Northumbria Hit Dead End On Road To Wembley

Team Northumbria experienced a disappointing start to the 2017/18 campaign with a loss at home to Heaton Stannington in the FA Cup.

The 1-0 defeat came after a dubious penalty decision went against TN in the first half, in what was, overall, a tame affair.

TN looked confident in the first 20 minutes of the first half, stringing passes together and retaining possession.

But the hosts couldn’t find the gaps in Stannington’s defence to make their possession count.

It was clear Heaton Stannington came to Coach Lane with the intention of working TN hard - playing fast counter-attacking football after soaking up the pressure.

Stan winger, Joshua Holland, gave TN plenty to think about on the left-hand side, resulting in him being fouled more than once.

But the pivotal moment in this FA cup clash would come 30 minutes into the first half as Shane Jones delivered a ball to the feet of Johnathan Wright who found himself one on one with TN keeper Stefan Holden.

Holden made an attempt for the ball resulting in Wright being taken to the ground. The visitors were awarded a penalty but TN’s protesting keeper escaped a booking.

Stan’s number nine, Wright, converted the spot kick - a well-taken goal proving to be the difference between the two sides.

Despite Holden’s mishap, the former Newcastle University keeper looked confident on debut and was well protected by a strong defence.

TN will look to bounce back when they open their league account at North Shields on Wednesday.