Last time Heddon played Stamfordham, they managed to put a hefty 13 goals past the second division side, 6 of which were scored by front man Dan Walker.
Despite the high scoreline of the previous game, we were warned by the gaffer not to expect this game to be a walkover, as Stamfordham now have many of Ponteland United's players in their squad, many of whom we hadn't played against in this league before.
Playing in a 3-5-2 formation, against strong winds, Heddon started the game well, with an early goal coming from Dan Walker in the first 5 minutes, set up by a Dan Ramshaw cross from the right side of the pitch. 1-0 Heddon.
At this point, the game already looked set to be another demolition of the hosts, who offered very little, and had minimal possession in the opening 10 minutes.
Shortly after the opening goal, Ross Bailey played a low ball to Ciaran Porter on the left wing, who took it upon himself to go on a Diego Maradona-esque run past 2 of Stamfordham's defenders, and at the end of which produced a very tidy finish with his right foot from the edge of the box. 2-0 Heddon.
Looking comfortable and playing well, Heddon continued to control the game, creating numerous chances in quick succession after the second goal, however despite the opportunities, Dan Walker struggled to test the opposition goalkeeper, a disappointing trend that seemed to continue throughout the remainder of the first half.
Despite the centre-forward's inability to score, Heddon bagged another goal before the half hour mark, with centre half Michael Connelly scoring a tap in from a low Dan Ramshaw cross. 3-0 Heddon.
Soon after netting a third, Heddon produced lovely team move down the left hand side of the pitch, finished off with Ciaran Porter playing a precise short pass to Elliott Price on the edge of the 18 yard box who found the top left corner of Stamfordham's net from just inside the area. 4-0 Heddon.
With the contest appearing to be over, Heddon did not slack off, and continued to work hard both on and off the ball, maintaining the majority of possession in the closing minutes of the first half. This hard work paid off, and resulted in a 5th goal before half time, with rare goalscorer Dan Fleming finishing off a 6 yard box scramble, as the Stamfordham defence failed to clear the ball. 5-0 Heddon. HT.
With the wind direction now in Heddon's favour, and Waddsy told to take a bit off his kicks this half, we started the second half as well as the first, with a goal from a ropey looking Mark Murtagh, who had been quiet in the first half, set up again by playmaker Dan Ramshaw threading a through ball to the feet of Heddon's number 10, who placed the ball into the bottom corner of Stamfordham's goal. 6-0. Heddon.
With half an hour to go, Halifax Sunday League loanee Joe O'Donnell made a surprise return to the Heddon team, coming on for Mark Murtagh and moving into the left wing back role. Shortly after this substitution, Gateshead Harriers' Richy Harrison also came on for the blues.
With the injection of pace from the two substitutions, Heddon scored a 7th goal, with out of form striker Dan Walker scoring a tap in into an open net inside the 6 yard box. 7-0 Heddon.
This goal proved the end of a woeful day of finishing for the blues' front man, who failed to score from multiple good opportunities for the remainder of the match.
The scoring however did not end here, with around 15 minutes remaining, skipper Dan Ramshaw struck a powerful, high shot from the right side of the box, towards the Stamfordham goalkeeper, who saved well and parried the ball across the face of goal, which unfortunately for him, landed at the feet of midfielder Ciaran Porter, who finished off an easy chance, to make it 8 for the visitors. 8-0 Heddon.
With the game well and truly over, the Stamfordham players began to produce numerous fouls, allowing Heddon to create more chances, and again maintain the majority of possession.
With 10 minutes remaining, dad-bod Dave Green brought himself on for Dan Fleming, and had an immediate impact on the game, putting in an important tackle on the edge of the hosts' box, allowing the ball to fall to the feet of Joe O'Donnell.
Having regained possession, a moment of magic followed, as the young Heddon prospects linked up beautifully, with Joe O'Donnell rolling the ball to former Stamfordham defender, Tom Apedaile on the edge of the box, who took a touch and rifled the ball into the top right corner of the goal he once tried his best to defend, making it 9-0 to Heddon.
The goalscorer then proceeded to celebrate in the style of Sergio Aguero after scoring the 94th minute winner against QPR to secure the Premier League title over Manchester United in 2012, removing his shirt in the process, and receiving a yellow card for doing so.
The referee then blew the final whistle, to round off another fruitful day of scoring for the blues against Stamfordham. Full Time. 9-0.
Man of the match went to Ciaran Porter who produced an excellent display in midfield, grabbing 2 goals and an assist.
