With a complete swing in momentum, Jamie Walker netted his 17th goal of the season with a composed penalty early on, then Blues’ substitute Jack Rogers secured a 2-2 draw late to claim a point at Grange Park.

The Opposition –

Hebburn are currently flying high in the Northern Premier League East Division – sat in second place on 56 points with 17 wins, five draws and seven defeats after 29 matches played.

Amar Purewal currently tops the Tyne & Wear sides goal scoring charts with 14 goals in 29 appearances, however, the Hebburn forward has not found the back of the net since a penalty he scored against Ossett United on Saturday 18th February.

In fact, the Hornets were unable to convert at all in their previous match as they fell to a 2-0 home defeat to 19th placed Carlton Town.

Alex Howes netted the only goal of the first half for the Millers, then Niall Davie doubled Carlton’s lead mid-way through the second half to secure all three points for the Nottinghamshire side.

Therefore, Hebburn will of course be ready and raring to go when they travel to Grange Park this weekend – a fantastically competitive match is to be expected.

Previous Meetings –

The Blues and the Hornets had never faced each other prior to this season, as the 2022/23 season is only Hebburn’s second season competing in Step Four of the English football pyramid, and it is of course Long Eaton’s first ever season at this level.

When both teams met earlier in the season, Long Eaton United bounced back from a rough run of games to earn a 4-1 victory away to second-placed Hebburn at the Green Energy Stadium.

Jack Rogers gave the Blues an early lead, although Amar Purewal equalised just five minutes later – however, Micah Jebbison restored United's lead just before the break, while second-half efforts from Jamie Walker and Alex Marshall wrapped up the win for Deakin’s side.

Manager’s Quotes –

Deakin was adamant that although the Blues registered their first draw last weekend after seven consecutive victories that it was nothing to be worried about, he said: “I think we had that winning mentality evidently in the second half against Bridlington [Town], sometimes you just have a blip – when you have been on such a good run of form as a team, it is heard to maintain that and keep going.

“They will have a little bit of fire in their bellies now though because they didn’t manage to get three points last weekend, especially knowing that the performance simply was not good enough in the first half.

“We will of course in no uncertain terms let them know that last weekend could have been better, but the lads already know that, because like I said you have to drive your own standards and you know better than anyone whether you have played well or played poorly.”

As the season comes close to its natural conclusion, where consistency and preparation are key to grind out results, Deakin added: “There is nothing going to change on our side – we will work hard again this week in training like we always do, and it is just up to them now to drive their standards - I just have to make sure that they are doing that.

“Football isn’t very complicated, as a manager you just have to make sure that the lads are in the right frame of mind.”

Looking ahead to this weekends match against Hebburn, Deakin noted: “We will have a little bit of a reset, we will watch last weekend’s game back and see where we can improve, so that at most we can go into the game against Hebburn with a positive attitude.

“We know they are a tough side, they are not that high in the league for no reason, so it will be a tester, but it’s at Grange Park and we are looking forward to going out there and trying to get three points.”

Match Details –

Long Eaton United vs Hebburn Town
Pitching In Northern Premier League East Division
Saturday 18th March 2023 – 3:00pm Kick-Off

Grange Park (Long Eaton United FC)
Station Road
Long Eaton
Derbyshire
NG10 2EF

Ticket Information –

£9 Adults
£7 Concessions
£3 U16s

£2.50 Matchday Programme

The match kicks off at 3:00pm and we advise all supporters to arrive early to avoid any queues or delays.

Card payments are preferred and accepted at the bar, at the kitchen and for entry into Grange Park – although, cash payments are still accepted!

Also, you can see the team line-ups on our official Twitter, where there will also be live updates from the match.