Men's 1s vs Harrogate 1

A superb start to a very big week for the Men’s first team today. Having watched the Ladies knock Pickering for four just prior, the stage was set for a five star performance.

Manager Phil Molyneux gave debuts to the young duo of Jude Crack and Ted Trenchard whose outstanding performances in the second team have seen them make the step up - both slotted in from the off. Tough tackling Adam Warnes (showing some signs of fatigue after a long stint blowing up birthday balloons) found Crack with a trademark daisy-cutter aerial moving Stockton up the pitch in the first five minutes.

Mercurial midfielder Jack Addison pestered and harried the Harrogate back line - stealing the ball high up the park and combining with Max Mowbray to earn a short corner. A trademark drag flick saw Alex Heath score his eleventh goal in five games for the lead. 

Ed Beak leading the line found space after another Addison pick-pocketing - finishing with a neat reverse strike to double the lead after fifteen minutes. Stockton were finding another fear, making a very good side look ordinary; defensive centre-mid Ethan Skirving darted forwards and found himself some space in the circle after some energetic work from Trenchard and Myles Brown. Skirving finished like a real striker for a three-nil lead. 

Harrogate put together a neat passage of play and some breakaways. One or two sloppy errors from the home side and they managed a goal against the run of play.

A tough team talk at half time from manager Molyneux and skipper James Tompkinson called for maximum effort to get the game won. Stockton rode their luck as Harrogate squandered a penalty stroke. 

Tompkinson turned the tables though as he began a trademark run down the right. Powering through players and earning a short corner with the bonus of two visiting players in the sin-bin. Heath’s effort rebounded to Beak who smashed a half-volley finish into the bottom corner.

Adam Turner repelled plenty of pressure in the Stockton net, and Dan Stewart put his body and disciplinary record on the line with a tactical “reducer” which saw him on the ‘naughty step’ for five minutes. Stockton weathered the pressure from the side third in the YNE Premier League, and managed the game to see it out - but not before Addison, Trenchard, and Mowbray combined to give the latter a late chance: he unleashed a strike that looked destined to test the keeper high to his right before Beak intervened to deflect the ball into the roof of the net to compete a sparkling hat-trick in the last minute of the game.

In a week which could define their season, Stockton move on to a midweek fixture on Tuesday against Leeds Adel, before the big match next Saturday when they travel to league leader Newcastle University.