Hebburn Town edge out North Shields in FA Vase clash

Hebburn Town – 3

North Shields – 2

Hebburn Town survived a spell of intense late pressure to ensure their progression into the next round of the FA Vase with a 3-2 win over title rivals North Shields.

Hebburn opened the scoring through the head of captain Louis Storey in the 17^th minuet before a sublime Ryan Carr strike 20 minuets later levelled the scores.

Early second-half goals for Hebburn from Michael Richardson and Graeme Armstrong gave the Hornets a two-goal lead. The game was not finished there though as Shields pulled one back through Callum Smith in the 80^th minute. Despite late Shields’s pressure, the away side were unable to break Hebburn down and take the game to penalties.

For both sides, this fixture offered a welcome to competitive football after a month of no action due to the second national lockdown which forced the two teams to put a brake on their high-flying campaigns.

After a drab first fifteen minutes in which neither side produced any real chances on goal. A foul on Cedwyn Scott on the half-way line allowed the home side to take full advantage of the resulting free-kick. Richardson launched the ball into the area after which was met by a leaping Storey whose looping header crept in underneath the bar.

Shields then fought their way back into the game just before half-time through Carr who after receiving the ball on the edge of the area unleashed a ferocious first time shot past a diving Mark Foden in the Hebburn goal.

Hebburn flew out the block after the break and restored their lead in the 48^th minuet when Richardson received the ball in the area, danced past two North Shields defenders and slid the ball home.

The Hornets third came when Scott collected the ball on the left following a chaotic goalmouth scramble, Scott then sent a rasping shot low into the melee of players which was  tapped in by Armstrong. 

After the third goal, North Shields sparked into life, taking the game to the Northern League leaders and three minutes after the home sides third Shields headed over the bar following a great cross.

Shields pressure was eventually rewarded when substitute Callum Smith tapped home their second after a cross to the far post. After the goal Shields looked confident of scoring an equaliser that would take the game to penalties and peppered the Hebburn defence with an aerial bombardment.

But the home side they stood tall, dealing with everything their opponents could throw at them and denied the away side the equaliser.

Hebburn will now face Vauxhall Motors in the next round of the Vase and on Tuesday night they host Gateshead Rutherford F.C. in the Durham Challenge Cup.

Line Ups –

Hebburn Town XI: M. Foden, D. Groves, D. Carson, L. Storey ( C ), D. Lough, D. Mullen, M. McKeown, T. Potter, C. Scott, M. Richardson, G. Armstrong.

Players on –

R. Spence,

A. Purewal,

O. Martin,

North Shields XI: G. Purvis, A. Cartwright, C. McDonald, G. Ormston, A. Myers, T. Bexton, A. Forster ( C ), D. Robinson, D. Wilson, R. Carr, K. Patton.

Players on –

C. Smith

L. Brooks

C. Cunningham