Blackstones beaten by St Andrews in United Counties League Division One clash

A late winner denied Blackstones a point in their away trip to St Andrews on Tuesday night in the United Counties League Division One.

Blackstones started the game the better of the two sides and took an early lead from a Lee Clarke tap-in.

But Stones weren’t able to capitalise and score a second before St Andrews equalised on the stroke of half-time.

The hosts netted a winner in the 87th minute on the counter-attack from a Blackstones corner with Urijah Douglas finishing from close range when the ball dropped to him from a header, writes Jordan Arthur.

After a slow start to the game against St Andrews at the weekend, Stones came out with a much higher tempo.

Clarke opened the scoring in the fifth minute from a corner, but came close with the initial chance.

He headed the ball goalbound from a left-sided free-kick and the ball was cleared away for a corner before it could drop to Joe Moore-Papworth for what would have been a simple tap-in.

From the resulting corner the ball dropped down in a crowded penalty area and Clarke was first to react to the loose ball and finished from close range past a helpless Sam Taylor in the St
Andrews goal.

Josh Edmondson looked to have created another goalscoring opportunity for Stones in the 15th minute, beating Aniya King to a loose ball on the left flank but his square pass into the box was cleared away for a corner before it could reach Moore-Papworth on the edge of St Andrews’ box.

St Andrews first chance came in the 19th minute from a header at the near post from a corner but the ball was smothered on the line by Richard Stainsby in the Stones goal.

Both sides came close to scoring before the break. King played a direct pass down the St Andrews left-wing to Zak Ginvert whose initial effort was saved by the on-rushing goalkeeper but the ball was still set for goal until a sliding clearance from Jake Pell relieved the danger.

Clarke had an effort cleared off the goalline minutes later for Blackstones as Andrew Boome’s shot in the centre of the box was saved in the direction of the co-Stones player-boss who saw his left-footed strike cleared off the line by Chris Shaw.

St Andrews found an equaliser in the 45th minute when Stainsby’s punch from a cross went only as far as Carlton Beardmore who scored in an open net from the edge of the penalty area.

Blackstones were denied a huge opportunity to re-take the lead before half-time but the referee pulled them back for a foul when Moore-Papworth had two options ahead of him running through on goal. The referee deemed the Blackstones man was pulled back and that there was no advantage.

In the second half the conditions began to have an effect on the play and neither team found much success trying to play over the top of the opposition defence.

Jones De Sousa had an opportunity in the 77th minute after being found with space on the right wing but, as he dribbled into the St Andrews box, he was met by an excellently-timed slide challenge from Richard Black.

Clarke came closest for Blackstones in the 85th minute with a left-footed volley from a De Sousa cross that was tipped around the right post by Taylor.

St Andrews then found the winning goal in the 87th minute through Douglas who finished at the near post when the ball fell to him unmarked in the Blackstones box.

Stones: Stainsby, Easson, Bates, Pell, Wilmer, Boome, Cowles (Brown), Moore-Papworth, Edmondson (Buttery), Clarke, Morley (De Sousa). Subs not used: Simpson, Wason.