The Onion Bag's Non-League Travels

 THE ONION BAG travels around Non-League Football grounds

Stanstead 0  Dunston UTS 2
Saturday 12th February - FA Vase 5th Round
Gate : £5
Atten: 430 
Ground: Very basic ground , which lacked atmosphere. Only one side with a stand the rest just railings around on a cricket pitch - 2/10
Food:  Homemade Sausage Roll £1 Coffee 80p
Match Enjoyment:Not the most exciting of matches. Dunston in full control, mainly due to more experienced players . In truth Stansteads big day never really 'took off' ! 3/10



I was now heading for Stanstead v Dunston UTS. This game appealed to me for a few reasons it was a classic example of North v South , two teams from completely different parts of the country and people with very different accents.

Stanstead FC ply their trade in the Essex Senior League and actually won the league last season. In fact their very good run has continued this season. They are in fact previous winners of the Vase in 1984 when they beat Stamford 3-2 in the final. I spoke with their manager before the game and he seemed very confident of his boys and the rise from the bottom when he took over four years ago was something he was very proud of.

After 34 games this season they had only 4 defeats and were flying high at the top again.

Todays Visitors are Dunston UTS from the Northern League. Dunston is known as where Gazza started his playing days.

As usual on Vase day i always go for a fry up and today was no exception as after the  busy morning food is what i needed on arrival at the town centre of Stanstead. I was directed by a local to a cafe on the high street called "Yummy's" the name itself was good enough for me. As it was Vase day the House  8 item Special was ordered and eaten with ease.

As i came out of the cafe and walked down the high street towards the ground i bumped into Isaacs another ground hopper friend of mine but what was he doing here i asked as he was supposed to be at the Poole v Spennymoor game, as we laughed he asked me the same question as for him i was supposed to be in Kings Lynn !!

The ground itself is a very basic one no where near the charm of the previous round at Herne Bay. Only one little stand here and the rest of the pitch was protected by railings on the cricket pitch. The charm factor was very low.

On the positve side the stand they did have was a little quirky.

Today was a big day for the club and the local radio were there to cover the game and for a step 5 club that was unusual.

The opening 15 minutes were very good and a decent game was in the making. But then Stanstead had to make a change as a defender went of injured and from then on they never really recovered. 

The opening goal for Dunston was due to a mishap on the edge of the Stanstead box the goalie and two defenders left the ball for each other and then through sheer panic was toe punted out for a throw in but before the ball could go out a quick thinking Dunston player knew the goalie was off his line and first time chipped the ball over everyone into the back of the net from the right touchline. Silence had over come the shock of everything as it all happened so quickly. But in reality it was a piece of decent skill by Dunston.

The boys from Gateshead now appeared to have a foot hold on the game, as Stanstead offered very little.

Midway through the second half they made the game safe from mistake by a Stanstead defender who instead of heading the ball clear let it bounce and lost sight of it in the low setting sun. Dunston pounced and scored the vital goal to kill off any faint hopes the Essex boys had.

Dunston players celebrate with their fans

The rest of the game was played in full control by Dunston and as the final whistle blew geordie celebrations were loud and very well deserved.  Stanstead's big day landed with a bump and they  failed to really ever take off !!

Travelling back i heard of the very decent games at both Poole and Kings Lynn , had i picked the wrong game to go to ? maybe, the ground was not the most scenic and atmosphere not brilliant especially by the home supporters at least Dunston supporters made some noise. But the day had unfolded in an enjoyable way and i have no regrets as it is all part of my Vase journey. There is something very special about the Vase and I cant wait for monday's draw to see where my next day out will be.

Thanks to THE ONION BAG for permission to use his material including the photos.