The Hornets welcomed promotion-chasing Gosforth Bohemians on Wednesday night and went one goal ahead in the first period following a well-worked set-piece.

In the second half, 16-year-old Ryan Hardie notched a hat-trick alongside a goal from substitute Owen Lovely to make it 5-0.

“It was excellent victory against a very good team,” commented U23s manager Gary Henry.

“We set up early to play good, quick football and we created a decent chance when we got Will [McCamley] down the right side - his shot was parried by the keeper and we couldn’t get to the rebound.

“The lads played some very good football in the first half and at half-time we asked them to move ball quicker from side to side to stretch the opposition, reducing the touches we had on the ball.

“The lads responded excellently and all worked tirelessly for each other, putting the work in.

“It was pleasing to get another clean sheet - I thought Kian [Devlin-Johnson] was excellent again at the back and Andy Marley alongside him was solid as well.”

Henry’s side included first-teamer Will McCamley, who returned to action for the first time since September following a lower leg injury.

While McCamley only managed the first half, the winger bagged an assist from Hebburn’s opener and nearly got on the scoresheet himself.

“It was good to see Will get some good minutes under his belt,” explained Henry.

“He was only due to play 25 minutes but he felt comfortable so we left him out there until half-time.

“We asked the lads to give Will plenty of the ball when they could and for him to be direct one-on-one.

“When he had it, he tried to draw defenders out wide to give more space in their backline for us to exploit.”

Henry also heaped praise onto young forward Hardie following his second half hat-trick.

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Hardie, with the striker being an unused substitute for the first-team at the back end of February.

And at the weekend, Hardie helped Hebburn Town U18s lift the Durham FA Premier League title, winning the league’s top scorer award in the process.

“I have to mention Ryan,” said Henry.

“The first goal he scored, he showed great intelligence to get onto the end of a long free-kick and finish one-on-one.

“The other two goals were very different - for one he showed poacher’s instinct following in a rebound, and the final goal was a great curling effort from 20 yards out.

“The lad didn’t stop and kept the Gosforth defence on their toes all night with his pace and skill.”

On Saturday, April 8 the U23s welcome Bedlington to The Green Energy Sports Ground (2:30pm kick-off).

“I’m expecting a tight game,” Henry previewed.

“We drew 2-2 up there earlier in season, but at the moment we’re playing with plenty of confidence and hope for another good performance.

“There are 11 games left in the season and we’ll take each one as it comes because they will come around quick.

“We spoke to the lads on Tuesday about needing everyone from now until the end of season on May 13 to give everything in each game.

“The Gosforth game was the start of that - now let’s hope for plenty more good performances in these final games.”