Sterling-James opens account in first league start at Hednesford

Omari Sterling-James in action for Hereford

Omari Sterling-James has scored his first goal for Hednesford Town - the same day as he was handed his first start.

The lively winger joined the promotion-chasing step three outfit for an undisclosed fee from Hereford, with Bulls boss Paul Caddis saying he would be paid "almost double".

Sterling-James himself credited the club being local as one of the reasons behind the move, while director of football Andrew Reed said the winger "wanted to get out of Hereford".

Having come off the bench in a 1-0 win over Rushall Olympic on New Year's Day, he then started and played 70 minutes in the 2-1 win over Burton Albion in the Birmingham Senior Cup on Tuesday (13th January). Two goals for former Bull Montel Gibson sealed the win for the hosts.

Sterling-James's first Northern Premier League start came on Saturday (17th January) as his side came from a goal down to beat Stocktown Town 2-1 away from home. As Sterling-James pulled a goal back in the 86th minute, another ex-Bull secured three points when Akheem Rose scored a penalty seven minutes into injury time.

In total, Hednesford have six former Hereford players involved with their first team as Jared Hodgkiss is assistant manager, and Simeon Maye, Dominic McHale, Montel Gibson, Akheem Rose and Omari Sterling-James are in their experienced squad.