Olly Martin looks to the future after Hebburn Town departure confirmed
Olly Martin was one of three players to leave Hebburn Town after they confirmed details of their retained list.
Olly Martin has revealed a desire to find regular game-time was the driving factor behind his decision to leave Hebburn Town.
The South Tyneside-born forward has been a key part of his hometown club’s rise up the non-league pyramid over the last six years - but he will ply his trade elsewhere next season after his departure was confirmed earlier this month. Martin insisted there were ‘no issues’ between him and the Hornets but stressed he needs to be playing regular first-team football after struggling to force his way into Daniel Moore’s side during the second half of the season.
He told The Gazette: “I spoke to my family about it, it hasn’t been an easy decision to make because I’m from the area and I’ve had some brilliant moments with the club. When you see the big crowds in, like the last game of the season, it’s brilliant to see, it was a big celebration and it was a nice feeling.
“To be honest, I think if I wasn’t from Hebburn, I might have left before this because I’m getting on now, I’m 28, and I feel like I’ve got to be playing week-in, week-out. I wasn’t getting in as much as I would have liked last season so I had to make a decision and that means looking elsewhere. There’s no issues between me and the club, I’ll always look out for them and want them to do well but I want to play football and that’s what it has come down to.”
Special
Although he was part of two league title wins, a Durham Challenge Cup final win and three promotions, Martin pointed to a more personal moment as the standout point of his time in yellow and black. After coming off the bench with 12 minutes remaining in the 2021 FA Vase final against Consett, Martin grabbed the winning goal in extra-time to write his name in club history and give himself a moment to share with his new baby daughter in the years to come.
“From a personal point of view, I don’t think many will top scoring the winning goal for my hometown club at Wembley,” he explained. “The league wins were special but this season, I wanted to play more, and it’s a great achievement for the club and I was in and around it but I wasn’t as involved.
“Wembley was special, I’ve just become a Dad and I’ve shown my daughter the video of the goal - but it will be a nice thing to show her and tell her when she’s older and understands.”
Interest
News of Martin’s departure brought interest from several clubs across the Northern Premier League and Northern League - and the versatile forward has revealed he will make a decision on his future soon.
“There have been a few clubs messaging and I’ve been surprised how many have,” he said. “I haven’t really been in this position before so I am just taking it easy, listening to every one of them and I’ll come to a decision soon. Obviously, with becoming a Dad over the last week I’ve got a lot going on - but I will make a decision soon.”
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