Hebburn Town FC reaction delights Moore after Hednesford Town win
Hebburn Town returned to winning ways with a 2-1 home victory against National League North rivals Hednesford Town.
Hebburn Town FC manager Daniel Moore was delighted with his side’s reaction from their midweek defeat at Radcliffe as they saw off National League North rivals Hednesford Town at the Trustmark Group Stadium.
Goals from former Darlington duo Tom Allan and Elliot Forbes laid the foundations for the win - but the Hornets were made to battle for their win after Ahkeem Rose halved their advantage just seconds before the break. Moore reflected on a week of contrasting fortunes for his players after they returned to winning ways with a hardworking display on their home patch.
He told The Gazette: “I’ve just said to the players, even if they got one at the end, it wouldn’t have mattered because they showed up a reaction from Tuesday. We will have those games where we have an off-day - but it’s about can we learn from them and try and stay in the game a bit longer. We got a reaction and again, at home, we look like we will run all over teams.”
Moore’s side could not have wished for a better start to the contest as they grabbed the lead inside the opening ten minutes with Allan’s second goal in as many home games. The former Newcastle United winger produced a majestic leap at the far post to meet a Liam Murray cross and sent an unstoppable header beyond Pitman goalkeeper Sam Hornby to set off wild celebrations from the majority of another over-1,000 crowd at the Trustmark Group Stadium. The lead was doubled just before the half-hour mark as midfielder Forbes got in on the act by diverting a driven cross past Hornby from close range to rack up his first goal for the Hornets.
Hednesford had offered little into the opening 45 minutes in the way of genuine attacking threat - but they were given a route back into the game when referee Martyn Mitchell awarded them a penalty just seconds before the break. On-loan Sunderland goalkeeper Isaac Allan kept out a spot-kick from Ahkeem Rose - but the Pitman forward pounced to fire home the rebound.
A diligent defensive display in blustery conditions helped Hebburn repel a barrage of long balls into their area throughout the second 45 minutes with Allan and his well-marshalled back four keeping the visitors at bay. There were some late scares - but Hebburn held on to claim a deserved win that helped them move on from Tuesday night’s horror show at Radcliffe.
‘It is fantastic to see’
Moore believes the Hornets win over their former Northern Premier League title rivals shows just how far his side have progressed since they secured a historic promotion in May.
He said: “You look at them from last year, and look at us, and I think you can see how far we have progressed as a team. We came up at the same time and it’s another thing people won’t look at - but as a management team we look at everything. To see our progression, from where we were at the back end of last season, it is fantastic to see.”
Hebburn Town: Allan, Myers, Donaghy, Elsdon, Briggs, Charles, Murray, Allan, Forbes, Henderson (Cornish), Oliver Subs: Wood, Donaldson, Taylor, Foreman, Moore, Oliver
Hednesford Town: Hornby, Morgan (Merry), Langston, Williams, Cooke (Abimbola), Jarvis (Sterling-James), Rose, Mottley-Henry, Kinsella, Cirino (Curran-Nicholls), Sharples-Ahmed Subs: Parke