Results

New Ferens Park – Ebac Northern League Division 1.

Attendance – 125.

After a five match unbeaten run, Hebburn Town slumped to defeat against a committed Durham City team with the struggling home side coming from behind at half-time to control a second-half and secure all three points.

A strong claim for a Hebburn penalty when Liam McBryde was bundled over from behind in the box, with the forward challenging to get on the end of a James Luccock cross, after 14 minutes was waved away by the referee who would later cause frustration for both sides with poor positioning frequently getting in the way of the ball.

After surviving some early pressure, Hebburn took the lead after 28 minutes when Callum Charlton scored his first goal since returning to the club. Luccock used his pace to get away down the left wing and his deep cross bypassed the home defence to arrive at Charlton’s feet. The full-back fizzed a low shot towards goal that Durham goalkeeper Gareth Young had no chance of stopping.

Young was at his best eight minutes later when he denied McBryde who had swapped passes with Jonny Davis outside the box before turning and unleashing a dipping shot from 25-yards out that was destined for the top corner. That was until Young flung himself across to his right and superbly got a hand onto the ball to tip wide.

The second-half started terribly for Hebburn when Durham grabbed two goals in the opening six minutes. First Conor Winter took advantage of Charlton’s hesitation and turn towards goal. With the ball bouncing up for the Durham forward, a spectacular 28-yard strike gave Dan Regan no chance.

Winter was then allowed space to turn inside the box and get a shot away towards goal. With Regan only able to parry the ball, Gary Shaw was lurking at the back post to fire his team into the lead from close range.

With ten minutes remaining, Hebburn’s Jeff Forsyth tangled with Winter on the right touchline with the two players squaring up to each other. With a number of players from both sides trying to separate the two, Durham’s Olly Hotchkiss ridiculously confronted the Hebburn bench and aimed a stamp at Dean Nicholson while he was calling for his team to calm down. Young would also run three quarters the length of the pitch to get involved with Hebburn’s Stuart Nicholson.

The referee showed both Forsyth and Winter yellow cards alongside Durham’s Craig Ellison who had tried to square up to some Hebburn peacemakers.

With tempers still high, Durham extended their lead seconds later when Winter broke free inside the left channel of the Hebburn box and rolled the ball into the centre for Shaw to tap in his second goal of the afternoon.

There was hope of another late Hebburn charge when Durham skipper Dan Maddon sliced a Stephen Forster cross into his own net with four minutes remaining but after all eleven Hebburn players went up for a corner three minutes into injury time, a Chris Jewels headed was cleared off the line before the ball was thumped forward for Winter to race towards goal and score his team’s fourth of the game.

Hebburn now find themselves without a competitive game until 20 November and a trip to West Auckland Town. With next Saturday’s clash against Spennymoor Town postponed due to FA Vase fixtures, the Hornets have arranged a home friendly this Tuesday evening against Alliance side Blyth Town to keep fitness levels high.