TWENTY-FIVE miles separate Seaham and Middlesbrough, but in footballing terms, the distance between the two North-East towns is pretty much immeasurable.

Seaham Red Star currently occupy 17th position in the First Division of the Northern League, and conceded five goals at Consett last weekend in the preliminary round of the FA Cup. Middlesbrough, proud winners of the Carling Cup and UEFA Cup finalists in the last decade-and-a-half, sit second in the Championship ahead of tomorrow’s table-topping clash with Leeds United.

You could hardly get more polarised parts of the footballing spectrum, yet after Tuesday night, there is a goalscorer that unites the two. Ten years ago, a 16-year-old Jordan Hugill was finding the back of the net for Seaham Red Star. Two days ago, he scored his first goal for Middlesbrough following a summer move from West Ham United.

Prior to turning professional, Nunthorpe-raised Hugill also turned out for Consett, Whitby Town and Marske United as he made his way through the North-East’s non-league scene, and there was even a time when he combined his efforts to make it in football with a stint pulling pints at Middlesbrough’s fabled Dickens Inn. It is safe to say times have changed somewhat in the last five or six years.

“I had all my family watching me (in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win over Rochdale), and for them it is a long way from watching me in the Northern League,” said Hugill, who moved into the professional ranks with Port Vale in 2013 and made his name with Preston prior to completing a £10m move to West Ham. “It’s a long way for me too. Six or seven years ago, I was playing for Marske and now I’m here.

“My dad and mates used to travel all over to watch me in the Northern League - Tow Law, Crook, they’ve been all over, all the cold places.

“I started out at Seaham at the top of the bank, with the cold wind whipping in off the North Sea. They’ve been to see me in all those games when it has been freezing cold and raining and whatever, and they’re just glad it’s the Riverside now.”

There was a time when it was common for top clubs to pluck players out of the amateur or non-league scene, but as football has been completely transformed in the last two or three decades, so the link between the professional and unpaid parts of the game has all but disappeared.

Jamie Vardy is the best-known example of a player who has progressed from the non-league ranks to the very top of the game in the last few years, but the fact his story is so well known highlights its novelty.

With scouts employed to watch matches all over the world, it is perhaps understandable that clubs in the top two tiers tend to look beyond their local environs when they are searching for new talent. Billal Brahimi, who made his Boro debut off the bench on Tuesday, was born and raised in Paris, but in fairness to the Teessiders, Hugill is not the only former Northern League player to have turned out under Tony Pulis this season.

Lewis Wing, formerly of Shildon, has also featured prominently in Middlesbrough’s first team, and while it might not be a conventional route to the top, Hugill feels there is considerable merit in giving local non-league youngsters a chance.

“For me personally, that’s the best way to learn about football,” he said. “You get chucked in at the deep end and have to learn to sink or swim.

“I remember being a 16 year old lad at Seaham, chucked in against big 30-year-old men who just want to kick you. You have to learn quickly, you have to learn your trade and how to look after yourself, how to do things.

“For me personally, it was the best thing possible for the development of my career. I’ve had some tests along the way with injuries and stuff, and I think that grounding has helped and made me want it even more.

“I know the way I’ve come through is not traditional in any way shape or form, but it worked for me. It’s about hard work and how much you want it. I’m glad that now it’s becoming a bit more of a normal and popular route because there are some really talented players in the Northern League. There’s good players there, and I think it’s vital to take a chance on them.”

In terms of geography, Hugill’s career has come full circle, and having failed to establish himself at West Ham, the Teessider accepts he has been given a golden opportunity to resurrect his fortunes.

His display on Tuesday was reminiscent of the performances that attracted so much attention while he was playing for Preston, with his energetic, committed approach causing the Rochdale a defence a succession of problems.

His aerial ability was apparent in the thumping second-half header that doubled Middlesbrough’s lead, and while Pulis is likely to retain Britt Assombalonga in his starting line-up for tomorrow’s trip to Elland Road, it might not be long before the Boro boss feels compelled to find Hugill a place in his Championship side.

“Playing for your hometown team, in front of your mates, is amazing,” said the striker. “It’s a chance that the majority of players never get in their career.

“Ultimately, it’s a game of football and that’s my job, and I’m half-decent at it. But when it’s a game at the Riverside, that’s amazing. I grew up here watching great games on so many nights, and that makes it so special.

“I’m also joining a club on the up, and that was one of the main factors of coming here. As well as being my hometown club, this is a good club geared up for promotion, and I think come the end of the season we are going to be there. With the squad we’ve got, I think we’re going to be there or thereabouts.”