Hebburn Town

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Hednesford Town

McHale (50)

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Ollie Harrison

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W

 

Warrington Town (H) 12.8.25

The Pitmen make a winning start to life back at step three this afternoon as a solitary Dom McHale goal is enough to defeat Hebburn Town in today's curtain-raiser

It had been a long summer of anticipation for the Pitmen and their supporters ahead of the season’s opener, having been forced to play all of their pre-season programme away from home whilst Keys Park underwent significant upgrades. On the pitch, the club had brought in several highly experienced names in the summer months in a bid to further strengthen their already-powerful squad; Kieron Freeman (Spalding United), Joss Labadie (Solihull Moors), Ryan Wynter (Halesowen Town), Dan Turner (Chester) and Jonny Edwards (Kettering Town) had all joined, replacing the departed Kory Roberts, Josh Endall, Dan Sparkes, Jack Bearne and Abdulrasaq Alamu-Tajudeen. Wynter, Freeman and Edwards all made their full debuts in the starting XI, with Turner named amongst the substitutes. Labadie, however, joined Chris Hussey on the sidelines injured for the season opener and was joined by manager Gavin Hurren on the morning of the game, with the gaffer struck down by an overnight illness. Assistant manager Lee Vaughan took responsibility for the side for today’s game, assisted by the returning Mark Danks, who had returned to the club this week as first-team coach

Hebburn had finished in a respectable fourteenth place in last season’s Northern Premier League in 2024-2025, their first ever at step three following promotion from the East division the previous year. Player/manager Daniel Moore had overhauled his Hornets squad over the summer months, adding full-back Joe Oliver (Blyth Spartans), experienced striker Gary Martin (Bishop Auckland), ex-Gateshead stopper Harrison Bond, the versatile Jack Foalle (Morpeth Town) and midfielder Ethan Wood (Newton Aycliffe) to the ranks in a bid to move his side further up the table in the coming season and further consolidate their step three status

A gusty cross-wind blowing in off the North Sea was to disrupt the flight of the ball several times in the early stages of the game, with both sides inexplicably kicking the ball out of play as they looked to get to grips with the tricky conditions. The away side looked to use this to their advantage in the fourth minute as Dan Trickett-Smith and Elliott Johnston exchanged passes down the left, with Johnson’s deep cross towards Edwards headed away by skipper Aidan Heywood at the far post

Tony Breeden’s first involvement came in the eighth minute and involved the veteran stopper racing out of his penalty area to head clear, denying summer signing Gary Martin a clear sight at goal after a long punt forward from Liam Noble had been played over the head of Ollie Harrison and into space behind the defender

Three minutes later, Jack Foalle earned the home side a free-kick thirty yards from goal after being brought down by Freeman. Noble’s resultant all into the box was aimed at the head of Ethan Wood, who was denied by a superb defensive header from Harrison. The ball ran to Wood on the edge of the Hednesford penalty area once more, who shanked his first-time shot high and wide of goal

The gusty conditions worked in favour of Hebburn goalkeeper Harrison Bond on fifteen minutes as the former Sunderland youngster claimed Freeman’s inswinging corner at his far post, claiming the swirling ball ahead of both Harrison and Edwards

A minute later, the weather claimed another victim at the other end of the pitch as Noble’s inswinging corner from the left drifted harmlessly out of play before it had even reached the near post, much to the frustration of the home crowd

The game’s clearest chance so far fell to the Hornets on nineteen minutes as another corner from Noble on the right was whipped into the box and met by the head of Michael Turner, whose glancing effort dribbled inches wide of Breeden’s right-hand post. Close

Midway through the first half, Ollie Martin picked the ball up in space down the right for Hebburn, getting goal side of Johnson before striking an angled effort at goal that was easily fielded by Breeden

The Pitmen felt that they had a legitimate shout for a penalty kick on a minute later as McHale went on one of his swashbuckling runs, drifting inside from the right flank and leaving two Hebburn players in his wake before taking a tumble just inside the penalty area under a challenge from Elsdon. Despite the Hednesford players’ pleas, Mr Hart elected to show McHale a yellow card for simulation, much to the amazement of the Magic man

McHale turned provider on twenty-seven minutes as he made a forceful run down the right after taking a pass from Edwards forward, whipping in a low cross that skipped across the face of goal and cleared from danger by Joe Oliver

Johnson did well to get to the opposite touchline a minute later, taking the ball past Oliver and standing up a cross to the far post, where McHale arrived late to head the ball wide from eight yards out, under pressure from Michael Turner

Good link-up play between the Martins on thirty-one minutes saw Ollie play Gary into space just inside the Hednesford penalty area. The experienced striker held the ball up well under pressure from Harrison, but was to be denied by an excellent block from the covering Wynter

The same pairing continued to give the Pitmen something to think about on thirty-seven minutes as Ollie Martin once again found space on the left and played a net ball through to the feet of Gary Martin, only for the wind to once again intervene and take it away from the striker and allow Morgan to come across with a covering challenge and clear

The Pitmen had struggled to make it stick in the final third so far and wasted a good chance to put some pressure on the Hebburn defence on thirty-nine minutes; Ahkeem Rose did well to hold off a challenge from Oliver to win a free kick-kick on the right, with Trickett-Smith taking the kick a little too keenly as he gifted possession straight back to the hosts with a slack pass towards McHale

More excellent defending from Harrison on forty-two minutes saw the towering defender brilliantly had the ball away for danger as Noble’s free-kick thirty yards from goal was headed back across goal by Matt Elsdon at the far post, looking to pick on Gary Martin. Noble picked the loose ball up one more and returned it to the danger zone, only for Breeden to mop up with a timely claim

Right on the stroke of half-time, Morgan followed McHale in Mr Hart’s book as the right-back was mysteriously booked after bravely heading a deep cross from Ollie Martin behind for a corner under severe pressure from Gary Martin. The pair exchanged some words before the resultant corner could be taken, with Morgan somehow talking his way into the referee’s notebook

Hebburn had, in truth, shaded the first forty-five minutes on chances, with the Hednesford defence doing well to stand firm and keep the score line goalless going into the half-time break. The visitors had been a little pedestrian in the final third this far, with the front four struggling to link up as a cohesive unit

The men in mint green struck what proved to be the winner on fifty minutes as quickly turned defence into attack through Rose, who did well to pick the pocket of Foalle and played the ball out Trickett-Smith on the left flank; the talented playmaker played a delightful outside-of-the-boot pass across to the incoming McHale, who nipped in ahead of both Elsdon and goalkeeper Bond to take the ball around the sprawling dive of the stopper and turn the ball into the net from an angle

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With their tails up, the Pitmen continued to press in search of a quickfire second goal. Two minutes later, McHale was involved once more as he made another run inside from the right flank, getting to the byeline and cutting the ball back to Trickett-Smith, who saw his first-time effort from twenty yards out blocked 

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Hebburn took the ball straight down the other end and fed it out to Heywood on the left, whose cut inside of Johnson's challenge and crossed low into the box. However, the ball in was a touch too heavy for either Ollie or Gary Martin, and the ball drifted wide of Breeden's right-hand post

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More excellent defending from Harrison on fifty-seven minutes saw the big man come across and make a timely block to deny Gary Martin after Wood had played the striker into space just outside the Hednesford penalty area. The 34-year-old took a couple of touches but saw his rushed effort turned behind by Harrison for a corner kick

 

The wind came to the Pitmen's rescue once more shortly after the hour mark as Foalle picked up a loose pass out of defence and looked to lob Breeden from out wide on the left, looping a shot towards goal that got caught in the wind and sailed harmlessly over the crossbar

 

Midway through the second half, Morgan made a mazy run down the right for the Pitmen, taking on McHale's reverse pass before drifting in from the wing, taking it past three Hebburn players before seemingly being impeded as he entered the penalty area. Despite more vociferous protests from the Pitmen players and fans for a penalty kick, Mr Hart was unimpressed and continued with play

On sixty-six minutes, Edwards’ luckless debut afternoon came to an end as the burly striker was brought off by the visitors and replaced by the in-form Dan Turner

 

The hosts went agonisingly close to levelling matters once more a minute later as Elsdon's cross from the left picked out the run of Foalle, who attempted a first-time effort at goal with a scuffed angled effort that drifted inches wide of Breeden's left-hand post

Foalle had been constantly in the ear of Mr Hart for much of the afternoon, morning about every decision that had gone against his side in a bid to sway the match official’s decision-making. However, he picked up a yellow card for his indiscretions on sixty-nine minutes as he brought Doyle-Charles down thirty yards from the Hednesford goal and was rightly booked for the challenge, angering Doyle-Charles in the process and leading to a bout of pushing and shoving between both sets of players

Hebburn’s first change of the afternoon came on seventy-one minutes as he fleet-footed Gildo Da Silva came on down the left flank in place of Oliver, who had struggled with the pace and trickery of both McHale and Morgan throughout the second half

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An inswinging corner kick from Freeman on seventy-two minutes from the right picked out the head of Harrison at the far post, with the centre-back glancing his effort towards goal but was to be denied by a goal-line clearance from Elsdon, heading the ball away from danger

With fifteen minutes remaining, the Pitmen made their second change of the afternoon as goalscorer McHale was brought off and replaced by the substantial physical threat of Nathan Blissett

 

Da Silva looked to get involved down the left flank on seventy-seven minutes, picking up Gary Martin's reverse pass and shooting from the corner of the penalty area, only to be denied by that man Harrison, who was once again equal to the effort with another excellent block. An outstanding display from the former Leek Town man this afternoon

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Elsdon was guilty of a wild effort at goal on eighty-one minutes, firing wastefully over the crossbar and into the trees behind Breeden's goal after Johnson had partially cleared Da Silva's cross to the former Middlesbrough defender on the edge of the box

 

Foalle earned the hosts a free-kick twenty-five yards from goal on eighty-four minutes after being hauled down by Freeman; Noble stepped up to take the kick and floated it into the box but only straight into the grateful arms of Breeden in his six-yard box

 

The Pitmen broke quickly after Breeden's quick kick out, with Morgan breaking quickly down the right and pulling a cross back to Blissett, who attempted an acrobatic overhead kick that bobbled straight into the hands of Bond

Freeman followed McHale and Morgan into the referee’s notebook on eighty-five minutes as he was penalised by Mr Hart for pulling back substitute Da Silva in full flight

With time quickly running out for the hosts to find a leveller, Moore made two further changes to his side on eighty-seven minutes as Joe Posthill replaced Noble and Liam Murray came on for Wood. The Pitmen also elected to make a change as Simeon Maye came on to add extra insurance to the defensive line as he replaced Rose

 

Hebburn looked to turn the screw in the closing minutes, with Breeden making a fine save to deny Gary Martin on eighty-nine minutes as the veteran stopper pushed his shot behind for a corner kick after good approach play from Foalle had played Martin in behind Wynter

 

Murray picked out the head of Foalle from the resultant corner, but the midfielder failed to get enough purchase on his header and could only glance his effort straight into the arms of Breeden

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The six minutes of added time was expertly dealt with by the Pitmen's vastly experienced performers, with Blissett doing brilliantly to run over a minute down on his own down the right flank as he held off several Hebburn challenges and forced them to put the ball out of play constantly

A pleasing opening day result for the visitors on their return to step three, having produced a typically robust display that had regularly been seen under Hurren’s stewardship since his arrival last year. Attention moves to Tuesday night and a long-overdue return to a new-look Keys Park when the Pitmen will make their home debut for the new season with a game against relegated Warrington Town

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Hebburn Town: Bond, Oliver (Da Silva 71), M. Turner, Elsdon, Donaghy, Wood (Murray 87), Foalle ▆, Noble (Posthill 87), G. Martin, O. Martin (Thompson 82), Heywood ©    Sub unused: Moore

Hednesford Town: Breeden, Morgan ▆, Johnson ©, Wynter, Harrison, Freeman ▆, Doyle-Charles, Edwards (D. Turner 66), McHale ▆ (Blissett 75), Rose (Maye 87)       Subs unused: Taylor, Brown

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