Former Newcastle United academy defender joins Hebburn Town

Hebburn Town manager Daniel Moore has revealed he has done his homework on new signing Joe Oliver and is convinced the former Newcastle United youngster can shine during his time with the Hornets.

The versatile full-back featured alongside the likes of Matty Longstaff, Jay Turner-Cooke and Lucas De Bolle during a nine-year spell within the Magpies academy but was released at the end of the 2022/23 season. Oliver joined Blyth Spartans just months later but has endured a challenging spell with the Northumbrian outfit as they suffered back-to-back relegations to slide from the National League North into the Northern Premier League East Division.

After leaving Croft Park at the end of last season, Oliver has been the subject of interest from several clubs but Hebburn have secured a deal to make the defender their fourth signing of the summer - and Moore is looking forward to working with a player that he believes can move on from a challenging spell in his career.

He told the club website: “Joe came on our radar last year when he had been training with Darlington in the summer after playing for Blyth in the National League North the year before. With the squad we had defensively in place last season, it’s an area we didn’t need to add to, but we kept a keen eye over Joe. With players moving on, it’s now a good time to strengthen an already very strong defensive unit.

“Joe has had a very good education in football, being at Newcastle United for nine years, then he jumped straight into a very difficult two seasons with Blyth which will only have helped his development. When we have seen him play, he’s got all the attributes we like in our players. We have done our due diligence on Joe and heard nothing but good things about him as a person, which is also important for me. I think he'll be a great signing for us."

Progression

Oliver admitted he had been impressed with what he had witnessed from his new club after they completed a league double over Spartans last season. The former Magpies prospect was in the Spartans side beaten on home soil by the Hornets in the second game of the campaign but was ruled out with an injury as Moore’s men made it back-to-back wins against the Croft Park outfit with a 3-1 win on South Tyneside just before Christmas.

Speaking after signing, the full-back said: "Meeting with the gaffer and seeing the plans for the club, it was really intriguing. I played against Hebburn last season and they had a good side - they've added to that with a few signings in the summer so it's looking really positive. I used to come here as a kid when my uncle Scott Oliver managed the club. Seeing the progression since then is ridiculous. New plans have just been announced as well with the ground so it's a really exciting time to join the club."

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