SWINDON Supermarine chairman Jez Webb revealed a mutual connection between the club and Hashtag United was the reason behind the two times meeting for a pre-season friendly this afternoon.

Supermarine welcome Hashtag United to the Webbswood for their first game in the football ladder, after the team of YouTubers announcing they would join the non-league pyramid this season.

The game kicks off at 12.30pm and will see Marine begin their preparations for the Southern League Premier Division.

Hashtag United were founded in 2016 and since then they have seen a meteoric rise in popularity, largely owing to social media.

With one appearance at Wembley Stadium already under their belts, as well as a guest appearance from Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, they look set to add fresh interest to the non-league scene, playing in Division One South of the Eastern Counties League in the forthcoming season.

The club, created by Spencer Owen, has almost a million followers across social media channels and Webb is hoping to see a boosted crowd as a result.

“Someone involved with us at Supermarine knows someone who handles Hashtag’s public relations and thought it would be a shot in the dark,”

“They asked if they’d ever fancy coming down to Supermarine. They said they loved our history and the fact the original team was made up of people who made components for the Supermarine Spitfire.

“They were all very keen to come and have a look around, so they could see what it was about, and give us their first-ever friendly in the football pyramid.

“We were shocked when they came back to us and said they would be willing to play us, so we are really excited about that because it gets us great exposure.”

Not only do they present plenty of benefits off of the field with exposure and a potential large gate, Webb says they will also provide an adequate test for Lee Spalding’s troops on the field.

“They won’t be any slouches on the pitch, that is for sure. They’ve got some good sponsors and good sponsorship enables you to play at a good level,” he said.

“We are looking forward to a good challenge from them too.”

Tickets for the game are priced at £5 for adults, £3 for U18s and £1 for U12s.