South Shields FC Supporters Association

Pitch Work - Sunday 21st June

2009-06-22T21:31:00.005+01:00

This bloke deserves a medal!!!

And The Rewards Afterwards :O)

2009-06-12T19:43:00.003+01:00

Sterling service from our resident cook. :O)

Refreshments arrive better late than never.

Pitch Work - Sunday 7th June

2009-06-12T19:19:00.006+01:00

Gary giving Andy some hints on how to use a shovel.

Could have sworn I'd left a pie right here. :O)

Annual Presentation Night - 30th May 2009

2009-06-02T12:06:00.024+01:00

Helen, Janice and Janet, who serve us soooo well throughout the season.

Without whom, some of us would just waste away.

Thanks to Vi for all her work behind the bar on the evening. Kept the drinks flowing.

Always appreciated.

Michael Rodenby receives the Keith Wealands Memorial Trophy from Gary and Phil after being voted young player of the year for 2008/09.

James Oates receives the first of his awards of the evening from Gary and Phil.

Oatsey finishes the night with the player of the year, players' player of the year and supporters association player of the year awards.

Pictured here with Gary and Bob Scott.

Bob Scott receives the supporter of the year award for 2008/09 from Gary and Phil.

A richly deserved award for a bloke who bleeds claret & blue blood.

A token of sincere appreciation to Brenda for all her wonderful efforts in the background

Also, a token of our appreciation to Gary for all his immense work he has carried out.

Presented by Bob Wray.

Ramma really needs to visit the opticians............sharpish. ;O)

Ordinary glass not big enough for Studs?

All smiles at the end of an excellent evening. :O)

Filtrona Park Pitch - Monday 25-May-2009 18:30

2009-05-26T00:43:00.002+01:00

Filtrona Park Pitch - Saturday 23-May-2009 14:30

2009-05-24T00:53:00.004+01:00

Filtrona Park Pitch - Wednesday 20-May-2009 15:45

2009-05-22T02:47:00.005+01:00

15th November 2008 Northern League Division 1 - Billingham Synthonia 2 South Shields 2

2008-12-11T21:30:00.001Z

Billingham Synthonia: 1) B.Escritt. 2) A.Clough. 3) D.Barnes. 4) M.Cater. 5) D.Abel (c). 6) M.Casey. 7) C.Perry. 8) C.Hignett. 9) J.Magowan. 10) C.Iley. 11) M.Jameson.

Subs. S.Baynes. L.Brown. A.Harbron. T.Masters. D.Yale.

South Shields: 1) A.Clark (c). 2) J.Oates. 3) D.O'Brien. 4) M.Rodenby. 5) K.Jarvis. 6) G.Reay. 7) S.Fitzpatrick. 8) C.Ellison. 9) W.Crew. 10) J.Wightman. 11) A.Davis.

Subs. S.Parkin. T.Coe. C.Feasey. G.Irving. J.Perry.

Another superb turn out from the Shields supporters on a bright sunny day, with a healthy queue at the refreshments window. Pies didn't last long today. :o)

As the teams took to the field it was noticed Synthonia had a new signing turning out, in the form of former Middlesbrough, Blackburn & Barnsley (among a host of other clubs) forward Craig Hignett. So straight away, an already hard fixture was looking to be even more of a challenge. However straight from the kick off the Mariners forced Billingham onto the back foot and almost took a sensational lead in the first minute when Willie Crew broke down the right and got a good pass inside to Jonny Wightman and he hit it first time and the ball came back off the near post.

Shields weren't to be denied though as they took the lead in the 4th minute after Wightman received the ball in space in the middle of the pitch and came forward before unleashing a powerful drive from 25 yards out. The keeper really should have saved it but only succeeded in palming the ball up and over his head and into the net. The keeper possibly lost the flight of the ball as the low sun shone in his eyes, but what does it matter? Shields were ahead. :o)

Shields had started the game strongly and kept up the early pressure as they forced the home side onto the back foot time and time again and on 15 minutes Ash Davis played a fine ball through to Wightman and his shot produced a fine save out of Escritt in the Billingham goal. The home side came back and had two close efforts in quick succession as firstly Iley saw his first time shot blocked by the Shields defence and from the resulting corner Craig Perry played the ball inside to Magowan but his shot on the the turn was blocked and cleared.

Shields then came back and to the delight of the travelling Mariners' supporters, extended their lead in the 21st when Michael Rodenby put a long ball through to Craig Ellison, who wrong-footed a defender and cut inside onto his left foot and with all the confidence in the world picked his spot high into the left corner of the net for a very well taken goal. Billingham tried to counter this good start from the visitors but generally Shields were handling most of the home attacks quite comfortably. On the half hour Wightman got himself into a shooting position but shot wide of the target. Without a doubt though, Wightman was having his best performance for Shields since joining, and new boy Glenn Reay was also having an outstanding match.

Shields were then forced into making a change when Karl Jarvis was injured and was replaced by Graham Irving. In the 37th minute Billingham produced their most clear cut chance of the match when Hignett broke away and put Iley away down the right and as the forward bore down on the Shields goal, Andy Clark stayed on his feet and parried the shot away. Shields however came back again and forced a free kick in a promising position in the 39th minute. The kick was taken bt Rodenby but although on target, the keeper was able to get across and gather the ball safely. So the half time whistle blew with Shields well worth their two goal lead. :O)

Billingham made a couple of changes at the break and started the second half with Harbron and Yale replacing Barnes and Clough and within 40 seconds of the half they had reduced the arrears. Shields defenders really should have cleared the ball away in their right back position, but gave possession away cheaply and the cross came in from Iley, and helped on by Magowan and the ball eventually reached Hignett unmarked at the back post and his shot found the back of the net despite a despairing attempt to keep the ball out by a Shields defender. :O(

On the hour Shields had a great chance to stretch their lead again, and it would have possibly been a killer goal, as Willie Crew beat the offside trap and was away clear with only the keeper to beat. He placed his shot wide of Escritt, but also agonisingly wide of the left hand post. After this miss , Billingham started to press forward with more purpose and Iley went close with a glancing header that flew just wide of the left hand post. Despite this pressure from the home side. Shields were playing some very good stuff on the break and could have again snatched that third goal when Crew, Ellison and Wightman were denied by blocks by the home defenders and goalie.

In the 80th minute Synthonia eventually drew level when they were awarded a free kick just outside the box in a central position. It appeared to be a harsh decision by the referee asn two players went in for a 50/50 ball and O'Brien looked to have cleared fairly, but the referee thought otherwise. After the Shields wall was set up, up stepped Craig Hignett to curl a left footed shot high into the top left corner of the net. Three minutes later it looked as though Billingham had completed a full comeback and turnaround as Hignett floated a free lick out on the left into the net, but the linesman held the flag aloft. Was it offside? Was it a foul? No one knew for sure, but the scoreline remained level. :O)

In the remaining minutes both sides pushed for the winner and in stoppage time Willie Crew fired in a shot that Escritt in the home goal superby tipped over the bar. So it ended 2-2, and before the game we would have probably settled for that, but coming out we just couldn't help feeling we'd been short-changed by that free kick that pulled Billingham level. However this was a very good display by Shields and the travelling Mariners' supporters gave the lads a rousing reception as they came off the pitch. :O)

12th November 2008 Northern League Cup 2nd Round - West Allotment Celtic 1 South Shields 0

2008-11-22T21:51:00.001Z

West Allotment Celtic: 1) K.Dryden. 2) K.Hughes. 3) M.Walmsley. 4) A.Johnson. 5) L.Atkin. 6) S.Locker (c). 7) M.Minto. 8) L.York. 9) G.Taylor. 10) K.Douglas. 11) D.Patterson.

Subs. 12) T.Vickers. 14) B.Richardson. 15) P.Gibbs. 16) B.Dawson. 17) D.Colvin.

South Shields: 1) A.Clark. 2) J.Oates. 3) D.O'Brien. 4) M.Rodenby 5) K.Jarvis. 6) L.O'Donovan (c). 7) G.Reay. 8) C.Ellison. 9) W.Crew. 10) J.Wightman. 11) A.Davis.

Subs. 12) S.Parkin. 13) G.Irving. 14) T.Coe. 15) S.Fitzpatrick. 16) C.Hackworth.

Just 6 weeks earlier Shields paid a visit to West Allotment in a league match, and on that occasion fell victim to a late goal after playing pretty well throughout. This time it's a league cup match and Shields' last chance of going for silverware this season.

As in the first game, Shields started strongly and made all of the early running. As early as the 4th minute Willie Crew fired over the top following a good run down the left by Ash Davis, though on 7 minutes Duncan O'Brien needed to be alert to follow up Andy Clark's save with a last ditch tackle. In the 14th minute Shields came forward again with crew down the left getting a cross in for Jonny Wightman, whose shot was over the bar.

It had been an encouraging start from Shields with only the occasional threat coming from the home side. In the 18th minute the West Allotment keeper fumbled the ball which was cleared for a corner. This was taken by Craig Ellison but led to nothing. There was a scare for Shields in the 24th minute when O'Brien slipped and this allowed Taylor a chance of a shot but he fired over from 20 yards. A couple of minutes later Ellison received a yellow card for a tackle from behind.
York had a shot deflected for a corner for the home side in the 28th minute and from the flag kick on the left, Atkin had a free header but this flew narrowly wide of the post. Within seconds York tried his luck from 30 yards but his effort sailed over the bar. In the 37th minute Wightman made his way down the left side and got a cross in to Lee O'Donovan but the captain's shot was narrowly over the bar with the keeper well beaten. As half time approached James Oates gave away a free kick in a dangerous position out on the left. This was taken by Johnson and the ball reached Taylor in the box but he fired just wide of the post. Overall still a good first half from Shields. :o)

The second half opened up quietly with no real chances being created, though Shields had a free kick in the 54th minute after Ash Davis had been brought down. This was taken by Karl Jarvis but was cleared easily by the home defence. In the 58th minute the home side made a substitution with Vickers replacing Taylor. On 62 minutes Duncan O'Brien was brought down and a free kick was awarded. Before the kick was taken West Allotment made another change, bringing on Dawson in place of York. The free kick was eventually taken by Jarvis with a ball to O'Donovan but his high cross was gathered by Dryden in the West Allotment goal.

West Allotment then started to apply pressure on Shields and in the 65th minute Minto shot high over the bar from 20 yards, then within seconds O'Donovan gave a free kick away but this was well headed clear by Davis. The home side broke out of defence quickly in the 68th minute and a long crossfield ball to the left saw michael Rodenby totally outpaced in the chase for the ball. the cross was put over and found Patterson unmarked at the back post and he fired into the net to give West Allotment the lead, though it was barely merited. :o(

Shields immediately came back and on 72 minutes Ellison put in a cross from the right but Wightman's glanceing header was just wide of the far post. 5 minutes later Shields made a substitution, bringing on Tony Coe in place of Willie Crew. Seconds later the Mariners were back on the attack as Davis broke down the left and crossed over to Jarvis on the right and his ball inside was blasted over the top by O'Donovan. The home side then made another change when they took off Johnson and replaced him with Richardson in the 78th minute.

With 9 minutes remaining Lee O'Donovan was injured and following lengthy treatment, had to leave the field. His place was taken by Simon Fitzpatrick. Craig Ellison was fouled and the free kick was taken by Rodenby on the left but this was easily gathered by the keeper. In the 85th minute Locker collected himself a yellow card after firstly bringing down Wightman and then deciding to kick the ball away as the home side resorted to running the clock down.

As time slipped away it was Shields who were still doing all the pressing to try to get back on level terms and force extra time, but the home defence held firm. As the final whistle went it was disappointing that another game had gone where Shields certainly deserved something from it but came away empty handed. :o(

8th November 2008 Northern League Division 1 - West Auckland Town 1 South Shields 1

2008-11-22T21:47:00.002Z

West Auckland Town: 1) S.Hall. 2) N.Lowden. 3) K.Bromley. 4) M.Heckley (c). 5) B.Fairhurst. 6) I.Maddison. 7) J.Outhwaite. 8) D.Richmond. 9) S.Flockett. 10) J.French. 11) B.Stewart.

Subs. 12) S.Owen. 13) N.Pattinson. 14) J.Austick. 15) C.Musgrave. 16) A.Caisley.

South Shields: 1) A.Clark. 2) D.O'Brien. 3) G.Irving (c). 4) M.Rodenby. 5) J.Oates. 6) G.Reay. 7) T.Coe. 8) C.Ellison. 9) W.Crew. 10) J.Wightman. 11) A.Davis.

Subs. 12) S.Parkin. 13) L.O'Donovan. 14) S.Fitzpatrick. 15) R.Addison. 16) K.Jarvis.

After the defeat at home to Birtley in the Durham Challenge Cup during the week, it was back to Northern League duty today on a bright but cowld day. Shields included new signing Glenn Reay in the starting line-up.

Straight from the kick off Shields applied the pressure as they came forward at every opportunity. They came close in the 5th minute when Craig Ellison delivered a ball in from the right which was headed back across the goal by Ash Davis to Jonny Wightman at the far post. Wightman challenged the full back for the ball just 5 yards out but the linesman raised his flag for a foul by Wightman. The Shields supporters behind that goal voiced their disapproval at the very harsh decision.

Just a few seconds later the referee and linesman ignored Craig Ellison being clattered to the ground, a much worse incident but it went unpunished. In these early minutes Shields had continued to apply all of the pressure and on 12 minutes Duncan O'Brien sent an excellent ball upfield to Wightman on the left who then forced another corner. The corner was taken by Ellison and it needed a very good header from Fairhurst to clear the danger.

The pressure from Shields was relentless at this stage and again they came at West Auckland and in the 15th minute James Oates got the ball forward despite being fouled, and this was gathered by Wightman and he got to the byline on the left before passing inside to debutant Glenn Reay but the ball was cleared just before it reached the new lad. After more excellent play on 21 minutes this time by Ash Davis down the left who then got the ball up to Willie Crew but his cross was fractionally too high for the incoming Reay. Reay was certainly getting involved in most of the attacking play from Shields and he was in the thick of things again on 22 minutes after some good play from Wightman, again on the left before getting in a cross to Reay and his shot was well saved by Hall in the West Auckland goal before the defenders scrambled it away.

Shields continued to press forward but still the chances went begging. Couldn't help think that this could backfire on us if we didn't start converting the chances. After 33 minutes Shields again went close twice when firstly Glenn Reay had a cross deflected across the face of goal by a defender and just past the back post for a corner kick. This was taken by Craig Ellison and Willie Crew headed narrowly over the bar. 3 minutes later Reay broke down the right wing but his cross was a poor one and was easily gathered by the keeper.

On 37 minutes West Auckland were forced to make a change when skipper Heckley went off to be replaced by Owen, with the armband then going to Bromley. Throughout the whole of this first half nothing had been seen at all of the home side as an attacking force as they had been constantly on the back foot, but all of a sudden 5 minutes before the break they caused a scare in the Shields defence when Outhwaite got in a cross from the right and Clark seemed a little slow to get down to it and it needed a clearance for a corner to calm things. In the 44th minute West Auckland almost got through following a slip by Duncan O'Brien but the shot on goal was well wide of the target. On the stroke of half time Wightman tried a shot on goal from the left but this was taken comfortably by the keeper. So, half time arrived and the scores still nowts apiece.

Before the second half got under way West Auckland made another change, bringing on Pattinson in place of Lowden. Shields started the second half as they had the first with plenty of good approach play but time and time again it seemed they wanted to make just one more pass and the final ball was going astray. Craig Ellison got a cross in from the right hand side in the 58th minute and Jonny Wightman got to the near post but his glancing header was straight at the keeper from 10 yards. In the 65th minute it was the home side that came closest to opening the scoring when a one-two between Pattinson and Outhwaite left Pattinson clear in the box and from 15 yards his shot rattled the bar with Clark well beaten. Narrow escape that one.

As the second half had progressed the home side had been pushing forward more and more and applying pressure on the Shields defence and in the 69th minute it was West Auckland who broke the deadlock and yet again it was a poor goal to concede. The home side had forced a corner on the left and when this came across, Maddison was totally unmarked as he glanced a header past Clark. As with so many games this season, Shields had played a lot of good football only to find themselves trailing. Studs immediately made a change, bringing on Lee O'Donovan in place of Willie Crew. Within seconds Tony Coe broke though the home defence and in a 50/50 chase just reached the ball ahead of the keeper but his effort was just wide of the post.

Pattinson collected a yellow card in the 76th minute when he brought down Wightman as he broke through. The free kick was taken by Ellison from 25 yards out but the keeper collected easily. A minute later West Auckland almost increased their lead but Michael Rodenby was on hand to clear a goal bound shot off the line with Clark beaten. With 10 minutes remaining Richmond and Tony Coe were both handed yellow cards for an off the ball incident though Shields were awarded a free kick. As time was running out Shields piled on the pressure again to try and get the equaliser and with 8 minutes remaining following a scramble in the home penalty area, the ball broke to Lee O'Donovan who rifled the shot home from 10 yards.

Any hopes Shields had of going for a winner evaporated 2 minutes later when Tony Coe got a straight red card for a foul and the order of the day now was to hold onto what we had. The last few minutes saw no scares for Shields as they held on resolutely. As the final whistle sounded there was again the feeling that we had let points slip away when we deserved more. On we go though, hoping for better in the next game. :o}

5th November 2008 Newton Moor Durham Challenge Cup - South Shields 3 Birtley Town 4

2008-11-10T01:01:00.004Z

South Shields: 1) S.Parkin. 2) G.Irving (c). 3) D.O'Brien. 4) M.Rodenby. 5) J.Oates. 6) J.Wightman. 7) C.Ellison. 8) R.Addison. 9) W.Crew. 10) P.Taylor. 11) T.Coe.

Subs. 12) A.Clark. 13) S.Fitzpatrick. 14) C.Hackworth. 15) J.Perry.

Birtley Town: 1) T.Davison. 2) A.Soulsby. 3) B.Johnson. 4) A.Innes. 5) R.Houghton (c). 6) O.Peterson. 7) B.Smith. 8) C.Hepple. 9) J.Sherlock. 10) S.Burns. 11) K.Hughes.

Subs. 12) I.Davidson. 14) T.Thirkell. 15) L.Gilbespin. 16) M.Hay. 17) A.Mallinson.

Yet another filthy night weather-wise as the match kicked off with a heavy drizzle sweeping across the ground. Can't remember what it's like to see a match played on a dry Filtrona Park pitch. :O(

There were no chances early on as both teams came to terms with the conditions, though Shields did come close in the 8th minute when Craig Ellison tried his luck from the edge of the box which flew narrowly over the bar. In the 12th minute however it was Birtley who made the breakthrough when they were awarded a free kick on the left 25 yards out. This was taken by Burns and his effort sailed over the top of Parkin and into the top right corner of the net for a surprise lead.

Within 3 minutes Shields had pulled level when a free kick upfield reached Tony Coe on the right, and he cut inside of two Birtley defenders to fire a shot all along the ground and through a crowded penalty area, into the far corner of the net. Birtley came straight back at Shields and should have been back in front within a minute when Peterson had a free header right in front of goal 8 yard out but placed it straight at Simon Parkin. A further minute later Birtley did get their second goal, thanks largely to the Shields defence not clearing their lines when they had time to, and this resulted in the ball reaching that man Burns again and he had time to turn and fire the ball high into the top corner for a 2-1 lead.

Shields tried to mount some pressure and on 26 minutes from a corner on the left, the ball was headed down to Ellison on the edge of the box but his shot went tamely wide. It wasn't long afterwards that Shields got their second equaliser of the game. In the 29th minute Jonny Wightman cut in from the right and his shot on goal was parried away by Davison in the Birtley goal and as the ball ran free, Willie Crew was onto it in a flash to fire home from the narrowest of angles at the far post.

Having pulled level again Shields almost let Birtley get back in from on 31 minutes when, from a free kick out on the left, Hughes had the chance of a free header in front of goal but just failed to make contact. With 2 minutes to go to half time Shields came close to going ahead when some good play by Crew led to the ball being laid off to Wightman but his shot was narrowly over the bar. Right on the stroke of half time Birtley very nearly went back in front with a carbon copy of their first goal, with a free kick out on the left and again Burns taking the kick. This time with the ball clearing the defence it drifted just past the far post for what was a narrow escape. So 2-2 at the interval and all still to play for. :O)

The second half got under way with both sides giving it a real go in what was a really good game to watch, (especially for the neutral). Birtley came close in the 55th minute following a free kick but Burns shot wide. Shields came back 3 minutes later and Ellison fired a dipping shot from outside the Birtley box but his effort drifted narrowly past the angle of bar and post with the keeper well beaten. Shields again went close on 69 minutes when Tony Coe won the ball in the right corner and passed inside to Paul Taylor who then passed to Willie Crew but his shot flew across the face of the goal with no one there to apply the finishing touch. :O(

Birtley then made a change on 70 minutes when Thirkell came on for Sherlock and within a couple of minutes they had taken the lead for a third time, and again Shields contributed to the own downfall with more slack marking in defence as Hughes was allowed plenty of time down the left to get a cross in which passed three defenders to reach the unmarked Smith at the back post and he had the simple task of side footing home. In the 74th minute Shields equalised yet again in what was proving to be a reall end to end contest. Craig Ellison received the ball some 35 yards out in a central position and he let fly with a tremendous shot that dipped over the keeper and just under the bar. Canny strike that was. :O)

Shields came straight back in an effort to get in front for the first time and within a minute came close to getting that fourth goal when Wightman 10 yards out, turned sharply but his shot came back off the left post with the keeper beaten. The ball was only partially cleared and Wightman got a cross back in from the left and Willie Crew was unmarked right in front of goal but his header struck the underside of the bar and bounced down and out with the linesman ruling that the ball had not crossed the line.

With 8 minutes remaining and with Shields still pressing forward, Wightman latched onto a flicked head on from Crew and had a shot but it lacked power and was easily gathered by the keeper. Birtley made another change by bringing on Gilbespin in place of Peterson. In the 84th minute Crew and Wightman combined again with Wightman getting in ahead of a defender but was forced out wide and his powerful shot flew into the side netting. A minute later Shields were rocked back when Birtley took the lead for a fourth time, this time following a corner on the right, that was blocked at the near post but the ball was put back into the danger area by Hepple and there was Soulsby to head the ball in from less than a yard out. Shields made a change with a couple of minutes left when they brought on Simon Fitzpatrick for Rodenby but time ran out on Shields and another cup falls by the wayside. :O(

29th October 2008 Northern League Division 1 - Shildon 3 South Shields 2

2008-11-04T14:14:00.000Z

Shildon: 1) A.Spence. 2) J.Butler. 3) I.Watson. 4) W.Clarke. 5) J.Hutton. 6) D.Arkley. 7) S.Walklate. 8) D.Moore (c). 9) W.Byrne. 10) P.Watling. 11) L.Chapman.

Subs. 12) A.Richardson. 14) J.Keegan.

South Shields: 1) A.Clark. 2) C.Russell. 3) D.O'Brien. 4) J.Oates. 5) S.Fitzpatrick. 6) C.Hackworth. 7) T.Coe. 8) J.Wightman. 9) W.Crew. 10) P.Taylor. 11) R.Addison.

Subs. 12) S.Parkin. 13) L.O'Neil. 14) D.Graham. 15) D.Casson. 16) J.Perry.

Well getting to Shildon was like a mystery tour as it seemed the route I took didn't sign-post Shildon at all and the first I knew I'd arrived was when I turned right into a main street and there was this arch saying "Shildon", gawd bless the inventor of sat-naffs. :O)

The match got under way on a freezing cold night where the more layers you wore the better. The early stages of the game was fairly even as both sides tested each other out. There was not much pattern at this stage but Shields did manage a couple of good passages of play, firstly on 6 minutes Chapman fouled Paul Taylor and from the free kick Willie Crew forced a throw in level with the edge of the Shildon penalty area. From the throw in James Oates was able to get a shot on target but lack power and Spence gathered the ball without difficulty. Within a minute came really close to taking the lead when taylor broke down the right and crossed in and the keeper fumbled the ball and it ran behind him and narrowly past the back post.

Totally out of the blue Shildon took the lead in the 13th minute when Duncan O'Brien failed to clear and with Andy Clark unable to get down quick enough Chapman was onto it in a flash to roll the ball into the net from 10 yards. This fired up Shildon and they applied pressure on the Shields defence. Chapman in particular was causing all kinds of problems with his pace and direct running and Clark had to pull off a superb save in the 18th minute to keep the defecit at one goal. In the 20th minute however Shields equalised through Jonny Wightman when he gained possession 30 yards out, took three paces forward and unleashed a powerful shot high into the top left hand corner of the Shildon goal with the keeper well beaten. :O)

Suddenly the game went through a stage of end to end attacking by both teams when firstly Wightman broke down the left in the 25th minute and got a cross in but this floated narrowly over the bar, and within a minute it was Butler out on the left hand touchline who fired a cross in and for a moment it looked that Clark had been caught out by the flight of the ball, but he managed to get back and tip over at the expense of a corner.

On the half hour Moore shrugged off the challenge of Tony Coe and laid the ball off to Chapman who shot from 20 yards but Clark pulled off the save. On 33 minutes following a throw in on the right in their own half Shields made good progress when Crew back-headed the throw on to Taylor and Willie continued his run and Taylor's flick on was into the path of Crew leaving him in a 50/50 race with the keeper, only just won by the keeper. Couple of minutes later it was Shildon coming back through Moore, whose free kick was curled past the left hand angle of the goal. Paul Taylor then got away down the left but put his cross over the bar. In the 37th minute O'Brien collected a yellow card while conceding a free kick 30 yards out from goal. Moore took the kick quickly hoping to catch the Shields defence out as they organised the wall.
Fortunately Clark was alert to this and as the ball curled round the wall heading for the right hand side of the net, Clark got across and hoofed it clear.

5 minutes before the break Addison tried his luck but his shot was easily taken by Spence in the Shildon goal. In the 42nd minute Shildon had the ball in the Shields net after Moore had fed Byrne who then tapped in from a couple of yards out but their celebrations were cut short as the linesman's flag was held aloft. A minute later Wightman set Willie Crew clear on goal but the flag went up for offside but the general feeling of Shields supporters at that end was that there was no way Willie was offside. A disappointing decision that one. So the halft time break arrived with honours even.

The second half was under way and Shields scored a very well worked goal in the 47th minute as Paul Taylor got away clear down the left side and beat the full back to reach the bye-line before pulling the ball back into the path of Willie Crew who fired home from 10 yards. Well worked and well taken. :O) After this shock to their system, Shildon set about putting Shields under pressure as they tried to pull level and for the next few minutes the Shields defence were keeping their shape. However, in the 62nd minute Shildon got their equaliser, albeit with good fortune. Watson the full back was out on the left touchline and sent in a cross come shot that sailed beyond Clark and into the top right corner of the Shields net. There weren't many in the ground who thought he meant that to happen. :O(

Shildon continued to press forward now and in the 70th minute Clark needed to pull off another fine save, and yet again a further minute later, Shields then made a change by taking off Simon Fitzpatrick and bringing on Darren Casson, but Shildon were still coming forward at every opportunity. However in the 77th minute Willie Crew was put clean through by a Paul Taylor flick on, but the flag went up for offside for what was a very debateable decision. This was followed by another flag up a couple of minutes later when Taylor got through. By now there was a feeling that if the Shildon centre half put his hand up, the flag would automatically go up too.

Disaster struck Shields with 7 minutes remaining when Byrne was allowed to make a run across the edge of the box before playing a through ball to Chapman, clear and looking suspiciously offside, and he planted the ball into the net from 8 yards. Shildon then made a substitution, bringing on Richardson for Byrne as they then looked to run down the clock. Shields tried to get back level in the remaining minutes but there was to be no joy. Frustrating to see Shields again lose a game after they had been in a position to win but here's hoping they can start holding on to some of these positions in the coming games.

One last thing about sat-naffs. Mine wouldn't switch on for the return journey, so there was I in the middle of nowhere with no sign posts of any use. Just then the team bus came past, 'excellent' I thought, I'll just follow them. Followed them a few hundred yards before they then had to do a u-turn. After me own u-turn I was after them again. :O) Then came to a junction where they turned left then right further up the road. Me though, got held up at the junction and by the time I got going they were well away. Ended up going through Newton Aycliffe before eventually arriving home. Pulled up outside me front door and tried once more to switch the sat-naff on, and yup, it came on. Sat-naff inventors??? Damn you!!! :O)

25th October 2008 Northern League Division 1 - Consett 4 South Shields 1

2008-10-31T03:25:00.003Z

Consett: 1) J.Platten. 2) M.Coulthard. 3) D.Scorer. 4) J.Dickman (c). 5) C.Piecha. 6) D.Pounder. 7) C.Scott. 8) A.Cuthbertson. 9) A.Emson. 10) S.Johnson. 11) G.Ormston.

Subs. 12) K.Baston. 14) P.Curry. 15) M.Moffat. 16) C.Robson. 17) P.Gilmore.

South Shields: 1) A.Clark. 2) J.Oates. 3) M.Rodenby. 4) D.O'Brien. 5) S.Fitzpatrick. 6) L.O'Donovan (c). 7) M.Brocklehurst. 8) C.Ellison. 9) W.Crew. 10) J.Wightman. 11) K.Jarvis.

Subs. 12) S.Parkin. 13) P.Taylor. 14) C.Hackworth. 15) R.Addison. 16) L.O'Neil.

Made a change having a dry day for a game but even before this game had kicked off it was evident that the gale force wind was going to have a major influence on proceedings.

As the game got under way it was Shields who were to be facing the strong winds in the first half. Consett were the first to threaten when in the 4th minute three of their players found themselves totally clear of the Shields defence and looking suspiciously offisde but the linesman kept the flag down. Scott took the ball forward but shot tamely at Clark who was able to gather without difficulty. The linesman's lugs were burning already. :O)

Craig Ellison then broke down the right in the 11th minute and got a cross in and just as Lee O'Donovan looked to have a clear chance at the near post the Consett defence got across and blocked the shot. Couple of minutes later and it was again Shields coming forward through Karl Jarvis and his pass to Jonny Wightman created another chance down the left but the shot was blocked and cleared for a corner. The corner was taken by Ellison and the ball came to O'Donovan who then laid the ball back to Simon Fitzpatrick but his shot was charged down and cleared.

In these early stages the wind was causing havoc with so many passes by both sides going astray, mainly over the touchline on the far side. Craig Ellison then took a free kick on 17 minutes that was cleared as far as Jarvis but his shot curled wide of the left hand post from 25 yards out. In the 20th minute Consett carried a threat to the Shields goal when firstly Pounder tried his luck from 20 yards which was easily taken By Clark, then almost immediately the home side were back again, this time Coulthard crossed in from the right and Ormston glanced a header wide of the far post. On 31 minutes neat play by Ellison and Wightman created a chance for Jarvis but again his shot curled wide from about 30 yards out.

Both sides were trying to play good football despite the gale swirling around the place and Consett again came close to opening the scoring in the 34th minute when Emson headed narrowly over from 12 yards out from Dickman's free kick. Then it was Shields turn to come back and this time Wightman broke away on a chase for a 50-50 ball which the keeper Platten only just won. 4 minutes before the interval, Consett came the closest yet to scoring when Duncan O'Brien was caught in possession and Emson was through down the left and with Scott in acres of space on the right, it looked inevitable that they'd score but Jarvis came in with a superb tackle to prevent the shot on goal. In the 44th minute Clark pulled off a fine save when Johnson broke clear after some neat play for a one on one.

So at half time the game remained scoreless and Shields would have been looking forward to the second half so as to have the wind with them. Throughout the first half Andy Clark's clearances didn't reach the half way line as time and time again the ball held up and mor often than not started to come back. There was a feeling though that this game would eventually be decided on errors in the horrendous conditions.

Consett made a change before the second half got under way, with Emson making way for the intrduction of Robson. Within two minutes of the start Consett broke the deadlock following the Shields defence's failure to fully clear and Johnson tried a lob which drifted in at the far post. Clark grabbed the ball as it held up in the wind but the linesman signalled that it had crossed the line. Bit of a soft goal to concede. :O(

It was clear in these early stages that Consett had stepped up a gear and they broke through as Ormstom got away down the left but O'Brien was on hand to get the ball away. On 51 minutes Simon Fitzpatrick was replaced by Richard Addison but he'd barely had a touch before Consett doubled their lead. This time Pounder put the ball over the top and Ormston was clean away on the left as the Shields defenders tried to play the offside. He then advanced on the Shields goal before placing the ball past Clark and just inside the far post from 20 yards. In the 56th minute Shields tried to get back into the game when Marc Brocklehurst got down the right and played a pass inside to Lee O'Donovan but his shot was high and wide from 18 yards out.

Things went from bad to worse for Shields when Consett scored their third goal in the 57th minute when O'Brien was caught in possession 20 yards out by Robson, who lobbed the ball over Clark. So three goals in the first 12 minutes of the second half and Shields had been blown away. (Pun intended. :O}). Consett came back at Shields again in the 63rd minute and it needed a good headed clearance by O'Donovan to halt them. Shields went straight up the other end and really should have reduced the deficit when Willie Crew got clean through with only the keeper to beat but shot straight at Platten and the chance was gone. Had he put that away it might have raised a glimmer of hope, but alas not.

Shields then made another substitution when Brocklehurst was replaced by Paul Taylor in the 65th minute. In the 71st minute Shields had another chance to pull a goal back when a Craig Ellison corner was punched by the home keeper, but against the back of Wightman. It was Wightman who reacted first to the bounce and he hooked a right footed shot from a narrow angle that hit the right hand post and bounced back into play then cleared. On 77 minutes Ellison then got a good cross in from the right that looked that it would reach Willie Crew at the far post but Piecha was a full stretch to just get his head to the ball and glance it over Crew's head and away for a throw. So despite the 0-3 scoreline Shields had still created chances to have got back into this, but 0-3 it stayed. Consett responded by making a change in defence, replacing Coulthard with Baston.

Time was now running out for Shields and they had another scare in the 79th minute when Johnson got free down the left and fired in a shot that fizzed across the face of the Shields goal and out past the far post. This prompted a further change from Shields with O'Brien being replaced by Craig Hackworth with 10 minutes remaining. Within seconds Shields at last pulled a goal back after Michael Rodenby had set Paul Taylor away clear down the left and as he got into the box he was brough down by Piecha and it was a straight forward decision to award the penalty. Piecha let his gob go on too long and collected himself a yellow card for dissent. Craig Ellison stepped up to take the spot kick, and placed the ball just inside the left hand post with what was a carbon copy of his penalty against Whickham in his previous game.

With 6 minutes remaining Shields conceded another soft goal when this time James Oates was caught in possession 35 yards out after waiting for the ball to bounce, which was suicidal in these conditions, and allowed Scott to fire high into the net giving Clark no chance. Consett almost grabbed a fifth when Ormston got away again down the left but fired across the Shields goal. As the final whistle went it was evident that Ellison had collected a knock and looked in some discomfort as he reached the tunnel. So after an encouraging first half Shields were blown away (yeah, I know, couldn't resist the pun again). The goals conceded all involved defensive errors, which Shields are going to have to work hard on.

Next stop is Shildon. Never been there before so another part of the world to explore. :O)

14th October 2008 Newton Moor Durham Challenge Cup - South Shields 4 Whickham 1

2008-10-19T02:26:00.003+01:00

South Shields: 1) S.Parkin. 2) G.Irving (c). 3) J.Oates. 4) M.Rodenby. 5) C.Ellison. 6) K.Jarvis. 7)
S.Fitzpatrick. 8) M.Brocklehurst. 9) W.Crew. 10) J.Wightman. 11) A.Davis.

Subs. 12) A.Clark. 13) D.O'Brien. 14) D.Graham. 15) T.Coe. 16) R.Addison.

Whickham: 1) P.Adnitt. 2) J.Watson. 3) G.Jackson. 4) C.Andison. 5) C.Douglas. 6) P.Cavenagh (c). 7) G.King 8) A.Dowson. 9) K.Main. 10) D.Fairless. 11) D.Wilson.

Subs. 12) M.Fitzpatrick. 13) S.Cresswell. 14) C.Walpole. 15) P.Andison.

Well whaddya know, been a canny day up until about three in the afternoon then the inevitable rain arrives, and it gradually got heavier as the evening went on. By kick off time it was coming down steadily and the pitch was already looking very very soggy.

As the game got underway, there were a couple of early chances for Shields when firstly Jonny Wightman glanced a header wide from a first minute corner, then in the 4th minute Willie Crew made a sharp turn on the edge of the box but dragged his shot wide of goal. The first quarter of an hour both sides found the conditions were making passing difficult and lots of stray passes and no clear chances created by either side.

On 19 minutes though Shields took the lead with a well taken goal by Craig Ellison when a cross was only half cleared by the Whickham defence. The ball came out to Ellison 20 yards out and he wasted no time firing in a left foot shot high into the net. A good accurate strike it was too. :O)

Within a minute Whickham had a good chance to equalise when Watson played in a dangerous ball in from the right and Fairless just failed to connect and Simon Parkin gathered the ball safely. Shields then came back at the other end and some good work by Wightman on the left resulted in a Willie Crew only just failing to connect in front of goal. Ellison then tried his luck again from 30 yards out but his shot flew wide of the left post.

After 28 minutes Wilson broke down the right and from near the corner flag managed to get his cross in. Alas for Shields the defence were all at sea, (Yep, it was raining that heavy!), and Fairless was left unmarked right in front of goal and he happily accepted the chance to make it 1-1. On 31 minutes there was a good solo run by Marc Brocklehurst where he beat 3 defenders but his shot was wide of the mark. The game was finely balanced and both teams were producing a very good match in what were very testing conditions.

6 minutes before the break Shields went back in front, and if Ellison's goal was good then this was better. A long high ball out of the Shields defence was chested down by Wightman into the path of Willie Crew and from 35 yards out he lifted a stunning shot over the keeper and into the top right hand corner. Adnitt in the Whickham goal hadn't stood a chance of getting near it. In the 41st minute Ellison was brought down by Jackson 25 yards out to the right of goal. Jackson collected a yellow card and th free kick was taken by Michael Rodenby but his effort travelled a couple of yards over the bar.

Half time arrived and the rain was still pouring down and no sign of a let up. Shields however would have the advantage in the second half of playing with the tide. :O)

It took both sides a few minutes to get back into their stride in the second half and it was Shields to threaten first. On 52 minutes Crew chested the ball down for Wightman but his shot was into the side netting. A couple of minutes later Shields had a corner on the right taken by Ellison but Wightman's header was wide of the near post. In the 56th minute Whickham came mighty close to an equaliser when Main fired a curling shot from 25 yards that struck the bar and post before hitting the back of 'Cat' and going out for a corner. The goalie will no doubt tell you he'd had it all under control and that his clearance was well calculated. Didn't look like that though. :O)

As the second half progressed the rain was torrential and there was surface water now covering large areas of the pitch, with the ball stopping dead on several occasions. On 63 minutes Karl Jarvis tried a shot from the edge of the Whickham box but his effort flew over the bar. Mid way through, Shields made a substitution bringing on Davy Graham in place of Wightman. Both sides were still providing a good match in the worsening conditions, though there were no clearcut chances as most shots were coming from outside the boxes.

Shields extended their lead in the 71st minute when Brocklehurst turned sharply in the Whickham box only to be brought down by C.Andison and the referee pointed to the spot. Andison collected a yellow card before the kick could be taken. Craig Ellison stepped up to fire the penalty home just inside the left post. Adnitt had dived the right way but even at full stretch he was unable to stop Ellison's shot.
Whickham then made their first change of the match when they took off Wilson and replaced him with Walpole. After a further 2 minutes further changes were made with Tony Coe coming on for Ash Davis and Whickham's Main was replaced by M.Fitzpatrick. In the 78th minute Ridhard Addison came on in place of Ellison, who had had an excellent game.

We had already been treat to two great goals in the first half but 11 minutes from the end came the best of the lot when Brocklehurst got down the right side before passing inside to Tony Coe just outside the box. With his back to goal, Coe juggled the ball up and prodused a stunning overhead kick that flew high into the top left hand corner with the keeper well beaten. Seemed like we were having a goal of the season competition all of our own on the one night. :O)

Shields came close to scoring again in the 83rd minute when Brocklehurst's cross was almost put into his own net by C.Andison and Addison following up forced a corner. Then a minute later a cross by Jarvis was stabbed wide at the near post by Addison. With 5 minutes remaining there was a scare in the Shields defence when Parkin fumbled a corner in the wet conditions that created a scramble before eventually being cleared. For the remaining minutes Whickham pushed forward trying to gain some consolation and came close on a couple of occasions but Shields held out.

So, a win for the Mariners but lots of praise is deserved for both sides, who battled the weather and the pitch throughout and made this a very good match to watch. Well done to one and all. Have to fear for the state of the pitch after this match as it's really taken a hammering in the early stages of this season. With the rain intervening again the Saturday match against Penrith has been called off so up and onwards now to Consett next weekend. See yers there. :O)

11th October 2008 Northern League Division 1 - Dunston Federation 2 South Shields 2

2008-10-14T03:30:00.004+01:00

Dunston Federation: 1) B.Poskett. 2) B.Cattanach. 3) J.Rattle. 4) M.Robson (c). 5) M.Hedley. 6) J.Burns. 7) F.Harkin. 8) M.Dixon. 9) S.Preen. 10) A.Bulford. 11) S.Pickering.

Subs. 12) M.Sheeran. 13) R.Logan. 14) D.Moat. 15) P.Castledene. 16) D.Wells.

South Shields: 1) A.Clark. 2) G.Irving. 3) J.Oates. 4) M.Rodenby 5) C.Ellison. 6) L.O'Donovan (c). 7) M.Brocklehurst. 8) K.Jarvis. 9) W.Crew. 10) J.Wightman. 11) A.Davis.

Subs. 12) D.Graham. 14) S.Fitzpatrick. 15) R.Addison. 16) T.Coe. 17) S.Parkin.

Another day and another challenge for Shields as they visit highly placed Dunston Federation who had won 5-0 at West Allotment in their previous game. Conditions were canny and yet another excellent turn out of Mariners supporters.

As the game got under way it was Shields who were first to show a threat when in the 3rd minute, Craig Ellison got shot on goal and was denied by Hedley heading clear off the goal line. This would have been a flying start for the Mariners, and it really got the Shields supporters behind the goal into good spirits. On 7 minutes it was again Shields coming forward and Marc Brocklehurst on the right set up Lee O'Donovan for a shot from 25 yards out but his effort curled wide of the upright. A couple of minutes further and more good play by Brocklehurst down the right side, firstly with a ball to O'Donovan and then running on to receive the ball back via Ellison. His shot however flew wide of the near post.

This was certainly a bright start from Shields and they had maintained the pressure on Dunston right from the start. Another opportunity came along in the 13th minute as Jonny Wightman beat Robson down the left side and his cross was cut out at the near post for a corner. The corner was taken by Ellison and the ball arrived at Brocklehurst and he hit the ball first time from 15 yards and fired narrowly over. On 17 minutes Dunston provided their first real threat on the Shields goal when Preen broke away from the defender are rifled a shot just past the left hand post. Then it was Shields straight back on the attack as Ash Davis surged down the left side and did well to get a cross on from the bye line, the keeper however cut out the danger.

At the mid point of the first half Ellison put a good through ball for Willie Crew to chase but Willie's first touch let him down and the chance was gone. Burns then broke through for the home team but put his shot high and wide. For long periods of this first half Shields have played some excellent stuff and overall had made Dunston look to be a very ordinary side. There was no let either as Shields came forward again on 28 minutes and Davis had a shot though it was comfortably saved by Poskett. Dunston came back up and almost scored when Cattanach put in a high cross that appeared to catch Clark off his line, but he managed to tip the ball over at full stretch for a corner. The corner came to nothing though as Shields cleared upfield.

In the first half hour Marc Brocklehurst in particular was causing the Dunston defenders all kinds of problems down the right wing as Shields were still having the better of the game in what was their best performance for some time, even the season. In the 32nd minute the first booking of the match went to Hedley for a deliberate handball to halt another forward break by Shields. The free kick was taken by Ellison from 25 yards out and as the ball curled round the wall Poskett had to parry it away out of harms way. There was another scare for Shields as Dunston broke away in the 36th minute as Preen cut across the edge of the Shields box and unleashed a left foot shot that fizzed across the goal and just wide of the right hand post.

This brought a short spell of pressure from the home side but Shields were coping well with anything Dunston had to offer. As half time approached though it was Shields on the attack again as Wightman got down the left again and got a cross in but this was agonisingly just over the heads of both Wille Crew and Marc Brocklehurst. The half time break came with still no score but no doubt about who had been the better team. Has to be said as well, the pies were canny. :O)

The second half got under way and Shields went straight on the attack again and within seconds Wightman had forced a corner on the right. This was taken by Craig Ellison and as it came across James Oates launched himself high and thundered a header against the underside of the crossbar. As the ball came down off the bar Willie Crew was on hand to plant the ball into the net to give Shields a well deserved lead.

Shields poured forward again and within two minutes had doubled their lead as Lee O'Donovan broke down the left and as he cut into the box fired in a low cross that was deflected into the net at the near post by a Dunston defender. At last it seemed that the breaks were going Shields' way. For the next quarter of an hour Shields continued to run the show, looking very comfortable. On the hour Dunston were at last mounting some pressure on Shields but the defence was standing firm and clearing their lines without incident. Dunston had made a substitution on 55 minutes when Pickering was replaced by Wells. During this period Clark did have to make one good save though as Preen got through the defence and fired a shot but this was put away for a corner.

Shields were now playing noticeably deeper and this was inviting Dunston to come forward but Wightman did however create himself a chance on 61 minutes that was headed off the line by Hedley for the home side. Within a couple of minutes Dunston got right back into the game when Shields gave away a penalty. There seemed no danger as a Dunston forward was backing into the defender, indeed if the defender had gone down he would probably have got the free kick. But you can't give the referee a perfect side on view of a blatant push in the back, so a penalty it was. Harkin stepped up to take the spot kick and sent Clark the wrong way. :O(

3 minutes later Dunston, with renewed hope broke through the Shields defence and Dixon was away and only a good save by Clark prevented the equaliser. Robson was then booked for the home side as he dragged Wightman down. The free kick posed no threat though as Poskett gathered easily. On 70 minutes as Dunston piled on more pressure Bulford went close with a drive from 25 yards and a minute later Preen fired wide under pressure from Irving. With 14 minutes remaining Willie Crew forced a corner for Shields much to the annoyance of Dixon, who collected a yellow card for dissent for his troubles.

With 10 minutes remaining Ellison also collected a yellow card for a late tackle. With 8 minutes left Davy Graham came on as a substitute for Jonny Wightman as Shields tried to change the pattern, but with 5 minutes remaining Dunston snatched a second goal to pull level. A free kick was given out on the left hand touchline on the half way line. This was taken by Harkin and was tipped over for a corner by Clark. From the resulant corner Dixon headed home and the goal was given despite claims that Clark had been impeded.

A minute later Shields came back at Dunston and came very close to getting a winner. From a long throw in by Davis on the left, Graham got a back header on and Crew at the near post flicked the ball goalwards only for Poskett to pull off a superb save to get the ball over the bar. Graham collected a yellow card a couple of minutes from the end for a foul, and Dunstom then applied pressure right at the end but Shields held firm.

If asked before this game if we'd be happy with a point, I'm sure all would have agreed, but the way this game turned, it felt like a defeat in a way. Shields had played so well for the first hour and were well worth their two goal lead. Plenty of positives to take from this game though, and now looking forward to the Durham Cup game against Whickham at Filtrona on Tuesday. Oh,and did I mention? The pies were canny. ;O)

8th October 2008 Northern League Division 1 - South Shields 0 Billingham Synthonia 1

2008-10-13T01:23:00.004+01:00

South Shields: 1) A.Clark. 2) M.Rodenby. 3) D.O'Brien. 4) J.Oates. 5) A.Davis. 6) C.Hackworth. 7) M.Brocklehurst. 8) L.O'Donovan (c). 9) P.Taylor. 10) J.Wightman. 11) C.Ellison.

Subs. 12) S.Parkin. 13) W.Crew. 14) D.Graham. 15) T.Coe. 16) R.Addison.

Billingham Synthonia: 1) B.Escritt. 2) B.Close. 3) D.Barnes. 4) M.Cater. 5) D.Abel (c). 6) T.Marron. 7) A.Clough. 8) A.Harbron. 9) J.Magowan. 10) C.Iley. 11) M.Jameson.

Subs. 12) N.Jameson. 13) T.Masters. 14) M.Casey. 15) C.Perry. 16) S.Baynes.

A Wednesday home match for a change brought Billingham Synthonia to Filtrona just a few days after their local rivals Town. Much of the pre-match talk though among supporters was the sale of Mark Johnson to Crook Town. The pitch looked good but it was evident that it would cut up again in a very short time as soon as play got underway.

Right from the first whistle Synthonia pushed Shields back and applied a lot of early pressure on the home team. As early as the 2nd minute they made a break down the left through M.Jameson who then passed across to Clough who tried a lofted shot but this was easily taken by Clark in the Shields goal. Billingham came back again and within a couple of minutes had a free kick awarded 30 yards out but Cloughs attempt brought a good catch from Clark. On 6 minutes the visitors took the lead when a free kick in the centre circle was passed out to Barnes on the left and his ball over the top should really have been dealt with but Craig Hackworth was caught off balance and the ball slid under his attempted clearance and into the path of Iley, who clipped the ball past Clark from close range.

Still there was no respite for Shields in this early Billingham barrage as first Magowan had a shot comfortably taken by Clark then Iley shot narrowly wide in quick succession. In the first quarter of an hour Shields had been largely pinned back and had rarely managed to get an attack going. In their first real move forward on 16 minutes when Marc Brocklehurst found Craig Ellison out wide on the right and his cross was glanced wide of the far post by the head of Jonny Wightman. In the 21st minute Shields were awarded a free kick when Wightman was pushed in the back just outside the box. Michael Rodenby took the kick and saw his left footed delivery curl narrowly over the bar.

Within a couple of minutes Shields, who were now coming back well into the game, had another attempt on goal when Ellison fired a shot from over 30 yards out which Escritt in the Billingham goal took at the second attempt. Although Shields were improving as the match went on they were stiil doing as they had the previous Saturday against Billingham Town, where they were trying to play their way out of defence when the conditions were far from ideal, and this brought pressure back on themselves as M.Jameson was presented with a shooting opportunity but this was eventually blocked by the defence. In the 33rd minute Shields came back at Billingham when Lee O'Donovan took a free kick that found it's way to Brocklehurst in the box to the right of goal but he snatched at what was a good chance and sliced the ball wide of the target.

Wightman headed over the bar from Ellison in the 37 minute and then a couple of minutes later Wightman broke through strongly but was forced to shoot early from the edge of the box under pressure from Abel and his effort was easily collected by Escritt. The half time whistle went with Shields still trailing from that early goal but showing signs of a recovery.

The Mariners came straight back at Synthonia straight from the restart as they went about getting back on level terms. Within 2 minutes Jonny Wightman crossed from the right onto the head of Ash Davis 10 yards out but Davis directed his header downwards into the ground and the ball bounced up and narrowly over the bar. A very good chance that really should have been converted. Shields were back again in the 50th minute when they were awarded a free kick 25 yards out slightly to the left. Wightman took the kick and curled his shot over the wall and clipped the left hand post before going out for a goal kick. On 50 minutes there was some good play by O'Donovan gave him the chance of a shot on goal from 20 yards but the keeper
was on hand to collect comfortably.

Shields were definitely gaining the upper hand in the second half as they kept Billingham pinned back in their own half for long periods. On the hour Billingham made a change, bringing on Masters in place of Magowan. Although Shields were doing most of the pressing this second half, they had a narrow escape on 67 minutes when Iley broke down the right and sent in a low cross which looked like it may sneak in at the far post but James Oates was on gand to clear off the line but the ball ran through to Clough but he fired wide from a good position close in.

On 79 minutes Shields made a double substitution with Davy Graham replacing Paul Taylor and Tony Coe on for Ash Davis. 5 minutes from the end though Billingham had another chance to seal the three points when Iley got possession from a throw in on the right and fed the ball through to Cater and Clark had to save smartly. As the time slipped away Shields pushed forward again and with 3 minutes left Tony Coe produced a thunderous shot from the edge of the box that bounced away off the keepers chest as he flapped at it.

With the game going into added time all of Shields pressure looked like it would gain some reward when Coe again hit a powerful shot that struck Marron from short range and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Possibly a harsh decision for the defender but Shields concentrated on their good fortune. Davey Graham stepped up to take the spot kick but placed the shot too close to Escritt in goal and he was able to block the shot and the defenders raced in to complete the clearance.

Another game against one of the leading sides in the division and another single goal defeat. The effort and endeavour of the Shields players can't be faulted but there was again a lack of a real cutting edge up front. That, and the teams regular conceding of soft goals is proving to be costly. Dunston Federation away next, and another match where, if the opposition win they can go top of the table. Seems to be a regularly thing these days. :O}

4th October 2008 Northern League Division 1 - South Shields 1 Billingham Town 1

2008-10-10T02:26:00.003+01:00

South Shields: 1) A.Clark. 2) G.Irving (c). 3) M.Rodenby. 4) D.O'Brien. 5) J.Oates. 6) K.Jarvis. 7) M.Brocklehurst. 8) S.Fitzpatrick. 9) P.Taylor. 10) J.Wightman. 11) A.Davis.

Subs. 12) S.Parkin. 13) T.Coe. 14) R.Addison. 15) D.Graham. 16) W.Crew.

Billingham Town: 1) D.Collier. 2) S.Boyton (c). 3) G.Sincox. 4) L.Carling. 5) M.Thompson. 6) D.Wray. 7) M.Osmond. 8) M.Joseph. 9) J.Alexander. 10) D.Turner. 11) D.Earl.

Subs. 12) R.Stewart. 13) J.Stewart. 14) M.Hammerton. 15) M.Harewood. 16) J.Wiggan.

As the game got under way there was a strong wind and the rain was coming down steadily and the pitch looked heavy and likely to cut up as the game progressed. Shields pressed immediately and had forced the first corner within 20 seconds of the start. This was cleared with ease though. It was quickly evident that the conditions were going to play a major part in this match with the surface proving difficult to master and lots of passes going astray. Simon Fitzpatrick went down with an injury in the opening minutes and despite intensive treatment he was unable to continue and was replaced by Richard Addison.

As early as the 4th minute Clark in the Shields goal needed to be alert as an attempted lob looked to be going over him and into the net but at full stretch he just managed to claw the ball away. In the 10th minute Karl Jarvis tried a through ball but was too strong and the keeper gathered despite the challenge from Ash Davis. A couple of minutes later the Billingham keeper Darren Collier was substituted by James Wiggan after Collier had picked up an early injury. In these early stages Shields had been applying pressure and on 20 minutes almost took the lead. Davis made a good run down the left wing and fended off two defenders near the corner flag to get a good cross over to Jarvis on the far side. Jarvis then sent in a cross that reached Jonny Wightman and his glancing header forced Wiggan in the Billingham goal to make a tremendous save at the cost of a corner.

Mid way through the half Graham Irving needed to make an important saving tackle on Alexander as he raced through on goal, then within a minute Alexander was again threatening the Shields goal and forced Clark into another good save. On the half hour Carling collected a yellow card for a deliberate handball as he cut out a through ball to Davis. Wightman took the free kick 30 yards out but hit the wall and the chance was gone. At this stage Billingham had looked keen to get forward and make a game of it and were causing a few problems to the Shields defence. Billingham should have gone ahead in the 34th minute when Shields defenders were struggling to get the ball clear and Carling found himself in a good position but blazed his shot over.

There was a good run down the right by Paul Taylor in the 37th minute and he fought his way past defenders to get to the byline and managed to keep the ball in and get it across the face of goal but none of his team mates had got themselves into a position to convert the chance. Taylors momentum however carried him on through and into the pitch side boards and he required treatment before he could continue. Billingham came forward again when Joseph put a ball through to Earl but his was a tame shot that Clark gathered easily. Half time arrived and the general feeling was that this was pretty dire stuff and would surely improve in the second half. Wouldn't it?????

The second half got under way with no further changes to either side, and no further change to the pattern of play. On 55 minutes though the ball was in the net as Wightman played a dummy and let the ball run through to Paul Taylor who tucked the ball home, only to find the linesman with his flag held aloft for an offside decision. 3 minutes later and Shields really should have been in front after some good play by Taylor saw him break down the left and when he crossed into the centre there was Wightman with a header but straight at the keeper from 6 yards out. Either side of the keeper and the pace of the header would have made it 1-0. At 62 minutes Shields, who by this stage had improved on their first half display, came forward again and when Davis controlled a pass on his chest and turned and fired a shot in, it was deflected for a corner. From the corner the ball bounced around the Billingham goal area before breaking to Taylor, but his shot was blocked and out for what the supporters thought was a corner kick. The referee though thought otherwise and awarded a goal kick. :O(

On 66 minutes the Billingham goal led a charmed life as three shots in as many seconds were all blocked by a mixture of blocks and desperate defending. Still no goals to show for it though. A minute later it was Shields turn to have an escape as Earl had the beating of Duncan O'Brien down the right and crossed the ball over to the far side where Joseph had a totally free header from 10 yards out, and put it over the top. With quarter of an hour remaining Shields finally managed to break the deadlock when a Billingham defender attempted to cut out a through ball but missed it, leaving Marc Brocklehurst to run through and round the keeper before firing into the net for his second goal of the week.

In the 77th minute Davis broke through to shoot but this was well saved by Wiggin in the Billingham goal. At this stage Paul Taylor was relaced by Willie Crew.

This chance would have given Shields the two goal cushion.At this stage but it was to prove to be crucial as Billingham came back at Shields and in the 80th minute scored the equaliser. A long ball forward found Duncan O'Brien and Michael Rodenby in the box with Earl closing them down. The two Shields defenders tried to play their way out of the situation, which in these conditions proved to be unwise as Earl dispossessed O'Brien and advanced on goal before firing a right foot shot just inside Clark's near post. Shields have yet to register a clean sheet this season and it has reached the stage where supporters are now guessing how many minutes will go by before Shields give up a lead. :O(

Shields came straight back and a minute later Willie Crew got a pass through to Wightman and he turned sharply to get a right footed shot away across the goal and narrowly wide of the left hand post. Shields then brought Brocklehurst off and replaced him with Tony Coe and within a couple of minutes Coe was involved, racing onto a flicked header from Crew and in a chase for a 50-50 ball with the keeper, which was only just won by Wiggan. With time running out and the game going into added time Shields continued to press for a winner and Coe got away down the right and produced a good high cross and the keeper managed to punch clear off the head of Willie Crew. With the game now deep into injury time Billingham made another substitution bringing on J.Stewart in place of Joseph.

After a very disappointing first half, there had been a marked improvement from Shields but overall there was still a cutting edge missing up front and the pressure is not producing enough goals to establish winning leads. Hopefully this can be overcome in the coming matches. On now to another home game from the other side from Billingham. :O}

Shields v Billy Toon ....a few random pics

2008-10-07T22:02:00.004+01:00

Studsy chose this game to unveil his latest signing.

And Paul Taylor made his home debut too

We ran them ragged at times, and still couldn't get a win, and the lads faces at the end told the tale.

It's enough to turn a normally sober Mariner to drink!!!!

Len Smith Presentation

2008-10-04T04:09:00.005+01:00

West Allotment Celtic 2 South Shields 1 - Northern League Division 1 October 1st 2008

2008-10-04T02:08:00.004+01:00

West Allotment Celtic: 1) K.Dryden. 2) K.Hughes. 3) M.Walmsley. 4) T.Vickers. 5) R.Storey. 6) S.Locker. 7) N.Scott. 8) L.York. 9) G.Taylor. 10) K.Douglas. 11) D.Patterson.

Subs. 12) B.Dawson. 14) S.Smith. 15) L.Atkin. 16) B.Graham. 17) P.Watson.

South Shields: 1) A.Clark. 2) M.Rodenby. 3) G.Irving (c). 4) C.Russell 5) J.Oates. 6) K.Jarvis. 7) M.Brocklehurst. 8) S.Fitzpatrick. 9) P.Taylor. 10) J.Wightman. 11) A.Davis.

Subs. 12) S.Parkin. 13) T.Coe. 14) R.Addison. 15) D.Graham. 16) W.Crew.

Tonight Shields were facing another of the sides up near the top of the first division table, indeed West Allotment would go top of the table if they can avoid defeat this evening. The Mariners had new signing Paul Taylor lining up for his first start.

As early as the 4th minute Celtic had a chance of that early goal as the Shields defence failed to clear a cross and this was met on the volley by Glen Taylor 10 yards out but Clark produced an excellent save to keep the sides level. On 11 minutes Scott broke away and fired in a shot from fully 30 yards but this drifted high and wide and not a threat on the Shields goal. Following this early pressure from the home team Shields began to settle down and put together some good moves of their own.

Firstly Karl Jarvis tried his luck from 30 yards but straight at the keeper on 13 minutes, then 5 minutes later James Oates made a good forward pass to Simon Fitzpatrick and Fitzy put Jonny Wightman through for the chance of a shot on goal but he failed to control the ball first time and as defenders closed in he snatched at the chance and fired over from 10 yards. Couple of minutes later and Shields were again on the attack and when debutant Paul Taylor was brought down on the edge of the box, the free kick was taken by Ash Davis but hit the defensive wall and the ball came back out to Fitzpatrick and his rasping shot from 35 yards flew narrowly wide of the post.

Mid way through the first half and Shields had been playing very well and restricting West Allotment to just the odd break or long range shot, and Clark in the Shields goal had not really been tested since that early save from Glen Taylor. On 23 minutes though Douglas broke away and looked to have been brought down by Irving and although the linesman's flag went up, the referee waved play on. Just as well as Irving was
the last man and might have been on his way. Shields however came back at the home side and on the half hour some neat play by Brocklehurst out on the right saw a through ball to Fitzpatrick, who then sent Paul Taylor away but a last second block by a defender stopped the striker claiming his first goal for the club.

36 minutes and again it's Shields showing themselves to be keen to push forward and this time Jarvis controlled the ball on his chest before firing in another shot on goal but straight to the keeper. Then in the 41st minute there was some good play by Wightman as he gathered a ball upfield and managed to fend off defenders before turning and curling a right foot shot narrowly wide of the top right hand angle of the goal. A couple of minutes later and some good play by Brocklehurst on the right produced a diagonal ball to Paul Taylor and he fired narrowly over. All of this good play by Shields was undone however in the last minute of the half by a defensive lapse by Craig Russell as he failed to control the ball while under no pressure and the ball broke to Douglas 15 yards out and he advanced on goal and made no mistake firing past Clark.

In the first minute of the second half Wightman had a good opportunity 12 yards out but instead of getting his shot in he hesitated and was crowded out after he needed three touches. In the 50th minute West Allotment made their first substitution when they replaced Douglas with Watson in an effort to try and make more of an impact in the game. Within a minute West Allotment almost made it 2-0 when Vickers found himself with a free header close in but Clark pulled off a tremendous full length save. Shields came back again and in the 55th minute Wightman went on a good run before being brought down 30 yards from goal. From the resultant free kick the keeper fumbled the ball and there was a melee in the goal area and a
Shields player hit the deck with shouts for a penalty but the referee again waved play on.

Two minutes later the equaliser that Shields throughly deserved came when Marc Brocklehurst sent in a cross 30 yards out on the right wing which caught the keeper out and the ball sailed over his head and into the top left hand corner. Was it a cross? Was it a shot? Who knows, but it went where we wanted it to go. :O)

On the hour the home side almost took the lead again, when another defensive slip by Russell led to some frantic defending to get the ball away for a corner on the left. From the corner Glen Taylor got a shot in from 6 yards that was well cleared off the line at the far post by Fitzpatrick. In the 70th minute there was some good play down the left that put Paul Taylor clear and as he shot the ball was blocked by a defender for a corner kick. Jarvis took the corner on the left and the ball was met by the head of Paul Taylor and he looked to have scored, only for a home defender to clear off the line at the near post.

At this stage it was still Shields making most of the running. West Allotment then made another
substitution when Atkin came on for Patterson and within a couple of minutes Watson fired in a shot from 25 yards that went narrowly over. This was really only an occasional venture forward by the home side as Shields had largely been in control for long periods of the game. On 74 minutes Wightman flicked on a header to Paul Taylor, who returned the ball to Wightman and he fired over from 20 yards. Shields came straight back and only some last ditch defending denied Paul Taylor that debut goal.

After 78 minutes West Allotment made their final substitution when they took off York and replaced him with Dawson. Within 2 minutes the home side went back in front following a long diagonal ball from the left wing that found Atkin totally unmarked on the far side with no Shields defenders in sight. Atkin took the ball forward into the box and evaded two Shields tackles to fire across Clark into the far corner. Gary Steadman responded by bringing Richard Addison on for Simon Fitzpatrick and with 5 minutes remaining a further change with Karl Jarvis leaving the field and replaced with Davy Graham. By now West Allotment were happy to run the clock down at every opportunity and the game was slipping away from Shields. In the last minute Tony Coe was brought on in place of Ash Davis but to no avail.

So at the end of the night a familiar sounding story, where Shields had played well against one of the top sides and have come away with nothing, and again it's been due to totally avoidable goals conceded. The performances are good but Shields need to tighten up at the back if they are to get moving in the right direction in the table. The next game is at home to Billingham Town and Shields must be looking to get three points from that game as Billingham are shaping up for a season long relegation battle. Here's to Shields getting in amongst them. :O)

South Shields 0 Morpeth Town 2 - Northern League Division 1 27th September 2008

2008-09-28T13:39:00.005+01:00

South Shields: 1) A.Clark. 2) K.Jarvis. 3) R.Addison. 4) D.O'Brien. 5) G.Irving (c). 6) J.Oates. 7) T.Coe. 8) S.Fitzpatrick. 9) D.Graham. 10) J.Wightman. 11) A.Davis.

Subs. 12) S.Parkin. 13) C.Feasey. 14) M.Johnson. 15) C.Hackman. 16) D.Patton.

Morpeth Town: 1) J.Wells. 2) D.Anderson. 3) L.Bell. 4) D.Hall. 5) I.Nickalls (c). 6) M.Grant. 7)
R.Rakocinski. 8) I.Herron. 9) A.Benjamin. 10) P.Wilary. 11) P.Haxon.

Subs. 12) S.Warwick. 14) J.Campbell. 15) T.Wilson. 16) J.Gilmartin.

Looking at the team line ups on the board on the way in today, must admit it was canny to see the name Chris Feasey. Been a big miss and seems so long since we've seen him in action, and the team have missed him immensely. Before the match got under way South Shields legend Len Smith was introduced to the players of both teams on the pitch.

Morpeth kicked off in brilliant sunshine on what was real summer's day.........at last. Both sides took a few minutes before mounting any pressure and the first moment of danger came on 7 minutes when James Oates had to be alert to cut out a dangerous cross from the right. Shields immediately came back and a high cross from the left wing reached Addison at the far post 10 yards out and as he shaped to shoot the Morpeth defence converged and blocked his shot at the expense of a corner.

On 13 minutes Addison put in a cross from the left which was half cleared out to Karl Jarvis and he fired in a shot from 25 yards out but this curled out wide of the right hand post. The match flared up in the 19th minute when Morpeth's number 9 Benjamin clattered into Tony Coe with no intention of playing the ball. The centre forward got away with a yellow card but in reality he should have received a straight red card. At this stage Coe in particular was receiving some rough treatment from the Morpeth players.

Mid way through the first half both sides were reduced to 10 men, and that man Benjamin was involved again this time in a clash with Ash Davis. Davis receiving his card for retaliation but this wouldn't have happened if the referee had done his job 4 minutes earlier. The referee was certainly having a nightmare.

On 28 minutes Shields almost broke the deadlock when Addison produced a good teasing cross in from the left side which eluded the keeper (was that a lass??) and Jonny Wightman was very close to applying the finishing touch but couldn't quite get to it.

On the half hour James Oates had an opportunity to shoot and the keeper was unable to hold and this allowed Wightman to nip in and take ball away but towards the byline. With defenders closing in Wightman managed to get a cross back in but this proved to be just too high for Davy Graham and his header went straight up and then cleared. The game then went through a period where everything was restricted to the middle of the park with no clear cut chances for either side. 4 minutes before the break Shields were awarded a free kick 25 yards out after Karl Jarvis was brought down. Hall collected a yellow card then the kick was taken by Graham but he hit the defensive wall and the ball was cleared.

The half time break saw a series of presentations made to Len Smith and a large gathering enjoyed some real nostalgia. Great to see Len and his wife Joan at Filtrona and they will be forever welcome.

The match got under way again and still the sun shone as Shields kicked off towards the factory end but it was Morpeth who came closest in the opening stages as Andy Clark had to produce a smart save on 50 minutes and then a minute later as Wilary sprung the offside and was clean through on goal with only Clark to beat. As the crowd feared the worst the Morpeth forward inexplicably hit his shot high and wide. we could be kind and suggest there was a bobble but that would be letting him off for a glaring miss.

Addison then broke forward down the left a couple of minutes later and put in a good cross and a glancing header by Graham went across the face of the goal and beyond the far post. In the 64th minute Shields were caught too far upfield and a ball over the top of the defence put Rakocinski clean through with plenty of time to advance on the Shields goal and dispatch his shot past Clark and Morpeth were ahead. :O(

Shields came back from this and in the 66th minute the ball fell to Tony Coe on the corner of the penalty box on the right and his first time right footed shot was goalbound but produced an excellent save from the hairy one in the Morpeth goal. Couple of minutes later Morpeth made a substitution when they replaced Anderson with Warwick.

On 70 minutes Shields went for broke with all three substitutions taking place together. Jarvis, Graham and Wightman leaving the field and being replaced by Chris Feasey, Mark Johnson and Dean Patton. Within a couple of minutes there was the welcome sight of Chris Feasey in possession down the left wing and he put a cross over and though it drifted beyond the far post the keeper was unsure of how close.

As the game approached the closing stages Shields were trying to get back into this but without really making much headway and when they were awarded a free lick 35 yards out 11 minutes from time it was hit high over the bar. Shields were fortunate on more than one occasion as they pushed forward and left themselves open to the counter attack, with Morpeth players breaking through on goal, but the chances were squandered. In the 86th minute there were loud appeals for a penalty as Feasey broke into the Morpeth area and the ball was stopped by the arm of the full back as he lay on the ground. Many people in the crowd felt that although the referee may have missed it, the linesman must have had a view of the incident but chose to keep his flag down.

With just a couple of minutes left Clark had to produce a good save as Morpeth again broke though on goal. This time it was Wilary that was thwarted. Shields' luck ran out though as they still pressed forward when in the last minute Morpeth broke through yet again down the left wing and when the ball was crossed to the other side Warwick was totally free and one on one with Clark. He duly took the ball round Clark and placed the ball into the net from 18 yards and that was that. At the beginning of injury time Shields almost reduced the arrears when Chris Feasey put in a good cross from the left and Mark Johnson's header from 8 yards out hit the face of the bar and came back out and was cleared. It was to prove to be the last chance for Shields to claw anything back and they slipped to their third league defeat in a row.

Next up is a tough trip to West Allotment Celtic on Wednesday night and Shields will have to start gathering some points soon if they are to steer clear of the lower reaches of the division. :O}

Newton Moor Durham Challenge Cup. 23rd September 2008

2008-09-24T11:14:00.003+01:00

South Shields: 1) S.Parkin. 2) K.Jarvis. 3) A.Davis. 4) M.Rodenby. 5) G.Irving (c). 6) J.Oates. 7) M.Brocklehurst. 8) S.Fitzpatrick. 9) T.Coe. 10) J.Wightman. 11) R.Addison.

Subs. 12) D.Graham. 13) A.Clark. 14) C.Hackworth. 15) D.Patton. 16) D.O'Brien.

Bishop Auckland: 1) P.Jeffries. 2) L.Foster. 3) Arjun Purewal. 4) S.Richards. 5) N.Wilkinson (c). 6) G.Anderson. 7) L.Ellison. 8) J.Fairish. 9) G.Barrow. 10) G.Parkin. 11) K.Hutchinson.

Subs. 12) A.Strong. 13) M.Langley. 14) L.Dixon. 15) D.Dunn. 16) Amar Purewal.

Seems ages since we had a game at Filtrona what with all the bad weather and away games so it was good to be back. :O)

Right from the start Shields set about forcing the pace against Bishop Auckland and this led to several early corners and as early as the 4th minute a header was put wide from an Oates corner. Within a couple of minutes Jonny Wightman fired in a shot on goal from the edge of the box but straight at the keeper.

On 12 minutes Bishops were forced into making an early substitution when Scott Richards came off to be replaced by Martin Langley. Within a minute Bishops broke through and Parkin was clean through and despite the whistle having gone for offside, still went on to try and beat his namesake in the Shields goal and put the ball wide.

Shields again came forward and in the 22nd minute Tony Coe got into the box only to be obstructed. The referee though waved play on. Couple of minutes later and this time it was Bishops turn to have a shot on goal when Parkin fired in a shot from 25 yards that the 'Cat' got down to and saved comfortably. The play was generally lacking in that final killer pass by either side though there was plenty of effort and endeavour from both teams.

On the half hour there was some good play down the left by Tony coe and having got past two defenders, managed to get in a cross but it was just out of reach of Ash Davis and although Marc Brocklehurst gathered the ball at the far side of the box, the visiting defence crowded out the attack. 10 minutes later and again Coe got past two defenders and crossed the ball from the by-line and this time Davis got to the ball but couldn't direct his header. In the last couple of minutes of the first half Bishops came on strong and firstly Graham Irving had to make a fine block to stop an effort on goal at the expense of a corner. From the resulting corner it needed a smart save from Simon Parkin to keep the sides level at the interval.

At the start of the second half Shields again came out strongly and immediately applied pressure on the Bishops defence and within a couple of minutes Coe had a shot cleared off the line and from the following corner the visitors eventually got the ball away after a goalmouth scramble. After 49 minutes the game came to life when the first goal arrived. Another corner out on the left taken by Karl Jarvis was met at the near post by Richard Addison and he powered in a header from close range. 1-0 to Shields.

The lead proved to be short-lived though, in fact only two minutes as Bishop Auckland came back at Shields and when a cross from the left was not properly cleared by the Shields defence and the ball fell to Ellison on the edge of the box and he fired a half-volley back through a crowd of players and into the net. This success seemed to fire up the visitors and they proceeded to throw players forward and were now looking much stronger and quicker and were testing the Shields backline a lot more. As the match approached the hour mark it was still Bishops making the running and creating more.

Frustration seemed to get to Tony Coe in the 67th minute when there was a strong appeal for a handball in the centre circle and when the referee waved play on Coe took it upon himself to clatter a visiting player and he collected a yellow card. It was to be the last bit of action for Coe as he was replaced by Dean Patton. Shields then started to get back into the game and the pressure was back on Bishops as firstly a corner from Jarvis on the right was met by the head of Wightman but his glancing header drifted wide of the back post. Considering he was unmarked and under no pressure Wightman really should have got the header on target.
On 72 minutes another Shields corner was cleared out from the box but came out to Davis 25 yards out and his shot looked destined for the net as the keeper appeared to dived too far to his left but managed to block Ash's shot with his outstretched foot. Gavin Parkin tried a speculative shot for Bishops after 75 minutes but his effort flew high and wide and into the factory car park.
Again Shields came back as they tried to finish this game off without the need for extra time, and 12 minutes from time James Oates had a header that was dipping below the bar until Jeffries palmed the ball over for another corner. As the corner came over from the left Addison came in on the near post and looked like it was to be a carbon copy of his earlier goal but this time he narrowly failed to connect. At this stage shields made a substitution as Davy Graham came on in place of Wightman.

Into the last 10 minutes and both sides had a chance to snatch the victory inside the 90 minutes. First there was a fine run from Davis as he got round the back of the Bishops defence to the by-line and his crossed was forced out to the edge of the box where oates fired over. With just 5 minutes remaining there was a poor clearance by the Shields defence and Barrow was through on his own but he fired over from close range. Bishop Auckland brought on Dunn in place of Hutchinson with 2 minutes left. The referee blew for full time and the game was now about to go into 30 minutes of extra time, with the possibility of penalties to follow as the match had to be decided on the night.

In the 100th minute Fitzpatrick was brought down from behind and a free kick was awarded 22 yards out and as the visiting defensive wall was put in place Davy Graham sized up the options and stepped up to curl a left footed shot over the wall and into the net with the keeper rooted to the spot. An excellent goal and it deservedly turned out to be the winner. :O)

Chester le Street

2008-09-23T15:20:00.003+01:00

Chester Le Street: 1) I.Aitken. 2) D.Maw. 3) P.Wardle. 4) I.Hassan. 5) A.Armstrong. 6) R.Palmer. 7) C.Price. 8) M.Allan. 9) E.Gardner. 10) R.Draper. (c). 11) A.Robinson.
Subs. 12) C.Wake. 13) N.Kane. 14) J.Home-Jackson. 15) D.Petts. 16) J.Carmichael.

South Shields: 1) A.Clark. 2) L. O'Neil. 3) A.Davis. 4) G.Irving. 5) J.Oates. 6) S.Fitzpatrick. 7) T.Coe. 8) L.Scroggins (c). 9) M.Johnson. 10) J.Wightman. 11) R.Addison.
Subs. 12) S.Parkin. 13) M.Brocklehurst. 14) W.Crew. 15) K.Jarvis. 16) M.Rodenby.

Well here we were again, back at the scene where 7 days earlier the match got washed away, and guess what? Yup, it's been raining most of the afternoon. This time though it was a lot lighter and as the game got underway.

Right from the start Shields were the first to push forward and it didn't take long for the pressure to pay off as they forced a corner in the 3rd minute out on the right. This was taken by LeePaul Scroggins and in a crowded penalty area the ball reached Richard Addison and from close in he fired in for his first goal for the club. An excellent start and a boost to confidence for all.

Shields were pegged back to 1-1 only 2 minutes later as Price got in a cross from the right and the ball was flicked on at the edge of the area and struck the hand of a Shields player and the referee had no hesitation in awarding the penalty kick. Clark dived the right way but the spot kick was too powerful and accurate and that was that. A whirlwind of a start to the game.

Shields came back from this setback and pushed forward again and some good play by Tony Coe down the right gave him the chance of a shot on goal but was well held at the near post by Aitken in the Chester Le Street goal. Then on the quarter hour a long ball forward from Lee O'Neil set Mark Johnson away down the left and with two defenders with him, Johnson tried a curler but was high and wide. Within a minute it was Shields again coming forward with Coe this time breaking through but as he was taken down the penalty appeals were turned down.On 20 minutes Scroggins provided Jonny Wightman with an opportunity but he scuffed his shot and the ball ran through to the keeper with Johnson trying to apply pressure as he gathered.

Your reporter and scribe in action
At this stage Shields were having the best of the play and were still pushing forward at every chance and another shot was delivered on goal from Addison from a free kick 30 yards out following a foul on Coe. Chester Le Street however were game to come back at Shields and on 25 minutes they had a chance when a high cross came in and was only palmed away by Clark and luck was with him as the ball rebounded off a home forward back into the arms of the keeper.

A minute later some excellent play by Davis resulted in a good cross from the left and this was met by the head of Scroggins and glanced narrowly wide of the near post. A good chance passes by again. Shields continued to still push forward and a good cross in the 34th minute from Wightman on the left produced a strong header from Johnson that was well saved by Aitken in the Chester goal. Despite Shields maintaining the pressure leading up to half time, it was Chester Le Street who came closest to taking the lead 3 minutes before the break when Draper fired in a shot from fully 30 yards that crashed against the Shields bar with Clark well beaten.

At the half time break Shields had generally been comfortable and only that one real scare and plenty to look forward to in the second half. Chester Le Street took the opportunity to make a change at half time bringing on Home-Jackson to replace Robinson.

The early stages of the second half saw Chester Le Street begin to apply pressure on Shields for the first time in the match and on 50 minutes forced a corner on the left after O'Neil had mis-judged a through ball. The defence cleared the corner fairly comfortably but it was evident that some of the defenders were having a shaky game. Couple of minutes later Shields made their first substitution when Lee O'Neill was taken off and replaced by Karl Jarvis.

The first 10 minutes of the second half had seen the home side beginning to have a lot more success with the ball over the top and came close on more than one occasion. On 57 minutes Shields were struck a bad blow when Scroggins stayed down following a tackle and was having real problems just getting back on his feet. Looked to be a groin problem and a bad one at that. Scroggins was helped from the field and was replaced by Marc Brocklehurst.

On 64 minutes Shields were on the receiving end of a highly controversial decision from the referee when following some good play down the left Mark Johnson was brought down in the box and the linesman immediately flagged and placed his flag across his chest to signal a penalty kick. The referee went across and spoke to his assistant then decided to give a drop ball. This was a crucial decision and one that was generally greeted with disbelief by the travelling band of Mariners.

Within a few minutes Johnson was seen to be signalling to the bench that he was struggling with an injury but though there were soon to be two substitutions, neither were to include Johnna. Firstly Chester replaced Hassan with Kane, then Tony Coe limped off to be replaced by Michael Rodenby.

Disaster struck Shields when on 76 minutes Jarvis failed to cut out a through ball and this left Gardner free down the left wing and his cross was delivered quickly into the centre and Home-Jackson ran in to put the ball into the net from close range. Shields totally failed to respond to this blow and if anything, seemed to give up. Just four minutes later Shields conceded an absolutely identical goal, involving the same players. Again jarvis failed to cut out the through ball and Gardner was again away and crossing into the middle for Home-Jackson to deliver the killer touch.

The closing minutes saw Chester full of running and again came close and it needed a good headed clearance at the near post by Oates to avert the danger. Chester Le Street ran the clock down with one last substitution by bringing on Petts for Gardner. As the final whistle went, it was a case of wondering just what had happened to Shields. Having done so well in the first half, to then produce a second half without a single shot on goal. A real disappointment and injuries on top. The penalty decision was probably a turning point in this match as Shields never really got going again after it. If it had been given and scored? Who knows what might have happened. All too late now though. :O(

WHERE DID AAL THAT WATTA COME FROM???

2008-09-13T10:47:00.004+01:00

Chester Le Street : 1) I.Aitken. 2) D.Maw. 3) C.Wake. 4) I.Hass. 5) A. Armstrong. 6) R.Palmer. 7) C.Price. 8) M.Allan. 9) E.Gardner. 10) R.Draper (c). 11) D.Craggs.
Subs. 12)Milburn. 13) Petts. 14) Kane. 15) Robinson. 16 Carmichael.

South Shields : 1) A. Clark. 2) L.Niel. 3) A.Davis. 4) G.Irving. 5) J.Oates. 6) M.Brocklehurst. 7) A.Coe. 8) L.Scrooggins. 9)M.Johnson. 10) W.Crew. 11) R.Addison.
Subs. 12) S.Parkin. 13) K. Jarvis. 14) C. Hackworth. 15) J. Wightman. 16) D.Conroy.

After so much rain over what seem the previous few weeks, Tuesday arrived and so did the rain, though it did stay fairly light during the day. So much so that this match survived a pitch inspection at 16:00. No official news came back about the result of that inspection, but that didn't stop the band of travelling Shields supporters taking to the road and producing yet another great turn out.

The match itself got under way on a soggy pitch and took a few minutes for both teams to adjust to the heavy conditions. As early as the 3rd minute though Shields had a good chance when Wille Crew broke through the Chester defence and chased a 50/50 ball with keeper Aitken, with the keeper only narrowly beating Willie to the ball. Definitely a good early chance though. A couple of minutes later and Draper tried his luck with a shot from outside the box but Graham Irving blocked the shot and cleared upfield.

The opening few minutes had seen some end to end play but with final passes going astray from both sides, there was very little end product. 12 minutes in and another good chance for Shields when LeePaul Sgroggins played a good through ball to set Mark Johnson away through with the Chester defence left behind appealing for offside. Johnna ran throughon a one on one with Aitken but his shot was tame and straight at the keeper and another good chance was gone.

17 minutes gone and Shields showing signs of getting on top and some good play Marc Brocklehurst produced a cross from the right over to the far post and Johnna's header beat the defenders and keeper and flew right across the face of the goal and narrowly past the post. Midway through the half and the game had settled down into an even affair with Chester trying to come back at Shields, but Shields had had the best chances at this stage.

Behind the Chester goal the Mariners band of supporters were making great noise and never let up. Excellent drumming again from Christopher. :O)

Half an hour into the game and there had still been no clear chances for Chester but that was about to change as within a minute as Draper gathered the ball 30 yards out and stepped forward to unleash a shot that flew past a stranded Clark in the Shields goal and hit the right hand post and came back out, with the Shields defence getting the ball away. Perhaps Clark was stuck in the mud. :O) Within seconds Shields had the ball up the other and Johnson forced another corner but Scroggins' corner was gathered safely by Aitken.

As the game approached half time Allan tried a shot from about 25 yards out but this was screwed wide of the right hand post but was covered by Clark anyway. Within a couple of minutes the heavens then opened with a deluge of rain falling. There was still let up in the rain when the half time whistle went and the players came off. Within a couple of minutes though, the referee and his two assistants were back out on the pitch and it didn't take them long to decide that the pitch was going to be unplayable, and abandoned the match.

So next Tuesday it is, with another visit to Chester Le Street to try and resolve this F.A. Vase tie.......weather permitting. Before then though, Shields have a tough away match this coming Saturday at Sunderland Nissan, but bring them on. We'll be ready. :O)

This half match report is brought to you by our bearded reporter (TC) and his trust scribes.

NL1. Whitley Bay v The Mariners

2008-09-07T10:07:00.002+01:00

South Shields
01 - A. Clark
02 - L.Neil
03 - A. Davis
04 - M. Rodenby
05 - J. Oates
06 - L. O'Donovan
07 - A. Coe
08 - L. Scroggins (C)
09 - M. Johnson
10 - W. Crew
11 - R. Addison
12 - S. Parkin
13 - J. Perry
14 - D. Conroy
15 - C. Hackworth
16 - J. Wightman

Following the hugely disappointing performance and result in their previous match against Selby, South Shields came into this tough match at Hillheads needing to re-discover the spark that helped gain a three match winning run prior to the cup match. The first thing to strike you was the superb following from Shields yet again, and in fine voice too. (Where was the drummer though).

Gary Steadman had made four changes from the previous game with assistant Justin Perry named on the subs bench.

The early stages of the game saw Whitley Bay pressing forward but with the Shields defence standing firm there were very few scoring opportunities and when Whitley forced a corner on the right in the 10th minute this was back-headed at the near post by Ryan and this found Chow in space but his effort went over. Shields then had an effort of their own when Willie Crew battled hard for possession and provided a chance for Addison but his shot was charged down.

Whitley were still pushing forward and coming at Shields and on 18 minutes they came close to taking the lead when Robinson out on the right flighted a ball in and with Chow just failing to connect, the ball hit the far post and came out and was cleared by the Shields defence.

On 25 minutes there was a high ball put forward and as it arrived on the edge of the Shields box Clark came to collect but clumsily took Kerr out and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, and Clark collecting a yellow card for his troubles. Lee Kerr stepped up to take the kick and he placed it well toward the bottom left hand corner, but Clark threw himself superbly and saved at the second attempt with both Chow and Kerr racing in for any rebound. Excellent stuff.

Back came Whitley again and O'Donovan cut out a dangerous cross at the near post and from the the resulting corner Ryan got above the Shields defence but was unable to keep his header down. Couple of minutes later and it was Shields making a good break and Addison made a good pass through to Mark Johnson but he was crowded out by defenders, though he still managed to get a corner out of it. Then some good play from Addison saw him side step three tackles to get in a shot that Burke took comfortably. At this stage Shields had mainly been restricted to long range shots.

Just 3 minutes before the break and Whitley beat the offside and Robinson fed Chow running in from the right but he fired into the side netting under presure. Although Whitley had looked good coming forward with some slick passing, Shields were running and chasing for each other and there was a fight and tenacity that had been missing last Saturday which was really pleasing to see tonight.

Before the start of the second half Whitley Bay made a substitution, replacing Graham with McFarlane. Shields restarted with an unchanged line-up.

Whitley again started strongly with pressure building on the Shields defence and following a close call when a cross from the right evaded everyone as it flew across the face of the shields goal, Chow then found himself in space on the angle of the penalty area and his volley was well saved at the near post and palmed over by Clark.

As the game reached the hour mark Shields were coming more and more into the game and a good cross from Neil into the box was dropped by keeper Burke under pressure but he recovers in time. Whitley however were dangerous on the break and on one such occasion forced a corner on the right and from this a header was put over the bar by Robson.

On 64 minutes Shields made a substitution when Willie Crew was replaced by Jonny Wightman for his first appearance of the new season. Willie had ran and harried throughout against a big and resolute Whitley defence but it was hard work for him. Certainly no lack of effort. Shields continued to press further forward and on 68 minutes Johnson did well to get round a defender and get a shot in but his effort was deflected for a corner. Within a couple of minutes Shields had several chances to have a shot from just outside the box and it was eventually Lee O'Donovan who tried to get the shot in but because of the time taken he was closed down quickly by the defence and the shot was charged down and cleared.

Whitley Bay then made another substitution and brought on Woodhouse for Chow. By this time though it was the Shields sub Wightman who was having a strong positive effect on the attacking options and the visitors were now creating more chances. With 11 minutes remaining Whitley made one last substitution by bringing on Minto in place of Livermore and within seconds Minto broke the deadlock. Shields lost possession and Whitley broke away and a ball into the box from McFarlane on the right reached Minto and the ball eventually ended up in the net after a bit of a scramble. Appeals for handball from the Shields defenders were ignored by the officials and the goal was given.

From this point on it became one way traffic as Shields threw everything at Whitley, with the pace and direct running of Wightman involved in most of the play. With 8 minutes remaining Wightman produced an excellent turn and shot but narrowly over. Shields again came at Whitley and a fine through ball from Neil put Rodenby though into the box on the left side but Rodenby's touch was too heavy and the ball ran away from him for a goal kick to the home side. Shields pressed hard right up to the final whistle and came close to the equaliser in the final minute of injury time when a header in the crowded Whitley penalty area led to goal line clearance.

At the final whistle, there was no doubt Shields had put so much into this match and deserved at least a point against a Whitley Bay side that will invariably finish in the top three. The disappointment on the faces of the players was clear to see as they came off the pitch, but in reality they can be well pleased with their efforts. The travelling army of supporters, while disappointed with the result itself, were unanimous in the praise for each and every player this evening. This performance augers well for the future. :O)

Whitley Bay

01 - T. Burke
02 - M. Taylor
03 - C. Graham
04 - D. Timmons
05 - B. Smith
06 - L. Ryan
07 - R. Livermore
08 - D. Robson (C)
09 - L. Kerr
10 - P. Chow
11 - P. Robinson

12 - T. Woodhouse
13 - M. Minto
14 - D. Coulson
15 - L. Picton
16 - C. McFarlane