THE HORNETS | Hebburn Town v North Shields | Issue 44

Daniel Moore First-Team Manager

Mark Hudson Assistant Manager

Simon Harris First-Team Coach

Carl Morris Goalkeeping Coach

TODAY'S

DIGITAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME.

It was a long time coming for us to have a game - we were a bit unsure of how Dunston was going to go. The lads trained very hard, and we were probably full value for the win. They played a lot in front of us so the lads defended brilliantly and deserved that clean sheet. We knew the pitch wasn't one to play football on - it was about playing percentages in the right areas and as the game went on, we did that better. You could say we were hanging on towards the end, but we managed to hold onto the

three points. Dunston are a good team with good players - we said before the game if we could beat them and North Shields then it'll stand us in good stead. We've got half the job done so we're focused and ready to go this afternoon. We've got a lot of games coming up in a short space of time so everyone has to be readythe changes did impact us but we got our rewards in the end.

I've played one game in the last six weeks so it's been difficult, but I was delighted to score.

Last month I was worried about getting injured again, but I've been able to train regularly and I'm feeling fresh. I back myself 100% when I'm fit so hopefully I can avoid any setbacks.

It's a tough game today - it's a local derby. When you play these games it's always close, nobody runs away 3-0 or 4-0. It's always 1-0 or 2-1, so we need to be at it and on top of our game.

NOTICEBOARD

NOTICEBOARD

Jake Hackett has now returned to Whitby Town upon the expiration of his loan deal.

The midfielder signed for Hebburn on a 28-day loan and played in both of the club’s fixtures in December. We thank Jake for his efforts at The Green Energy Sports Ground and wish him well in future. Left-back Gabriel Bada has also joined Whickham on dual-registration terms, allowing him to gain more match experience. Meanwhile, a number of postponed fixtures have now been rescheduled for January. The Durham Challenge Cup quarter-final away to Whickham has been rearranged for Wednesday, January 11 at 7:30pm after the original game suffered a waterlogged pitch. The winner of that tie will welcome Seaham Red Star

in the semi-final. Our home game against Carlton Town has therefore been moved to Tuesday, January 24 with a 7:45pm kick-off.

Brighouse Town will end the month at The Green Energy Sports Ground on Tuesday, January 31. The final postponed fixture at home to Grimsby Borough has been moved to Saturday, February 11.

Chances were at a premium as Hebburn edged Dunston in a local derby on Boxing Day.

The Hornets had a full squad going into the game however fortunes changed as Liam Henderson, Arron Thompson and Olly Martin went down with injuries. Thompson brought Will Jenkins down on the edge of the box on 17 minutes, but the the on-loan South Shields midfielder couldn’t keep his free-kick down for the hosts. Dunston keeper James Anderson was involved for the first time with 20 on the clock after Joe Walton crossed to Henderson, though his header was caught with ease. Daniel Moore’s side had a

prime opportunity seven minutes later as Henderson put through Amar Purewal, who was unable to get his shot off at close-range. With 10 to go in the first half, Jake Hackett curled a freekick towards the back post where Sean Reid directed it over the target. The game turned stale until James Harrison’s introduction on 67 minutes, when the substitute drove from the halfway line and hooked a shot narrowly over. Purewal’s goal came on 74 after Robbie Spence’s strike was rebounded to the attacker and couldn't miss at point-blank range. Dunston’s best chance at the end saw Jenkins twist through the area, but Shaun Newbrook caught low.

AN INTRODUCTION

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BY DAVID COULTHARD

North Shields Athletic were founded in 1896 and played across four different leagues. After World War I, the club resurfaced as Preston Colliery before they became North Shields in 1928. They remained in the North Eastern League until 1958, winning the title in 1950. After the league disbanding, they won the Northern Counties League in 1961, before joining the Northern League in 1964. They landed the quadruple of Northern League, League Cup, FA Amateur Cup and Anglo Italian Amateur Cup in 1969.

They won the League Cup again in 1972, and remained in the Northern League until 1989, at which point they joined the Northern Counties East League. They were then promoted to the Northern Premier

League in 1992, however the club folded.

The Robins reformed in Wearside League Division Two, five steps down from their previous campaign. In 1999, they went on to win the treble – Wearside League, Shipowners Cup and Northumberland Senior Bowl, and later won another Bowl and two Monkwearmouth Cups. They rejoined the Northern League in 2004 and played in Division Two before promotion in 2014. They then won the 2015 FA Vase and added a 13th Senior Cup in 2016.

Last season, Marc Nash’s side won the Northern League title to reach step four for the first time since their reformation.

Hebburn are set to welcome back three explayers to The Green Energy Sports Ground today.

The North Shields squad consists of three former Hornets, though defender Anthony Myers won't feature this afternoon due to injury. Myers made just under 150 appearances for Hebburn across two different spells. His first came between 2007 and 2011 where he was primarily utilised as a winger, and he returned briefly in 2017 following a long stint with Jarrow Roofing. The 38-year-old joined North Shields in June 2020 and featured against Hebburn earlier in the season, but suffered a knee injury in November against Ossett. Shields full-back Stephen Forster also had a spell with The Hornets, but later joined Jarrow Roofing and Morpeth Town. The final name in the Robins camp who represented Hebburn is Tom Potter.

The tricky midfielder signed for Kevin Bolam's side in December 2019 and went on to make 63 appearances, including the 2020 FA Vase Final. Potter joined North Shields in the summer after departing NE31 upon Daniel Moore's arrival, and has been limited to seven starts due to injury. There's only one former North Shields man in the Hebburn squad - that being Michael McKeown.

The central midfielder, who has been injured since June 2021 with his ACL, enjoyed two thrilling spells with The Robins. He played an integral part as Graham Fenton's men won promotion to Northern League Division One, and later won the 2015 FA Vase at Wembley.

LAST MEETING

PLAYER SPONSORSNEWBROOK'S PREVIEW

Shaun Newbrook hopes to build off Boxing Day’s clean sheet and 1-0 win away to Dunston.

Daniel Moore's side only played twice throughout December after a number of postponements due to freezing temperatures. “I don’t think it impacted us too much,” Newbrook stated. “We trained three times a week and worked on a few areas we were

struggling with. “Some lads who were injured or ill had time to recover so it was alright in that sense.

“Nothing replicates playing games but we trained really hard to keep our fitness levels up and that helped us against Dunston.”

Hebburn's final game of 2022 came in a local derby at Dunston, with Amar Purewal snatching the

victory on 74 minutes. Newbrook admitted the game lacked quality, but exaggerates the most important thing was the win.

“It was a good performance,” said the shot-stopper. “It was a scrappy game due to the quality of the pitch so it was about winning the battle. “Everyone done their job and put a shift in - the lads put their bodies on the line. “We’re delighted with the win and hopefully we can build off it as we’re in a good position now.”

The experienced keeper tasted his first league clean sheet in over two months, when The Hornets beat Consett on October 22. Since then, excluding the Durham Challenge Cup victory over Jarrow, Hebburn have conceded in our last six.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he admitted. “We should’ve had a few

more to be honest, so hopefully that’s the way it’s going to go for the rest of the season.

“Reidy [Sean Reid] has come in at centre-back and done excellent, Wayne [Phillips] and Dan [Groves] both put 10/10 performances in at left-back.

“It makes no difference in who plays at the back because they’re all very good players." Now Hebburn are set to play eight times throughout January - six of which are at The Green Energy Sports Ground, while there's also trips to Whickham