After a meeting with established rivals from the North East last weekend, the Bucks will break new ground tomorrow as they host Hebburn Town.
Last season’s North Premier League champions make a maiden visit to the SEAH Stadium on Saturday, 24th October to face the Bucks in the Enterprise National League North, with kick-off at 3 pm.
Last Season
As mentioned in our introduction, the visitors, nicknamed the Hornets, are newcomers to the division after winning the Northern Premier League Premier Division last season.
The Hornets' second promotion in three seasons elevated them to a new level. After winning the NLP East in 2023/24, they spent a season consolidating in the Northern Premier before winning the title in 2025/26.
With most people’s attention locked onto an apparent title showdown between FC United Of Manchester and Hednesford Town, the Hornets outlasted both teams, coming up on the rails and delivering consistently as the pair faltered, and Daniel Moore’s side eventually won the title by two points.
Recent Form
The Hornets lie in 8th place in the division, with a record of 5 wins, 3 draws and 4 defeats from 12 matches.
They have scored 16 goals and conceded 21, for a goal difference of -5.
Looking at the current season, the Hornets made an impressive start to their first campaign in the division, collecting 18 points from their opening eleven league matches and winning five of them.
However, their form has become less consistent, with only one victory in their last five league games.
Despite their recent dip in form, Hebburn have shown they can compete with established National League North sides.
Their opening-day 3-1 victory over Southport was followed by a 1-1 draw away at Brackley Town, who were relegated from the National League last season.
They then beat Worksop Town and Buxton before producing an entertaining 4-2 win over King's Lynn Town on the 29th of August.
September was tougher, with just one win in four league matches and an Emirates FA Cup exit to NPL side Guiseley on home soil.
Two losses in October to date mean the Hornets enter the match a little short on form, with that solitary September win their only victory in 8 matches across all competitions.
Hebburn’s defence has disappointed at times this season, conceding at an average of almost two goals per game. They conceded five goals in their surprising 5-1 defeat away at Radcliffe and three in their recent home loss to Oxford City.
Hebburn have managed only one clean sheet, at home against Worksop Town.
Top Scorers:
Jake Charles - 5
Josh Donaldson - 3
Tom Allan, Liam Murray - 2 each
Matty Cornish, Elliot Forbes, Kian Foreman - 1 each
Facing the Bucks
Player-manager Daniel Moore (23) has held the reins at Hebburn since arriving from Shildon in 2022, leading the club to two promotions and Durham Challenge Cup success. Club captain Aidan Heywood (2) joined from Shildon ahead of 2023/24, while vice-captain Jack Donaghy (4) is Hebburn’s longest-serving player, with more than 300 appearances. Liam Murray (10), Joe Maher (20), Tom Archibald (22), Marc Forster (24) and Harvey Scott (25) have all progressed through the club’s development system.
Several experienced players have recently joined the Hornets. Dan Myers (3) arrived from Morpeth Town in June, having previously played for Spennymoor and Blyth Spartans. Matty Elsdon (5) signed after a spell at Blyth, while Ethan Wood (6) joined in May 2025 after more than six years at Newton Aycliffe. Matty Cornish (7) made his move from Darlington permanent this summer, having initially joined on dual registration.
Robert Briggs (8) arrived from South Shields in October 2025 after making a club-record 457 appearances there. Jake Charles (9) joined this summer following two seasons at Whitby Town, while Tom Allan (11) signed from Darlington in June after earlier spells with Newcastle United and Gateshead. Elliot Forbes (15) also arrived from Darlington this summer, and Alfie Henderson (16) joined from Salford City after gaining loan experience with Stalybridge Celtic and Morpeth Town.
Hebburn have also added several promising younger players. Josh Donaldson (12) joined on loan from Hartlepool United after scoring 13 goals during a spell with Dunston. Goalkeeper Sam Taylor (13) stepped up after impressing for the Reserves, while Gildo Da Silva (14) progressed through Hebburn’s junior ranks and gained experience with Whitley Bay. Portuguese winger Joao Gomes (17) returned after initially joining on loan from South Shields in November 2024.
Joe Oliver (19) arrived from Blyth Spartans in June 2025, while goalkeeper Isaac Allan (21) returned on loan from Sunderland for 2026/27 after contributing to last season’s promotion. Jake Waters (26) also returned for the new campaign, signing a short-term deal following his release by Sunderland after impressing on loan with the Hornets last season.
Perhaps keen to freshen things up, manager Moore has been busy this week.
Kian Foreman rejoined on loan from Hartlepool following spells with Hebburn and Spennymoor last season, but was recalled by Pools this week. However, it was one in, one out, with defender Campbell Darcy switching in the opposite direction.
Darcy wasn’t the only addition either. Goalkeeper Aidan Harris has signed on an initial one-month loan deal from Premier League giants Newcastle United.
Here’s the Hornets’ starting line-up from last weekend’s 2-0 home loss to Scarborough Athletic.
GK: Cameron.
D: Heywood ©, Donaghy, Wood, Forbes.
M: Briggs, Oliver, Murray, Allan.
F: Cornish, Donaldson.
Subs: Taylor, Henderson, Moore, Jones, Foreman.
Player To Look Out For
Jake Charles is a player the Bucks should look out for. He made a bright start for the Hornets, becoming their top goalscorer after scoring against Southport, Brackley, King’s Lynn Town, and then a brace against Buxton. However, he hasn’t scored since the game against King’s Lynn Town.
Jake also has an impressive lineage. He is the grandson of Welsh footballing legend John Charles, the former Welsh international centre-forward who played for Leeds United and Juventus, where he earned the nickname ‘The King ’ for his scoring exploits and fearless style of play.
Colours
Bucks:
Shirt: White
Shorts: White
Socks: White
Quakers:
Shirt: Yellow and Black stripes
Shorts: Black
Socks: Yellow
Match Officials
Referee: Abid Hussain.
Assistant Referee: Robert Pealing.
Assistant Referee: Joshua Cliffe.
Fourth Official: Macaulay Gibson.
How to Follow
If you can’t be at the game, you can follow the events in several ways.
The Live Game Centre on our smartphone app and website will have live text updates.
Our X feed will also carry text commentary, while our Facebook and Instagram feeds will provide updates on major events, such as team news, goals, the half-time and full-time scores.
If you have the app, you’ll receive notifications of every goal, plus half-time and full-time scores.
Finally, BBC Radio Shropshire will provide live match commentary on DAB and on the Sounds app.
With plenty of options, you can follow the Bucks even when you can’t be there.