Partnering attack-minded midfielder Grainger up front was left-sided winger Stuart Moffat, and it is notable that even as the game kicked off the pair were deep in conversation about tactics, the two’s differing styles of play, and how to best set each other up.

The game kicked off slightly late - with the home side the first out of the tunnel and delayed by the tactical mutterings of Jimmy McMurdo - but as it did so it was the visitors who started the brightest. Gillford commenced the first period with Grainger and Moffat striding into the Heaton end of the pitch, but as they pressed for an early goal Grainger was almost immediately ruled offside.

Unbeknownst to them, Heaton’s afternoon was summed up within the opening three minutes when their first attack saw Paul Noble set free on the left, but after dithering his cross ball was fruitless. Nevertheless, they continued to push forward and put Gillford under some early pressure, with Shaun Quinn and John Scott linking well in midfield and it was the latter, Scott, who headed The Stan’s first attempt wide from a corner on the left.

However, despite the oppositions early threats, it was Gillford who made the first steps towards the three points as Danny Palmer opened the scoring with only nine minutes elapsed. John Campbell, released by Man City Ressies in the summer, saw his free-kick powerfully headed out by Tom Brocklebank and Stuart Moffat kick-started the counter attack, battling for possession and making his way into the Heaton Stan box. The ball, swept from Moffat’s feet, fell only as far as Chris Grainger who looked up, saw Danny Palmer free on the left edge of the box, and sweetly sent the ball through for him to strike past helpless ‘keeper Shaun Backhouse and into the top-right of the net.

It took only three minutes for the home side to threaten Armstrong’s goal, though it was courtesy of Robbie Short who conceded a foul after jumping aggressively. Short redeemed himself just seconds later as he was on hand to meet the set-piece with a powerful boot, setting Dean Lamonby free on the right who in turn was fouled after some committed play, but Craig Thomson’s free-kick was headed out by Graham to Palmer, and ultimately came to nothing.

Heaton Stannington’s John Campbell continued to showcase his ability but seemed repelled by the thought of scoring, twice shooting wide and aiming a further shot weakly into the arms of Gavin Armstrong after beating three men on the edge of the box, and neither side looked particularly impressive despite some sustained pressure from the visitors.

With twenty-minutes played Stuart Moffat’s left-field corner was headed out for a further flag kick on the right, but Chris Grainger played a short corner after which his cross was cleared upfield, while shortly after a shockingly attack-minded (and no doubt disconcerting) run through midfield by Ally Lang and a neat pass to Danny Palmer saw Stuart Moffat - now popping up on the right - marked offside.

Around the twenty-five minute mark Heaton had a couple of chances both instigated by playmaker Quinn, as first Campbell shot well wide of Armstrong’s right hand post before an attack down the wing ended abruptly with a weak, easily saved cross shot, and shortly after good defending by Craig Thomson saw the ball played out for a goal-kick as Paul Noble chased John Scott’s excellent ball on the left-side.

As the half-hour mark passed it was evident that the combination of excellent defending and poor attacking had kept Gillford custodian Armstrong untroubled, and no doubt frustrated by his sides inability to reduce the deficit Scott wrapped his arm around defender Lang and wrestled him to the ground. (Note to pitchfork wielding critics: It appeared to be Ally Lang, but Tom Brocklebank was the player nursing a sore lip after so I may have this wrong. There was certainly a degree of neck-wrestling though!)

In increasingly windy conditions poor touches from both sides saw Chris Grainger’s free-kick come to nothing, while four minutes later another Grainger kick was played out at the back post, earning Gillford a corner. Stuart Moffat, the same player that had earned the original set piece, played in the flag-kick but Tom Brocklebank couldn’t connect properly at the back post, and the ball went behind for a goal-kick.

A small spell of pressure saw Chris Grainger’s speculative effort fly wide in the forty-first minute, while two minutes later Darren Addison was denied by a great save after being released on the right edge of the box by the battling Danny Palmer. The ball was immediately played up Heaton’s right wing and an excellent cross dealt Armstrong his first test of the afternoon, with which he coped easily.

The last action of the half saw a Craig Thomson free-kick come to nothing after good work between Short and Grainger released Moffat, but the winger-cum-striker created more shortly after, as an attack on the left earned a throw in which saw Blakey play a well sighted through ball to Palmer but, after a neat touch, he could not connect properly and shot wide from a goalscoring position.

As the second period commenced it was again the visitors who threatened first, with Dominic Elliott getting on the end of a well sighted ball, but the Number 10 had nothing to create after cutting in on the left edge of the box and then, with seven minutes gone, the stats were levelled as Dean Lamonby played the ball to Danny Palmer on the right, but Chris Grainger couldn’t connect to the scorers cross.

At half-time Andy McClelland had replaced Martin Blakey at left-back, but his first action came in a more natural position further up the park. Two minutes after Grainger’s missed chance Stuart Moffat was fouled on the right-hand side of the park but recovered to flight the free-kick to the back post where McClelland was waiting, but the ex-Northbank player could not connect. Nevertheless, Gillford continued to push forward and saw further chances fly wide or into the arms of Backhouse, and in the fifty-sixth minute the Heaton management saw fit to remove John Scott from play, replacing the midfielder with Chris Flynn.

At first the substitution seemed to have had little effect on the outcome of the game, as Gillford again threatened with excellent play through the midfield releasing Moffat on the left, earning a corner from which McClelland shot high over, but Heaton replied as first Armstrong was called upon to save at the feet of the chasing Flynn, before Aaron Jewell’s cross from the right was headed just over.

In the sixty-fifth minute Stuart Moffat picked up an injury challenging for a Grainger free-kick - during which he was adjudged to have fouled - while a few minutes later Gillford were let off after a poor back-pass by Robbie Short forced Armstrong into a hurried kick into touch. The visitors conceded yet another foul defending the throw on the right, but Campbell’s kick was headed wide at the back post.

With seventy-one minutes played an excellent ball released Stuart Moffat - by now permanently occupying the right flank - and his cross was cleared out for a corner. Good work between Short and Grainger saw a couple chances denied, the final of which set up a counter attack for the home side and they were only kept from possibly levelling the scores by the tough tackling of Ally Lang.

Then, a few moments later, The Stan came into their own and begun to dominate the game. A superb pass from midfield set Flynn free on the right and, although the substitutes weak cross came to nothing, his side upped the tempo and continued to push forward, with a shot from the edge of the box flying narrowly past the right post. A few moments later and Flynn again was causing trouble as he made his way into the box, but under pressure from a sea of green-and-white his poor effort went wide of the left upright.

The home side continued to push forward and put Gillford under some really positive pressure, but the visitors defence rode the storm and when Chris Grainger stole possession on the left of the field the result was almost put beyond doubt. Good work by Andy McClelland on the left wing earned the visitors a corner but the flag-kick found an unhampered route past Backhouses’s goal, and, with twelve minutes left, a desperate lunge at the back post was to be the final chance for the travelling outfit.

Eighty-minutes into the game Heaton wasted possession with a shot from distance, but immediately reclaimed the advantage, surging forward from the goal-kick and stealing the ball, but the left-field cross was easily taken by Armstrong, while a few minutes later they wasted a free-kick, shooting over from just outside the box.

In the dying minutes substitute Andrew Week’s sent a good cross that again proved fruitless as a comic overhead kick failed to connect at all, but the Black & Whites retained possession and worked another shot, yet again weakly aimed straight to the ‘keeper at the near post.

The goal had been coming for a while, but had Gillford held out for just three minutes longer they would have run out winners. In truth, despite numerous wasted well constructed attacks the equaliser came out of nothing, as a long ball from midfield saw Campbell free with the goal in his sights, and he moved into the box before making amends for his earlier discrepancies by clinically shooting to Armstrong's right and into the gaping goal.

Despite the home managements suggestions, Gilly were not “up for the taking,” and immediately tried to reply, with one of the better attacks of the game ending with a Chris Grainger cross from the right that was cleared out for a corner on the other side of the field, but despite their best efforts the chance came to nothing and the last action of the game saw Dean Lamonby battling away to prevent a Heaton counter-attack.