Hopson relishing return to Turnbull

Former Huddersfield Town, Darlington and Blyth Spartans midfielder Dale Hopson reckons he's back where he belongs after returning to EVO-STIK League Whitby Town.

The 25-year-old, who joined Blyth Spartans last summer after netting 32 goals in all competitions over the course of the 2016-17 Northern Premier League campaign, returned to the Turnbull Ground on Thursday for an undisclosed fee.

Hopson told fans he couldn't resist the chance to rejoin the EVO-STIK League Premier Division's Seasiders when manager Chris Hardy called in a statement announcing his signing.

"It's positive in the fact that I'm back where I need to be playing," Hopson said. "For me, if I can't go full-time, then this is probably the best choice in terms of teams for me to play at.

"It's not just the staff and the players [that brought me back]. David McTiernan had a big part to play, I trust Macca, but obviously the staff I get along with, the fans are really friendly and I've always seemed to be liked here and obviously that plays a big part in it.

"[2016/17] was arguably the best season I've played in my career, in terms of goals scored and what I achieved. It's going to be hard to get back towards that but I'm going to try and give it a good go this season."

Despite his history with the club and the fee paid, Stockton-on-Tees-born Hopson insists he isn't feeling any undue pressure on him.

He added: "I wouldn't say there's pressure. I feel pretty confident to be honest. I'm coming back confident. I've had a little knock on my knee, but I think I'll be coming back stronger and fitter than I've ever been."

Image courtesy of @WhitbyTownFC/Twitter

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