamb couldn’t get to the ball in time to shoot. Matlock counterattacked & Capewell had to clear. It was then Hopper’s turn to counterattack & he was brought down. From the resulting free kick, Lamb lost the ball & Matlock rushed up the pitch shooting just wide.
In 56 minutes, a move involving Stephenson & Hopper ended with a Chrisp long range shot being caught by Boney. After a Matlock corner was cleared, they attacked again in 59 minutes & a long range effort was headed wide by Capewell for a corner which was cleared.
After some sustained Stan pressure, in the 66th minute sub Storey advanced with the ball & crossed it to Hopper who slotted it into the back of the Matlock net for 2-2. The Stan kept the pressure on & in 70 minutes, Burn shot just wide from the edge of the box. 4 minutes later & a Slaughter long range effort nearly took out a window in the flats behind the home goal. A Matlock player then broke but Gordon made a great save & from the resulting corner he caught the ball.
After a quieter period, the Stan made a great block in 82 minutes. 3 minutes later & a Slaughter high ball into the home box was headed just wide by sub Adamson. In 87 minutes, Hopper won the ball in the Matlock box & shot just wide of the far post. In the 90th minute, Capewell cleared twice just outside the Stan box.
In 92 minutes, it was the Stan who secured the 3 points when super-duper Hooper got hold of the ball in the home box & shot past Boney from a tight angle. What a finale. The late winner was the icing on the cake for one of the Stan’s best 90 minutes for a long time.
What an achievement & what a team performance as the Stan rise to 8th in the league & are now only 3 points off a play-off place. They have played 18 away league games in 2025 & have only lost twice & are unbeaten in the last 8. Next up for the Stan is a home match next Saturday against Silsden.
Heaton Stannington: Gordon, Evans, Chrisp, Burn, Capewell, Shepherd, Hopper, Slaughter (C), Errington (Storey 63), Stephenson, Lamb (Adamson 75).
Subs Not Used: Flynn, Beattie, Milburn.
Goals: Errington 25, Hopper 66, 90(+2).
Supporters Man Of The Match: Dan Stephenson.
Attendance: 761.
Venue: Proctor Cars Stadium, Causeway Lane, Matlock, DE4 3AR.
Match Photos: Flickr.
Kevin Mochrie