North Shields 0-3 Steels
Stocksbridge Park Steels broke though the defence of North Shields several times to ensure a 3-0 win.
The Steels had the best start possible as they raced out to an early lead. Tomas Poole’s perfect space allowed Ify Ofoegbu to break through the middle of the centre backs and go one-on-one with the goalkeeper Finlay Hodgson. He stayed cool and slotted it into the bottom corner, giving Stocksbridge the lead.
North Shields were able to grow back into the game after the initial shock of going down early. Ben Townsend did well to sniff out Tom Potter’s shot when he latched onto a good ball into the box and batter the ball behind for a corner. The Robins looked strong from set pieces and did get one into the back of the net, but it was disallowed for a foul on Townsend.
Stocksbridge were able to defend the pressure though and limited North Shields’ chances to mostly long range. With the Steels staying strong at the back, they rallied and took back control of the game for the latter part of the first half. Ofoegbu looked like he was going to double the lead before the end of the half but as he broke one-on-one but Hodgson would foil him this time.
The Steels would start off strong in the second half and they would soon get the goal which eased the nerves of the travelling support. Poole broke through the offside trap and found Lewis Macaskill with a sweeping pass from the right wing. Macaskill’s first touch was enough to get the ball past Hodgson and it had enough on it to get into the back of the net.
North Shields were having plenty of possession but while they were able to pass it around in the midfield, they lacked the cutting edge to damage Stocksbridge. The Steels were the opposite as they would be able to counter effectively in order to cause problems for the Robins. Ross Goodwin wasn’t far off getting on the scoresheet to add to this but he could only head over from close range.
Stocksbridge would eventually get their third to kill the game off as a contest though. Initially it seemed like Alex O’Connor would be the man on the score sheet as his shot from a narrow angle was inches from going in before it bounced off the outside of the post before going out. Poole was able to recycle the ball though and put into the middle for Luke Rawson to stab it home.
North Shields tried to rally to end the game with some pride, and to try and cause some drama in the same way Pontefract Collieries did on Boxing Day, and Colin Larmouth was able to get an effort off only for it to go high and wide at the near post. That would effectively end the game, with Stocksbridge getting a massive win on their travels.
