Bolam hails good week as Hebburn earn a battling point at Worksop

Hebburn Town manager Kevin Bolam admitted his side rode their luck in their battling draw against Worksop Town.

The Hornets travelled to Nottinghamshire looking for a third win in seven days after last weekend’s FA Cup shock at Ashton United was followed up with a home triumph against Yorkshire Amateur on Tuesday night.

On the face of it, Bolam’s men looked well on their way to bringing up a treble as Olly Martin’s first-half goal was the difference between the two sides as the game entered its final 10 minutes.

But the Hornets had to weather some heavy pressure from a confident Worksop side that had the upper-hand, despite being reduced to 10 men by Ben Turner’s red card just before half-time.

That pressure eventually paid off with six minutes left as the impressive Zayn Hakeem crashed home an equaliser to ensure his side claimed a point as reward for their efforts.

Bolam delivered an honest assessment of his side’s performance and described Worksop as their toughest opposition of the season so far.

He said: “I would be lying if I said we deserved all three points, because we rode our luck for large parts of the game. I have to credit Worksop, they were the best side we have faced this season in any competition.

“They had the best of the first 25 minutes and Olly has put us ahead with our first chance. We tried to get some rhythm but it just didn’t happen.

“It’s still been a good week for us, it’s three undefeated for us and we want to keep that run going for as long as we can.”

As one big week ends, another one looms as Bolam’s men prepare to travel to North East rivals Shildon tomorrow, before turning their focus to next Saturday’s FA Cup second qualifying round tie at National League North club York City.

The Hornets boss is relishing two tough away days and is looking for a strong performance from his squad at Shildon as he looks to finalise his plans for their big cup date.

“It’s down to the players to earn their shirts for York and they do that by putting in a performance against Shildon,” he said.

“I’m not shocked Shildon have started so well, Daniel Moore has such a good squad there and it’s a tough start to a big week.”