Heaney aiming to be a title winner with Shields Sunday Sun29 May 2022Mark Carruthers ■ South Shields boss Kevin Phillips is delighted with his new signing, Mackenzie Heaney, inset below FORMER Newcastle United youngster Mackenzie Heaney set his sights on promotion after becoming South Shields’ first signing of the summer. The attacking midfielder was viewed as one of the brightest prospects at the Magpies academy but was released by his boyhood club at the end of the 2017/18 season. Spells with Northern League clubs Newcastle Benfield and West Auckland Town followed before he spent time with Northern Premier League outfit Whitby Town and Iceland second-tier side UMF Grindavik. Heaney moved back into the fulltime game when he joined a York City side managed by former Magpies star Steve Watson, but ended the campaign by helping Buxton pip South Shields to the Northern Premier League Premier Division title. He will now move back to the North East as he becomes Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips’ first permanent signing as Mariners boss. After putting pen to paper, the 23-year-old said: “I’m delighted it is done and very excited to be here. “I’m pleased to have my future sorted very early in the summer and now it’s time to get ready for pre-season. “This is a massive club at this level, especially when you look at the ground and the training ground, which are amaz- ing. “Myself and the club want to achieve the same thing, which is to win the league, and I can’t wait to get started.” Phillips described his new addition as ‘incredibly talented’ and has promised to add further new faces to his squad over the coming weeks. He said: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Mackenzie Heaney as our first signing. “He is a player who I firmly believe will excite our fans and I’m thoroughly looking forward to working with him. “Technically, he is a very impressive player and he is also a dead ball specialist who has a great ability to score goals. Mackenzie is incredibly talented and is a young player who I am sure will develop further in the years to come. “He will be the first of many new players to join us in the coming weeks, which we hope will whet the appetite of our fans ahead of pre-season.” It was further good news for Phillips after young striker Sam Hodgson agreed a new deal to remain with the Mariners until at least the summer of 2024. That stay could be further extended after the Mariners confirmed the deal has the option of a third year. Despite seeing his side miss out on promotion into the National League North, Hodgson enjoyed a positive season and found the net on nine occasions across the campaign. The striker is now determined to establish himself in Phillips’ plans after following fellow academy graduate Will Jenkins in signing a new deal. He said: “That ‘youngster’ tag is gone for