STOCKTON TOWN VS HEBBURN TOWN PREVIEW
COMPETITION: Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division – Matchday 22
DATE: Thursday 26 December, 2024
KICK-OFF: 13:00
ENTRY: £11 Adult, £9 Concessions, £5 11-18-year-olds, £3 under-11’s
TICKETS: https://stocktontownfc.ktckts.com/event/hebbur2425/hebburn-town
CLUBHOUSE: Open early for breakfast which is served until 12pm.
GROUND: Stockton Town FC, MAP Group UK Stadium, Bishopton Road West, Stockton-on-Tees, TS19 0QD
LIVE UPDATES: @stockton_townfc – Twitter/X
LIVE COMMENTARY: Anchors Radio (mixlr.com)
Stockton Town return home for a Boxing Day clash with Hebburn Town.
The Anchors come into the game after picking up a point at second placed Guiseley on Saturday following Tom Coulthard’s 81st minute headed equaliser, in a game where Michael Sweet had a very late winner ruled out for offside.
This encounter marks the first league game at the MAP Group UK Stadium since victory over FC United of Manchester over a month ago, and a high attendance is expected so we encourage supporters to purchase tickets ahead of time through the link provided earlier.
Michael Fowler will return to the squad after missing the weekend’s draw at Guiseley.
THE OPPOSITION
The Anchors and the Hornets are far from strangers. After both sides were promoted together from the Northern League in 2021, they both competed in an enthralling title race in the East Division last season, with Daniel Moore’s side tasting glory on the final day after winning 12 of their 13 final league games.
Star striker Amar Purewal, twin brother of Anchors defender Arjun, took home the golden boot last season with 30 goals in 40 appearances, and already has 12 to his name so far this campaign.
In summer, the Hornets boosted their attack with the signing of ex-Anchor Joe Posthill as well as vastly experienced, former Sunderland defender Michael Turner, prolific forward Bailey Adamson and a permanent addition of midfielder Liam Noble, who was a catalyst to their title win whilst on loan.
After bringing in creative midfielder Paul Van Zandvliet from Ashington in September, the 2020 FA Vase winners later added more quality to their team, with the loan signings of South Shields attackers Dan Savage and Joao Gomes. Savage notably hit a brace against the Anchors whilst playing for Blyth Spartans earlier in the season.
The Tyneside-based side currently find themselves one place ahead of Stockton in 7th place with 34 points to their name. They are also semi-finalists in the Durham Challenge Cup, a competition they won only two seasons ago.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Since the two sides’ first meeting back in 2016, the teams have faced off on 14 occasions across a number of different competitions, with some historic matchups taking place during that time. Here are the results from the recent five meetings:
16 Dec 2023 – Stockton Town 3-1 Hebburn Town – Northern Premier League East Division
15 Aug 2023 – Hebburn Town 2-1 Stockton Town – Northern Premier League East Division
14 Jan 2023 – Hebburn Town 2-0 Stockton Town – Northern Premier League East Division
23 Sep 2022 – Hebburn Town 3-1 Stockton Town – Isuzu FA Trophy
24 Aug 2022 – Stockton Town 2-1 Hebburn Town – Northern Premier League East Division
FORM GUIDE
Stockton Town: W L W L D
Last Game: Guiseley 1-1 Stockton Town
Hebburn Town: W L L L W
Last Game: Hebburn Town 3-1 Blyth Spartans
PRE-MATCH QUOTES
Stockton Town manager Michael Dunwell spoke ahead of this test following his draw at Guiseley on Saturday by saying:
“It’ll be a good game. We’re both in and around the playoffs, and they had a good win [on Saturday] against Blyth, but we’re back at home and our home form is really good. But they’ve probably become our closest rivals over the past few years, gone up the leagues together. Games are always tight between us and we probably know how each other play.
“It’ll be a big crowd again on Boxing Day and hopefully we can put another excellent performance in at home which we have done many times this season and get us three points.”
Words by Jordan Clarke
