Striker competition can drive Hebburn Town FC forwards - Donaldson
Former Newcastle United academy striker Josh Donaldson marked his competitive debut for Hebburn Town with a goal in a win against Southport.
Josh Donaldson believes competition for a place in the Hebburn Town FC forward line can only be a good thing for Hornets boss Daniel Moore.
The on-loan Hartlepool United youngster came off the bench to make his competitive debut for Hebburn during Saturday’s home win against Southport as Moore’s men marked their National League North bow with an impressive three points at the Trustmark Group Stadium.
Fellow summer signing Jake Charles had already made his mark after the former Whitby Town striker found the net during the first half and Donaldson came off the bench with just under 20 minutes remaining to grab the goal that ended any doubt over the destination of the points.
The former Newcastle United academy forward is relishing the battle for a place in the lead role in attack and believes it will bring the best out of him, Charles and fellow striker Jake Waters.
He told The Gazette: “The lads we have on the bench, you can see there were three or four subs that came on and made a difference to the team and that’s a massive strength of ours. There’s obviously competition for a place in the team and there’s two other lads looking for that role as striker with Jake Charles and Jake Waters. The manager knows what I am good at and I know what I am good at so the competition can really drive us forward.”
Confidence
There was an element of relief for Donaldson after he wasted a golden opportunity to score just minutes after his introduction before finding the net minutes later during Saturday’s win against the Sandgrounders.
He said: “The goal and win has given me confidence because I knew I could do it at this level - but you have to put that into practice. I’m over the moon - especially after I missed that first chance. We are buzzing with the win in our first game in this league and I’m buzzing to have scored in my first game in the league. The first chance was easier and when I missed I thought it was going to be a long day - especially if they got an equaliser. I’m glad I put it to bed and it was a relief because we played very well.”
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