'Unbelievable' Robert Briggs praised after making Hebburn Town move

South Shields manager Ian Watson has described former Mariners stalwart Robert Briggs as ‘an unbelievable player’ as he embarks on a new career with South Tyneside neighbours Hebburn Town.

After returning to the Mariners during the summer of 2015, the midfielder played a key role in a rise up the non-league pyramid that consisted of four league title wins in the space of just eight years. However, that only tells half of the story when it comes to Briggs’ impact at South Shields as he established himself as the club’s all-time record appearance holder by making 457 appearances over his two spells as a Mariner. Those appearances also brought 92 goals, final wins in the Durham Challenge Cup, Northern League Cup and FA Vase, and there were two FA Cup first round appearances also on his record by the time his departure from South Shields was confirmed earlier this month.

Briggs opted to accept an offer to join Hebburn last week and he made an impressive debut in the Hornets’ 3-3 draw with Northern Premier League Premier Division rivals Leek Town. The experienced midfielder will hope to help his new club take another step in their historic FA Trophy run when they head to Dunston UTS on Friday night looking to reach the second round of the competition for the first time.

As his former midfielder settles into life at a new club, Mariners boss Watson praised Briggs’ achievements and his remarkable longevity during his time with South Shields.

He told The Gazette: “Briggsy has been a fantastic football player for South Shields and he has achieved a lot of great things for the football club. He has a lot of great memories from his time here and I know him and his family are really proud of what he has achieved and the longevity of his time with us. He has done so well and they should all be proud. He should look back with pride and reflect so positively on what he has done here.

“We are sad to see him go but he has been an unbelievable player for the club. It’s rare to have that longevity and he deserves so much credit for what has has done. We wish him well and we will always be grateful for what he did during his time as a South Shields player.”

Different

After playing a key role in the heart of South Shields sides in recent seasons, Briggs was limited to just one start from a possible nine National League North fixtures this season prior to his departure from the 1st Cloud Arena. Four of those games saw the midfielder remain as an unused substitute as Watson opted to hand starts to the likes of the increasingly influential Will Jenkins and David Carson. The Mariners boss admitted he was sad to see Briggs depart the club but stressed he felt the need to ‘go with something different’ as he looks to continue a remarkable start to his time in charge that has taken his new look side to the top of the National League North table.

He said: “There can be a time when a manager comes in and changes happen because he wants to put his own stamp on things and that is what happened here. It’s sad when it happens, it’s sad for the supporters, it’s sad for Briggsy and it’s sad for me too because I’ve got a relationship with Briggsy and it’s not nice when this happens but we felt we had to come to an agreement over what was right for everyone involved. Briggsy was frustrated because he wasn’t getting the minutes he felt he deserved and I understand that but I wanted to go with something different.”

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