Manager Craig Parry said he was delighted with his side's resilience in the win.
“It was a good performance against Hebburn, for us to dig in at a difficult place to come against a very awkward side who are very strong here was excellent. They made it very difficult for teams and they made it difficult for us 96 minutes," he said.
“I think in all honesty, I think we found ourselves fortunate to be 2-0 up, I think we were ruthless and took our chances and they didn’t.
“I was disappointed with the goals that we conceded, they were 2 free headers in the six-yard box.
“But what a set of lads, what a group they are to pick themselves up especially when you know they were throwing everything at us, we were gone, we were out on our feet so to pick ourselves up and go and nick the winner, it was unbelievable.
Hebburn started the match on the front foot, forcing last-ditch interventions from Ben Grist, Hamza Bencherif, and Josh Wilde in the Worksop defence. The hosts found success in attack through quickly taken free-kicks, which repeatedly caught the Tigers off guard.
This approach paid off for the Tigers' opener, as all three combined in devastating fashion. Hughes flicked a long ball into Martin’s path, and the forward cleverly spun in behind his marker before delivering a pinpoint cross with his left foot. Starcenko timed his run perfectly at the back post, rising highest to nod the ball off the top corner of the post and beyond Kieran Hunter.
Worksop doubled their advantage through a moment of brilliance from Joe Leesley. After Hughes was fouled 25 yards from goal, the midfielder stepped up and curled a stunning free-kick into the top right corner—his second set-piece goal in five games following his spectacular effort against Guiseley.
Eight minutes into the second half, Hebburn clawed one back through Robbie Spence. A corner from the right was initially cleared but recycled by Liam Noble, who floated the ball back into the danger area. Spence was on hand to guide his header over Tommy Taylor and into the net.
With momentum shifting, Hebburn piled on the pressure, peppering the Worksop box with crosses. Taylor was forced into a remarkable double save to deny Joao Gomes an equaliser, but his resistance was eventually broken.
Substitute Olly Martin delivered a deep cross from the left, finding Daniel Moore unmarked in the box. The forward made no mistake, side-footing a controlled volley past Taylor into the bottom corner.
Just as it seemed the game would end level, Worksop had one final say. In the 90th minute, they won a corner, which Leesley whipped into the box. The initial clearance fell to Starcenko, who struck a fierce volley through a crowded area. A wicked deflection wrong-footed Hunter, sending the ball trickling into the net and sparking wild celebrations among the travelling Worksop fans.