Hebburn Town must 'prove doubters wrong' again - insists midfielder Robert Briggs

Robert Briggs believes Hebburn Town must ‘prove people wrong again’ as they prepare for life in the National League North.

The Hornets defied the odds and pre-season predictions of a relegation battle when they were crowned as Northern Premier League Premier Division champions last season after losing just two of their final 27 games and claimed the title and a historic promotion into the second tier of the non-league game on the final day of the season.

The departures of FA Vase final hero Olly Martin, highly-rated midfielder Arron Thompson and top scorer Gary Martin have left a hole in Daniel Moore’s squad - but the Hornets boss landed his first summer signing when he completed a move for Whitby Town striker Jake Charles on Wednesday.

Further new signings are expected over the next fortnight - and Briggs has insisted they will be needed as his side look to defy the odds by preserving their step two status.

He told The Gazette: “We have lost a couple of players and they’ll be a miss for us - so it’s important we get them replaced. We lost Gary Martin, he scored over 30 goals over the season and that’s going to be huge in the league above because there are a lot of quality teams in there and we have to be quality at both ends of the pitch. But we will have the same mentality as we did this season and we will approach every game looking to prove people wrong again, looking to win the game and looking to do everything we can to get what we need.”

‘Strange experience’

Hebburn’s promotion into the National League North will mean an already eagerly anticipated South Tyneside derby clash with neighbours South Shields as the two sides face off in league competition for the first time since the 2015/16 season.

For Briggs, it will mean a reunion with the club where he became a genuine legend by scoring 92 goals in a club record 457 appearances and became a four-time promotion winner as well as lifting the Durham Challenge Cup, Northern League Cup and FA Vase. After bringing a close to his second spell as a Mariner in October last year, Briggs snubbed other offers to join Hebburn and has continued to find success on South Tyneside by helping the Hornets to their historic promotion into non-league’s second tier.

A return to South Shields with Daniel Moore’s side will be an unusual experience for the experienced midfielder - but he insisted he will treat it as ‘just another game’ as thoughts turn towards the release of the new season’s fixture list over the next month.

“It will be a very strange experience going into the away dressing room after 11 years of playing against other teams for South Shields,” he explained. “It will feel strange going in that away dressing room and hearing the crowd not getting behind my team. But this is football, it’s just another game. I’ve been professional throughout my career, it is just another game for me and one that I’ll be wanting to win.”

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