Hebburn Town chief executive excited for the future as Moore pens new two-year deal

Hebburn Town chief executive Stephen Rutherford believes it was ‘only fitting’ to reward manager Daniel Moore and his backroom staff with new contracts after a remarkable year at the club.

The former Shildon manager penned a one-year deal when he was named as Hornets manager in the summer of 2022 and enjoyed an impressive first season as he led the club to the Northern Premier League East Division play-offs and claimed a Durham Challenge Cup Final win against National League North club Spennymoor Town. Moore and his staff were handed a two-year extension to their deals and they were able to continue their impressive progress by making the most of a stunning run of form during the second half of last season to claim the Northern Premier League East title and take the club into the third tier of the non-league game for the first time.

Despite the challenges posed by their lofty opposition, the Hornets have continued to shine and have racked up some notable victories throughout a season that could yet end with another promotion into the National League North. Moore, assistant manager Mark Hudson, coach Ian Whitcombe and goalkeeper coach Carl Morris have now all agreed two-year deals committing them to the Hornets until the summer of 2027 - and Rutherford is looking forward to working alongside them to take the club ‘into the next phase’ of their development.

He told The Gazette: “When we sat down with Dan back then, what attracted us was his ambition, how he worked and his track record before coming to us was very good. He promised us a few things in terms of success and, to be fair to him, he has come good on them. Even now, we are going beyond where we expected to be in such a short space of time and it’s only fitting that we rewarded them with new contracts and we move forward into our next phase together.”

Moore immediately set his eyes on ‘creating a legacy’ at the club and revealed the chase for further progress and success had become an obsession.

He told the club website: “I’m excited and privileged to be able to build on the hard work we have put in over the last three years. I said when I first walked through the door that I wanted to create a legacy in the history of the club and make some lasting memories for everyone associated with it and I think we have done that so far and it’s became an obsession to do well for you all. Now it’s onto a new chapter and the coming years are going to be an exciting time to be involved with this club that continues to punch above its weight and I’m delighted to be leading the club into that era.”

Talks over a potential agreement took place ahead of Saturday’s impressive win at FC United of Manchester as Moore’s side continued their unexpected push for a play-off spot in non-league’s third tier. Rutherford revealed there was a desire to instigate discussions earlier in the season and admitted they became ‘an easy conversation’ when they finally took place over the last seven days.

He said: “We actually wanted to start talks over the deals in December, we hold our hands up over that. There were various things going on that meant we couldn’t so you wouldn’t blame them if they were wondering what was going on given their record since coming to the club. We managed to sit down recently, we spoke about their success and where we wanted to move forwards, we showed the plans we have outside of the on-field stuff and it was an easy conversation for everyone.”

Hebburn could move to within six points of the Premier Division’s play-off places if they can claim a second win in three days against Hyde. The momentum gained from a remarkable end to last season has carried into a historic first ever season in the Northern Premier League’s top tier and there is a genuine chance Moore and his side will remain in the picture for consecutive promotions until the final weeks of the campaign. Rutherford believes a spirit of togetherness and some clever recruitment has allowed Hebburn to exceed expectations as they continue to compete alongside ambitious clubs like Macclesfield and Worksop Town, as well as North East rivals Stockton Town and Morpeth Town.

“It’s about being realistic,” he explained. “We are under no illusions we are punching way above our weight in the league we are in. Our financial resources aren’t as big and certainly aren’t nowhere near the level of some of the resources you hear from other clubs in the league. But they have put together a squad of players that are fighting for the badge and that has proven to be successful in taking us to where we are. We are competing at that level with some top clubs, former Football League clubs and clubs with far bigger resources than us. That’s a credit to them because they’re bringing in players with the right mentality that are doing the job on the pitch.”

Moore could hand a home debut to on-loan Callum West in Tuesday’s home clash with Hyde after the Barnsley youngster made his Hornets bow at FC United of Manchester on Saturday.

Your next Hebburn Town read: Hebburn Town boss delighted with win at FC United of Manchester