Daniel Moore hails his Hebburn Town underdogs as shock Northern Premier League title win is secured

Daniel Moore hailed his Hebburn Town ‘underdogs’ after they defied all of the odds to pull off a shock Northern Premier League Premier Division title win and secure a historic promotion into the National League North.

For the Hornets, the equation going into the final home clash against Rushall Olympic was a very simple one - match Hednesford Town’s result in their home game against Ashton United and a shock title win was secured. Moore’s men more than played their part as a goal in each half from Michael Turner and Joao Gomes was enough to see Hebburn over the and allow their manager to laud the effort his staff and players have put in to secure their place in the club’s history books.

He told The Gazette: “We were the underdogs all of the way through. We were written off at the start of the season, relegation, this and that. Those players have been incredible and I want to thank my staff. There’s only three of us, we are a small group, you come out against teams that have got six or seven. But we are really close and we have worked really hard to give them the best opportunity we can to express themselves on the pitch and they’ve gone and done it. It’s a proud moment for us all.”

The Hornets started the game on top and created two golden opportunities to grab an early lead as top scorer Gary Martin saw an effort from close range blocked before captain Aidan Heywood skewed a shot wide from around 12 yards. Frustration continued to grow when winger Gomes fizzed a cross narrowly beyond two team-mates midway through the half - but that frustration evaporated on the half-hour mark as Moore’s men got the breakthrough they deserved.

Composure

It came from a corner-kick from the left-hand side from Robert Briggs as his centre was met by Michael Turner and his header found its way into the top corner of the visitors net despite the best efforts of goalkeeper Jake Laban. There were further boosts for the Hornets as news filtered through confirming title rivals Hednesford Town had fallen two goals down in the moments before half-time in their own home game against Ashton United.

The mood enveloping the Hornets famous old home reached new heights just minutes after the restart as Joao Gomes doubled their lead with a neat touch and finish after the visitors failed to clear several crosses into their area. That killed off any hope of a slip from Moore’s side and they saw out time with relative ease as the control and composure that have become the hallmarks of their season remained prominent until the final whistle.

The biggest buzz

That whistle arrived after just two minutes of injury-time as set of jubilant scenes from the club record 3,000 crowd inside Trustmark Group Stadium as Hebburn’s meteoric rise up the non-league pyramid struck a new high - something that Hornets boss Moore revealed will live with him for a long time.

He said: “The last ten minutes were a bit emotional for me, seeing that many people in the ground, my kids were directly opposite me. It was big to see the happiness on people’s faces. That’s given me the biggest buzz, seeing all of the kids running on the pitch, seeing everyone happy. I’m pleased we have done it for them and the club.”

Exciting time

The win means Hebburn will now prepare for life in the National League North and that will mean facing the likes of Darlington, Spennymoor Town and Hereford in step two. That will bring significant challenges for Moore and his squad as they prepare to take the club to its highest level and face a number of clubs that are well versed in competing amongst the elite in non-league’s top two tiers.

For now, the hard work can wait and Hebburn will focus their attention on celebrating an achievement very few predicted before or even during the season. It was not until the final weeks of the season when the realisation an epic title win was within their grasp and with the trophy now safely housed at the Trustmark Group Stadium and the celebrations underway, Hornets boss Moore has admitted he is trying to put the planning process to the back of his mind and enjoy one of the most remarkable title wins in the history of North East non-league football.

“It starts now, we will celebrate but in the back of my mind I am thinking what do we do now,” he explained. “As a club, we are punching above our weight - but I don’t even think that comes close because we have gone above and beyond. We are going to have to seriously plan for next year because it’s going to be some ride. We will go in there, we won’t change what we do, we will go after teams, we will enjoy the next few weeks looking at who is going to be in the division. It is an exciting time for us.”

Hebburn Town: Dobson, Heywood, Turner (Oliver), Donaghy, Elsdon, Wood, Gomes (Waters), Briggs (Thompson), Cornish (Murray), Martin, Darcy (Martin) Subs: All used

Rushall Olympic: Laban, Burton (Krusynski), Lycett, Teixeira D(avies-Manton), Brown, Okuonghae, McGlinchey, McAlinden, Enright (Wakefield), Clayton-Phillips, Dwyer Subs: Unitt

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