Just no place like home for Town’s brave battlers
HEBBURN Town made the most of home comforts as they battled back to take all three points against Sheffield.
The visitors took a narrow lead into half-time thanks to a Stephen Brogan header but it was Daniel Moore’s side which claimed the honours in its first home game of the season thanks to second-half strikes from Liam Henderson and Sean Reid.
Sheffield enjoyed the early pressure and went close to taking a fortunate lead inside the opening five minutes when Hornets’ midfielder Reid flicked a Connor Cutts free-kick just past his own far post.
The early pressure continued to flow the way of the hosts’ goal and they should have fallen behind as the quarter-hour mark approached when an unmarked Marc Newsham headed wide from around eight yards out.
Frustration was starting to creep around the Hornets’ players as they struggled to gain a foothold in the game as the half wore on.
They did at least create an opportunity when Olly Martin’s 25-yard freekick brought a routine save out of visitors’ goalkeeper Jordan Pierrepoint.
That half-chance was the signal for a turgid spell of play as both sides suffered from a lack of genuine quality in the final third and largely cancelled each other out.
That all changed ten minutes before the interval as Sheffield took the lead as they took advantage of a lack of concentration inside the home defence.
A loose ball in the area was seized upon by Cutts and his powerful crossshot was headed into the net by the alert Stephen Brogan from close range.
Hebburn, to their credit, mounted an obvious response and went close to being back on level terms just minutes after Brogan’s opener.
A dramatic passage of play saw three chances in quick succession as a cross into the visitors’ area caused panic in their backline.
Their inability to clear the ball led to chances for Daniel Moore, Amar Purewal and Liam Henderson but all three were left frustrated by desperate, last-ditch defending.
There was to be one final chance before the break and it fell to the visitors as the impressive Cutts crashed a low drive past the far post to ensure his side had to settle for a one-goal advantage at the interval.
The turnaround in the second half was dramatic as the Hornets reacted positively to whatever was said in the
home dressing room during the break.
The equaliser arrived on 54 minutes and it was far from pretty - not that anyone of a Hebburn persuasion was complaining.
Olly Martin swung a corner into the area and caused panic in the visitors’ defence.
The loose ball bobbled around the six-yard box before Henderson forced the ball over the line.
The turnaround was complete just before the midway point of the half and there could hardly be more of a contrast between two goals.
While Henderson’s equaliser was scrappy, Sean Reid’s strike to put the hosts ahead for the first time was as clean a strike as you are likely to see.
The former Morpeth Town and Blyth Spartans midfielder collected a knockdown before sending a sumptuous drive beyond Pierrepoint from all of 20 yards.
The game swung further in the favour of Moore’s men when Sheffield were reduced to ten men two minutes later after Sam Greenhouse kicked out at Henderson.
However, the Hebburn frontman would soon follow Greenhouse into the dressing rooms when he caught Adam Watson with an elbow and saw red with just over quarter of an hour remaining.
A scrappy end saw Hebburn hold on to recover from their midweek defeat to Stockton Town in the best possible fashion and ensure there really is no place like home.