BY Jack Cunningham
Debutant Zach Hemming feels he had a good debut in between the Blyth Spartans sticks during the 1-1 FA Trophy with Alfreton Town.
Hemming joined until the end of the season from Middlesbrough on a youth loan deal – which means that he will also be available to play for Boro’s under-23 side.
The 19-year-old was previously with Hartlepool United, but his parent club decided to recall him after he failed to make an appearance since his summer arrival.
This led to Lee Clark swooping in to bring Hemming to Croft Park, and he will now compete with Mark Foden and Nathan Harker for the number one spot.
There was no time to adjust, though, as Hemming was thrown straight into the action against Spartans’ National League North counterparts.
“I thought I had a good debut,” admitted Hemming. “It was nice to meet the lads and play with them – they are spot on. The lads did well, and we probably should have won the game.
“We controlled the first half but just couldn’t get that killer second goal, and now we go down there on Tuesday and try to win again.
“It was just one of those games where if we took our chances, we probably would have won and saved ourselves a long journey on a Tuesday night.”
He added: “I am delighted to be here, and I just hope we can get a few wins on the board and climb up that table.”