Five-star showing from SSFC Women at 1st Cloud Arena

South Shields Women stuck five past bottom-of-the-table Harrogate Town at 1st Cloud Arena on Sunday, a result that gives the lasses every chance of ending the season in second place.

The Mariners were back on home soil for what can be described as a comfortable encounter, with the visitors not offering a lot of threat amid the backdrop of a temperate Sunday afternoon.

Sophie Greener opened the scoring for Shields in the 14th minute when she nodded in from an Eve Gatens corner.

A string of Shields opportunities could have ended up in the back of Harrogate’s net, including efforts from Gabby Pedersen and Greener which went close.

The lead was doubled in the 38th minute when Lily Walker brushed past a Harrogate player before launching a through ball into the path of Becki McMahon, who had space to drill it past the keeper’s right.

Gatens added a third for Shields after half-time following a handball incident in the box involving Harrogate’s Ella Williams, and her resulting penalty in the 62nd minute was as assured as you like.

A late flurry of goals took the game from 3-0 to 5-0 within minutes: in the 88th minute some nice play between Megan Archbold and Jade Dryden resulted in a cross meeting McMahon, who secured her brace with a cool header in the area.

She could have bagged herself a hat-trick just a minute later, but McMahon couldn’t repeat what happened just moments before.

Greener managed to find Shields’ fifth of the afternoon, and a brace for herself too, in the 90th minute as another late cross found her, before she took a touch and volleyed into the far-left corner.

Shields are next at home against Redcar Town next Sunday (April 23rd, 2pm kick-off). Full details will be announced closer to matchday.

Image: Craig McNair/ID Event Photography.