Results

Hebburn Sports & Social Ground – Ebac Northern League Division 1.

Attendance – 70.

If it’s excitement you are after then it seems that Hebburn is the place to be at the moment. With the BBC2 show flying high in the ratings, the town’s football team is flying high in the Ebac Northern League Division 1 after another late goal, this time from Tony Stephenson, won the game and sent the Hornets flying up into fourth place.

For the third successive match, Hebburn proved that they never give up as they rallied from 3-2 down with eight minutes remaining to score twice to take all three points at the death against a committed and well organised Marske United team.

After a cagey start where Hebburn enjoyed much of the possession but little attacking thrust, the hosts took the lead on ten minutes with the first real attack of the game. Dean Walker attacked inside from his left wing position and when tackled, the ball fell nicely for Jonny Davis to unleash a thunderous drive towards goal. The Marske defence stood up to the shot and managed to block but the ball rebounded to Stephenson who calmly rounded Scott Allison in the away goal to net.

The visitors got back into the game after 24 minutes when David Yale clipped a ball forward into the box and Chris McGill beat Dan Regan to the ball to nod in the equaliser. McGill then headed Marske into the lead after 32 minutes when his back post header back towards goal went in off Regan after the Hebburn ‘keeper lost his footing.

Paul Bennett made three half-time substitutions in an attempt to wrest control of the game and two of the substitutes combined to put Hebburn level after 51 minutes.

Stephenson started the move down the left and after playing a cute pass inside to newly introduced Stuart Nicholson, the Hebburn forward beat his marker to centre for Liam McBryde to notch at the back post. McBryde, who started on the bench, was never going to miss that easy chance that now leaves him with 49 goals for the club from only 51 appearances.

Marske danger man David Onions was then rewarded for his hard workrate when he fired his team back into the lead just two minutes later with a clinical finish across Regan before the visitors wasted two one-on-one chances, Regan superbly shackling the attackers wide both times. Marske also had an effort ruled out for offside after Anthony Ormerod’s shot glanced off Onions who had strayed beyond the Hebburn defence.

With eight minutes left, and with Dan Kirkup having moved forward to form a front four, Paul Gardiner struck an unstoppable shot from inside the box before the Hebburn winner arrived on 88 minutes.

Stephen Forster struck a deep cross from the right which Kirkup nodded back towards the edge of the box. With defenders closing in, Stephenson’s first touch was to chest the ball down. The second touch was to unleash a marvellous drive into the top corner to seal the three points.

Marske almost grabbed a deserved draw when Ormerod’s dipping drive clipped the crossbar with the last kick of the game, but Hebburn were left in heaven at the end when the current league table confirmed their lofty position.