Hodgson sale was 'bitter-sweet' admits South Shields manager

South Shields manager Elliott Dickman has described the sale of academy product Sam Hodgson to Northern Premier League club Blyth Spartans as ‘bitter-sweet’.

The 23-year-old striker has made over a half-century of appearances for the Mariners since initially breaking into the senior setup under former management team Graham Fenton and Lee Picton during the 2019/20 season. However, in recent seasons Hodgson has spent time on loan with the likes of Spartans, Stockton Town, Marske United and Morpeth Town, scoring 25 goals in all competitions for the latter last season.

Hodgson returned to Morpeth during the summer after they agreed another loan deal with the Mariners - but the striker was recalled in September and had scored two goals in ten games for Dickman’s side before Spartans ramped up their interest. A bid described by Dickman as ‘too good to turn down’ was received last week and Hodgson completed a move to Croft Park in time to make his first appearance as a permanent member of the Spartans squad in their 4-0 home defeat against Matlock Town last weekend.

Reflecting on the deal, Dickman told The Gazette: “Sam has been excellent for this football club and it’s always nice when an academy player comes through to play for the first-team and be part of the first-team. It is bitter-sweet but ultimately, it was the right thing for Sam in terms of what he’s been offered at Blyth for this season, next season and whatever the length of contract is.

“They paid a good fee for Sam and in an ideal world, they don’t come in for him and he’s still our player - but the offer was too good to turn down from the club’s point of view and it was a bit of a no-brainer for Sam. It is a bitter-sweet moment for us because he’s a great lad and we hope he goes to have a good career at Blyth and kicks on with them. He will always be welcomed back to South Shields if he wants to come in and see the lads, it will be an open door for him.”

Hodgson will hope to grab his first goal as a permanent member of the Spartans squad when they visit Northern Premier League Premier Division leaders Macclesfield on Saturday.