Hebburn Town turns yellow and black to welcome FA Vase winners home
05.05.2021
Hebburn made history over the weekend, winning the FA Vase Cup final for the first time in the Northern League side’s 103 year history. Coming from behind twice, the Hebburn hornets beat their northeastern rivals Consett town 3-2.
The five-goal thriller epitomised non-league magic, fuelled by unbelievable circumstances and objectively far more interesting than Harrogate’s 1-0 FA Trophy victory over Concord Rangers later that day.
Hebburn and Consett cooperated to set another record in their clash: the first cup final featuring British South Asian twins. Arjun Purewal captained an impressive Consett side, while his brother Amar Purewal scored Hebburn’s first equaliser in the 19th minute. The Sunderland twins proved integral to a game played during an anti-racism social media blackout. As Arjun told the Northern Echo before the cup clash, “Amar and I represent a lot of people in this game.”
During a late-game stalemate with the sides two-a-piece, Amar made way for Hebburn local Oliver Martin in the 78th minute. Five minutes later, Martin scored, sealing a match-winner that reverberated 250 miles away to Hebburn, sending fans into ecstasy.
Indeed, COVID restrictions damped Hebburn’s elation somewhat, keeping fans away from Wembley in the Hornets’ moment of glory. Only 150 fans attended their last league match on Halloween 2020 before the pandemic halted their season. Before the cancellation, Hebburn sat atop the league on promotion form. This victory, however bittersweet, redeems their wasted league season and proves their endurance and success.
Pandemic or not, the people of Hebburn honoured the Hornets’ historic win, adorning the town with yellow and black ribbons and balloons. Kevin Bolam’s side returned to chants and cheers, as Heaven (Hebburn) is a Place on Earth welcomed the cup winners home. With the Northern Football league set to restart shortly, fans hope to cheer Hebburn to more silverware soon, perhaps from inside the stadium next time.
