Hebburn Town 1-6 Worksop Town (Northern Premier League East Division) 12.11.2022

The superlatives continue to fall at the boots of Notts’ high-flying Tigers, the Northern Premier League East side having moved up to second in table, following a destructive, attacking display in the North-East this weekend, taking out Hebburn Town with a 6-1 win.

Gareth Southgate may have taken the likes of Harry Kane and Callum Wilson to this winter’s World Cup finals, in Qatar, but Craig Parry, the Worksop boss, has the all-firing Liam Hardy at his disposal, his goals putting the Tigers as the leagues’ top scorers, making it 38 goals, in just a dozen outings so far.

It was to be a victory that moved them within six points of leaders Stockton Town, and with two games in hand, and Hardy, he took just twenty-five, first half minutes, to brush Hebburn aside, a side who’d won eight and drawn three of their previous fourteen.

Hardy opened the scoring after just eight minutes after Aleks Starcenko collected a loose ball, drove into the area, before passing to the Tigers’ hitman, he smashing the ball past Shaun Newbrook in the home goal; less than ten minutes Hardy was at it again when, after the match official had played the advantage, continued his run through the home defence before firing home.

With both sides creating chances, it would be the Hornets who’d register next, Olly Martin latching on to a flick from Sean Reid, skips into the box before slipping the ball across Sebastian Malkowski and into the bottom corner.

Minutes later and the away side had restored their two goal advantage, Hardy competing a quick-fire, first-half hat-trick as he again chased down a loose ball, rounding Newbrook, and putting the ball into the empty net.

The Tigers would continue to assert their first-half dominance and, after Reid had seen a front post effort bounce wide for the hosts, the visitors moved further ahead, netting their fourth of the game; having won a corner, minutes before the interval, the cross was met by Jack Broadhead, who headed home at the back post for a 4-1, interval lead.

Early in the second, Terry Hawkridge tried his luck from distance, firing a goal-bound volley from distance, only to see it ricochet back off the underside of the bar, and the follow-up from Jay Rollins, claimed by a relieved Newbrook.

The hosts would see a couple of bookings come their way, including player-manager, Daniel Moore, he having contested a high ball with Sam Wedgebury, whilst the hosts had a penalty appeal waved away, James Harrison’s cross looking like it was blocked by Josh Wilde’s arm, calls coming to no avail.

Having coming on, just moments earlier, Ben Tomlinson follows up a Rollins shot, which was saved by Newbrook, and he heads home the visitors fifth, Rollins adding himself to the scoresheet with the sixth, in stoppage time, curling an effort into the top corner and wrapping up a big win.

It was to be a tenth straight success for Parry’s high-flying Tigers, and with ten wins and a draw from their twelve league games thus far, Tuesday night’s game, at the Windsor Foodservice Stadium, against Stocksbridge Park Steels (6^th), followed by Saturday’s against visiting North Shields (10^th), will further enhance the Tigers’ title credentials.

Worksop Town: Sebastian Malkowski, Regan Hutchinson, Josh Wilde, Sam Wedgebury, Deegan Atherton, Jack Broadhead, Terry Hawkridge, Aleksandrs Starcenko, Liam Hardy (Ben Tomlinson 78), James Hanson (Luke Hall 64), Jay Rollins.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @worksoptownfc player coach Ben Tomlinson was on target for the Tigers.