Oh! Hebburn is a Place on Earth
This would be my second visit to Hebburn Town, and I was looking forward to seeing the progress made. In Hopper tales #37, Hebburn Town were in the NPL East Division but have since been promoted to the Premier Division.
A new stand has also been constructed since that visit, and I was keen to update my review.
Or completely rewrite it… Le sigh. I just can’t help myself, I’m thorough, what can I say?
Today would also mark Mrs Hopper’s return for the first time since we made the trip to Hereford.
The opponents will be Ilkeston Town from Derbyshire, a club we visited for Hopper Tales #91 back in January of 2024.
Ok, it was Heaven, rather than Hebburn in Belinda Carlisle’s hit song, but who cares? It fits nicely for a club on the up.
So, let’s see how we get on, shall we?
After listening to Belinda, of course…
Hebburn – The Journey
With today being a shorter journey, the day began at a relaxed pace, getting out of my pit at a much more respectable time of 09:30.
We caught the 10:38 X1, leaving at the Gateshead Interchange at 11:35.
From here, we made a short walk to Jackson Street, where we caught the 11:40 #27 Crusader bus to South Shields.
Just fifteen minutes later, we arrived in Hebburn, getting off at the Hebburn College bus stop.
This left us around half a mile to walk, so while we do that, why not familiarise yourself with the town of Hebburn?
Hebburn
Hebburn lies on the southern side of the River Tyne in the county of Tyne & Wear.
Newcastle is 5 miles to the west, South Shields 5 miles north east and Sunderland 9 miles south east.
At the 2021 census, Hebburn’s population was 21,337.
Hebburn grew from a small Saxon fishing village. The town’s name stems from Old English words ‘heah’ and ‘byrgen‘, meaning ‘high’ and ‘burial mound’. Another translation is ‘high place beside the water’.
Hebburn was an early victim of Viking raids and was burned in the 8th century.
As with most of the northeast, Hebburn has a history of coal mining, beginning as early as the 17th century.
Methane gas from the Hebburn mine was used by Sir Humphry Davy in his experiments to develop a safety lamp for use underground. These lamps were tested in the same mine and found to work well.
Hebburn Colliery was closed in 1932, with 225 deaths recorded during its existence.
Hebburn was also a key part of the shipbuilding in the area, and by 1885, 255 ships had been launched from the Andrew Leslie shipyard. The shipyard built many of the Royal Navy ships for use in World War II, building 41 vessels and repairing a further 120.
The (by now renamed) Hawthorn Leslie & Co shipyard also built D-Day landing crafts. One of the remaining ten to survive the war is now housed in the D-Day Story Museum in Southsea, Portsmouth. Eventually, a part of the Swan Hunter & Tyne Shipbuilders Ltd, the shipyard was closed in 1982.
Jason Cooke, who grew up in Hebburn, wrote a TV sitcom about the town. Starring Vic Reeves and Chris Ramsay, the show first aired in 2012 and ran for two series.
The show is still available via BBC iPlayer here.
Notable People from Hebburn
Musician, John Miles – comedian and writer, Jason Cook – Colditz escapee, Dominic Bruce – Radio DJ, Frank Wappat – Paralympian gold medalist swimmer, Josef Craig and Olympic athlete, Brendan Foster.
Several footballers also hail from Hebburn, including:
Ray Wood, Chris Basham, Johnny Dixon and Arsenal double-winner, George Armstrong.
The latest hopeful to join this list of players is the young Sunderland starlet Chris Rigg. A number of Premier League clubs are eying up the talented midfielder, including West Ham United and Newcastle United.
Hebburn Town – Hebburn Sports Ground
Getting In
Entry into the Hebburn Sports Ground is £10.00, and cash or card is accepted.
Card payment is accepted in most parts of the ground, but remember to bring cash, too, as you will need it for snacks.
From the moment you enter Hebburn Sports Ground, you can feel how well-maintained it is.
A rose-arched path leads to the social club, which I will wax lyrical about later.
At the end of the path, you find yourself on the patio of the social club, but before we head inside, let’s have a look around.
Entry to the ground is at the southwest corner, and we will start by looking at the southern side of the ground.
South Side
The south side is the only one that doesn’t yet contain a structure for fans to use.
It consists of flat-standing and two technical dugouts.
Sandwiched between the dugouts is a two-tiered building, used for sponsors’ hospitality. Guests will have the best view in the house from there.
Behind all of this is an area containing training pitches, and it is also where the club’s younger teams play.
The players’ entrance to the pitch is also on the south side, close to the clubhouse. A long path leads from the dressing rooms to the pitch.
Further improvements to the ground are planned, and covered terracing is the next step scheduled for completion. These terraces will be placed on the south side of the ground, on either side of the two-tiered hospitality building.
These terraces should provide cover for 1,400 spectators. A steel frame is already in situ, near the path where the players enter the pitch, so work has already begun on this project.
East End
The East End has changed since our last visit.
A brand new covered, seated stand and a new combined toilet facility and snack kiosk building has been erected.
There has clearly been a lot going on at Hebburn Town here, and we will cover that later in the article.
For now, the upgrade is clear to see.
This is how the same end looked on our previous visit.
North Side
The north side of the ground remains ‘mostly’ unchanged.
There is another turnstile entrance in the northeast corner and a shipping container, presumably used for storage.
Beyond this is the first of two temporary seating-type stands, with no roof. Each of these ‘temporary’ stands has seating for around fifty spectators.
Sandwiched between the two of these is the main stand.
Straddling the halfway line, this covered stand houses safe standing, offering fans an optional seat.
The reason I say ‘mostly’ unchanged is that seats have been added to the safe standing area, replacing the benches that were previously there.
Along with the proposed changes to the south side of the ground, plans are afoot to add further structures to the north side, too. The two ‘temporary’ stands of red seats will be moved together to create room for more covered terracing adjacent to the main stand.
West End
Again, improvements have been made at the west end of the ground.
Where previously there was uncovered seating, there is now a covered stand.
This is where Ilkeston’s little band of supporters congregated in the first half.
The new covered stand helps make it more noticeable that the pitch slopes down to the northwest corner.
Here is how it looked on our previous visit two years ago.
Hebburn Town – Hebburn Sports Ground Gallery
This brings us back to the clubhouse area and the snack kiosk.
The ground has a natural grass playing surface and has a floodlight in each corner of the ground.
Hebburn Town have played at their current ground since 1920.
The record attendance at the Hebburn Sports Ground is 1,705 for an FA Vase quarter-final game against Plymouth Parkway in 2020.
The Hornets’ record victory came on October 1st 2019, defeating Birtley Town 13-0 in the Northern League Cup.
Hebburn Town Clubhouse
I’m going to call it right here, right now!
Hebburn Town has the best clubhouse in non-league football!
Come at me!
The Sportsy, as it is called, is a two-tier building that contains a set-up that would be worthy of a standalone boozer.
Replete with comfortable seating areas, TVs showing the live match (WBA v Sunderland today) and football memorabilia on the walls, this place has it all.
Additionally, it has a good selection of beers. We ordered a Neck Oil IPA and a Guinness, which cost a combined £8.80. Not bad for two premium beers.
We took our drinks upstairs, where there is another bar if the clubhouse is busy.
More comfortable seating and TV screens are in place upstairs. However, the standout feature is the balcony overlooking the pitch, with tables and chairs.
You can, and some people did, stand up here and watch the game with a beer in hand. A bird’s eye view of the game.
Fantastic stuff!
We enjoyed it so much, we had three rounds before heading down to get some food before kick-off.
Food Kiosk
Affordable scran and a decent selection make the food kiosk another winner at Hebburn.
After saying that they have a decent list of options, unfortunately, they were out of pies, so I settled for chips and gravy, while Mrs Hopper just had chips.
By now, kick-off was approaching, and I temporarily abandoned my food to get a video of the players coming out. Luckily, I had Mrs Hopper to keep an eye on it for me until I got back.
Before reviewing the game, let’s look at Hebburn Town’s history.
Hebburn Town Tidbits
The Hebburn Town Football Club was formed in 1912.
They were formed as a social club for the town’s Reyrolles engineering firm. At its height, the firm employed 12,000 workers and encouraged them to participate in sporting activities.
They started life in the Jarrow and District Junior League, and in pre-World War One games, it wasn’t uncommon for 8,000 spectators to attend derby games against Jarrow.
Between the two world wars, they switched between local leagues before joining the Northern Combination in 1945.
It should be noted that during World War Two, they won the coveted Durham County Challenge Cup Final in 1943.
The 1959 season saw Reyrolles join the ill-fated North Eastern League, before switching to the Wearside League the following year. They stayed in this league for 28 seasons, winning the Wearside League championship in 1966/67.
Reyrolles Closes
In 1986, Reyrolles became Hebburn Reyrolles and, following the closure of the Reyrolles company in 1988, the football club changed its name to Hebburn.
They applied to join the Northern League at a time when relegation and promotion to and from the league weren’t automatic.
They caught a break when North Shields decided to join the Premier Division of the Northern Counties East League ahead of the 1989/90 season.
After finishing fourth in 1991/92, Hebburn secured promotion to the Northern League Division One. They also won a second Durham County Challenge Cup title in the same season.
Despite finishing mid-table, relegation followed in 1994/95 due to issues with the ground not meeting the required standard.
Promotion was obtained again in 1999/00 after finishing third. The club also adopted its current name at this time.
However, a bottom-two finish saw them immediately relegated back to Division Two the following season.
The topsy-turvy life of Hebburn Town continued, and another promotion/relegation occurred in 2011/12, with the drop coming in 2013/14.
Then began the surge that brought the club to its current level in the football pyramid.
The Rise and Rise of Hebburn Town
Local company Tyne & Wear LGV took control of Hebburn Town in 2017, and it’s fair to say that they have transformed the club, both on and off the pitch, since then.
The 2017/18 season found Hebburn in second place in Division Two of the Northern League, enough to earn them their first promotion.
This time, they adapted well to life in the ninth tier of English football.
FA Vase Winners
In 2019/20, they defeated local rivals Consett AFC 3-2 in the FA Vase Final at Wembley Stadium. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this match wasn’t played until May 2021 and was sadly played behind closed doors!
By the time the FA Vase Final came around, Hebburn had done enough to secure their second promotion, too. For the first time in their history, Hebburn Town would be competing at level eight of the football pyramid, in the NPL Division One East.
They also won the JR Cleator Northern League Cup that same season, beating West Auckland 3-1 in the final.
In 2022/23, the Hornets finished third, earning a spot in the end-of-season playoffs. However, Long Eaton United proved more resilient in the semi-finals, defeating Hebburn on penalties.
It wasn’t all bad news, though, as Town won their third Durham County Challenge Cup, after defeating Spennymoor Town on penalties in the final.
Things got even better the following season, as the club moved up to the seventh tier after winning the NPL Division One East title in 2023/24.
Now the club seeks to consolidate that success and move even further up the pyramid. They have certainly shown they have the capability to do so!
The club is currently managed by ex-Shildon boss Daniel Moore, who confusingly seems to be known as Bobby. He has been in charge since the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign.
Community Club
Hebburn is a community club, fielding a staggering 86 teams of all ages and sexes, with over a thousand children participating. This makes Hebburn Town the largest junior club in the UK.
Indeed, six of the current Hebburn Town first team have come up through the ranks of their junior set-up.
On top of that, they have a ladies’ team, which they are also funding to rise as far up the leagues as possible. There is also a walking football team for the elder supporters to get involved with.
A true community club!
I can’t move on without giving a shout-out to the club CEO, Stephen Rutherford.
Following my previous visit to the Hebburn Sports Ground in 2022, there had been no pin badges for sale on the day. Step up, Mr Rutherford, who saw this and offered to send me one.
He went one better than this… while I was out watching another game, I came home to find he had posted an envelope containing several pin badges through my letterbox!
How many club CEO’s would go that far out of their way? A tremendous act of kindness and one I wanted to highlight as further evidence of what Hebburn Town is all about.
They Played for Hebburn Town
Bali Mumba – Dan Neil – Stuart Nicholson – Liam Noble – Paul Robinson and Cedwyn Scott.
Hebburn Town – Pre-Game View of the Hebburn Sports Ground
Hebburn Town v Ilkeston Town – The Game
Form
Before today’s game, Hebburn Town sat in 13th position in the league.
The Hornets have played 37 games, winning 12, drawing 11 and losing 14, while notching 53 goals and conceding 57.
During March, they played five games, losing four and drawing one. These results include a heavy 5-1 defeat last time out, at Ashton United.
Opponents Ilkeston Town, meanwhile, lie in sixth place in the NPL Premier, one place but five points behind Ashon United.
They have also played 37 games, winning 16, drawing 10 and losing 11. They have scored 63 goals, while conceding 48.
During March, the Robins played five games, winning twice, drawing twice and losing once.
Last time out, they defeated Warrington Rylands 2-1, while their sole 1-0 defeat came at the hands of Stockton Town, who we will be visiting on April 19th.
The recent form would suggest an away win is likely, and I’m not betting against it.
Pre-Match Prediction: Hebburn Town 1 Ilkeston Town 2
Kick-Off
Summary
With my chips and gravy only just picked back up, I had to quickly put them back down again within a minute of kick-off.
I was just in time to capture Hebburn’s Joe Posthill having his penalty saved by the feet of Robin’s goalkeeper, Matthew Yates.
I’m happy to say I finished my chips without any further interruptions! 😂
In the 13th minute, the away side drew first blood, when a shot from the edge of the area by Lindon Miekle found its way into the bottom corner.
Two minutes later, a second goal for Ilkeston (pronounced Ilson by the locals) was chalked off by the linesman’s flag being raised for offside.
Further chances were pretty limited for the rest of the first half.
Ilkeston had a couple of shots that sailed over the bar, and Hebburn had a shout for a second penalty waved away after claims of handball were dismissed.
The ref blew for the end of the first forty-five, and it was time to look for a programme. How had I forgotten about that until now? It’s a good job I saw someone holding one to remind me.
Programme
At Hebburn Town, £3.00 gets you a very professional-looking 40-page issue, 12 of which are full-page non-club-related ads.
There are words from the chairman and manager, a match report and photos, a section on visitors, Ilkeston Town, and an interesting article on the history of Hebburn, plus all the usual features you expect in a programme.
Excellent stuff!
I also checked my phone to see how Stoke were getting on. A relegation dogfight between now and the end of the season is not what I was hoping for when the season kicked off.
We were 1-0 down at Preston, but I’m glad to say Lewis Baker scored a penalty later on in the game, and we managed a valuable hard-earned point.
There was also an amusing pre-match clip of the Stoke fans and an inflatable doll doing the rounds on social media.
This was posted by one of our groundhopping friends from Scotland, the Tartan Groundhopper, who told me he had been impressed by the noise from the 4,000 travelling Stokies.
Imagine if we had a good team!
Second Half
The second half, like the first, was a keenly contested affair with neither side dominating.
During the second half, I spotted a couple of Ilkeston fans I recognised from our trip to the New Manor Ground. I went to show one of them a video I had captured at the game, where Town’s hat-trick hero of the day rubbed his head after being substituted.
I love little chance meetings like this that bring my projects together.
It wasn’t until late in the game that the real drama unfolded.
With Hebburn pressing for an equaliser, they finally got one in the 90th minute.
An Ilkeston throw-in in Hebburn’s half didn’t seem dangerous, but the Hornets cleared the ball long, and a flicked header found Olly Martin racing through on goal.
He coolly went to the ‘keeper’s right and slotted it under his body to level the scores.
With just three minutes of injury time remaining, you might think that was the end of the action, but there was still time for more drama at the death.
Injury Time Madness
Ilkeston, stung by the Hornets’ late equaliser (sorry), pushed hard after conceding.
A corner was cleared back to the taker, who put in a secondary cross, eventually claimed by the ‘keeper.
However, the two players who had contested the initial cross had gone to the ground together, and as the Hebburn player got back to his feet, he inexplicably decided to place one of those feet on the back of the Ilkeston player’s leg.
As he rose, he put all his weight on that foot, and the referee saw it.
The end result was that all Hebburn’s hard work was undone by a moment of madness.
The referee brandished a red card for Joe Walton and awarded a penalty to Ilkeston Town, dispatched by Thomas Marshall.
The Robins clung to their lead and took all three points, while Hoppers Guide finally got another score prediction correct!
I believe that is just the second correct score prediction this season.
Sorry, Hebburn, my predictions are usually a blessing to the team I predict to lose!
It was lovely to see the Ilkeston players thanking their supporters after the final whistle, literally high-fiving each and every one of them.
Compare that to the top-flight players who can barely be bothered to clap their supporters indifferently from a distance.
You can read a full Match Report here, courtesy of the Hebburn Town website.
Full-time – Hebburn Town 1 Ilkeston Town 2
Attendance – 304
Entrance Fee – £10.00
Programme – £3.00
Hebburn Town v Ilkeston Town – Match Highlights
League Table After Today’s Game
Up Next
Hebburn have four remaining games this season, beginning with another home game against Mickleover Sports on 12th April.
This will be followed by an away trip to Gainsborough Trinity (19th) before returning home to play Stockton Town (21st). The final game of the season will be a trip to Basford United on April 26th.
Meanwhile, Ilkeston now sit just two points behind Ashton United and will continue their push for a playoff place when they entertain FC United of Manchester on April 12th.
Their final three games will continue away, against runaway champions Macclesfield (19th). This is followed by an all-Derbyshire derby, at home against Matlock Town on April 21st.
The Robins’ final regular league game will be at Bamber Bridge on April 26th.
Hebburn Town Thoughts
From the moment you walk up the path that leads to the clubhouse and the pitch, you will see that Hebburn Sports Ground is superbly well looked after and maintained.
Everything is clean, and there isn’t a cobweb in sight. It is clearly a well-loved place for the team that looks after it
As already mentioned, the clubhouse is second to none and could be a successful standalone pub, were it not a football clubhouse.
Entry to the ground, food, and drink are priced fairly, and the printed programme is excellent.
The club has risen rapidly, and it’s clear that they are embracing success and looking to build on it, both on and off the pitch.
The proposed changes to the grounds capacity will bring it in line with the 4,000 minimum capacity required by the National League.
This speaks volumes about the club’s ambitions, and it will be interesting to see just how far the Hornets can rise.
With an attendance of just 304 today, progress could be hampered by finance. It would be good to see the people of South Tyneside supporting their club, although there is plenty of competition for that support in the area.
Hebburn find themselves competing for support, not only from Newcastle and Sunderland, but Gateshead, South Shields and a plethora of Northern League teams in the area.
I, for one, hope that more fans start coming down to the Hebburn Sports Ground and helping this fabulous little club reach even higher league status.
Keep up the great work!
Hebburn – After the Game
Following the final whistle, we said goodbye to the Ilkeston fans and headed for the exit.
Once at the bus stop, we had a very short wait before the 17:20 #27 arrived.
We took a different route back home, getting off at Heworth Interchange and catching the 17:31 bus to Dalton Park. We got lucky, as X10 was already there when we got off the #27.
The X10 to Dalton Park arrived at 17:55, and another short wait saw us get our final connecting bus at 18:00.
Enveloped in the stench of marijuana, which some people, for some strange reason, find pleasant, meant I was glad to get off the bus fifteen minutes later.
Drugs are a huge problem in our country these days, and like all our society’s problems, it is brushed under the carpet by a succession of useless governments, whatever colour tie they wear.
We were through our front door by 18:20, another successful Hop in the books.
Next Up for Hoppers Guide
Next week will see us remaining in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.
A return journey to Lancashire and the county town of Lancaster.
Lancaster sits right next to Morecambe, the scene of Hopper Tales #137, so this will be a familiar journey.
Lancaster City have recently acquired Kendal Town’s manager, Jimmy Marshall, and it will be interesting to see how he handles his new team.
I’m looking forward to my first visit to the Giant Axe ground.
Sadly, their opponents, Blyth Spartans, already know their fate for next season, having been relegated to the Northern Premier League East.
This will see them just one league above their neighbours, Blyth Town and, incredibly, Town could yet get promoted via the playoffs.
Who could have foreseen that a couple of seasons ago?!
Onto the next!
What a wonderful looking non-league ground. Programme, a bit of cash-only to keep it real and less corporate, neat looking stands and plenty of terracing and a lovely club house.
Looks fantastic.
Absolutely, Jim.
I look forward to visiting again once the next stage of improvements have been carried out.