Match Report: Gainsborough Trinity 1-1 South Shields

South Shields extended their lead at the top of the Pitching In Northern Premier League to nine points after a 1-1 draw at Gainsborough Trinity on Tuesday.

The Mariners were on course to win what was one of their games in hand when Robert Briggs converted a 12th minute penalty following a foul on Dylan Mottley-Henry.

In cold and foggy conditions, George Hornshaw equalised in the first minute of the second half and that proved to be the final goal as the points were shared.

Shields were aiming to record a sixth successive victory, and brought Michael Woods and Jordy Mongoy into the starting line-up at the Dave Longstaff Martin and Co Arena.

Gainsborough settled the quicker of the teams, and called Myles Boney into action early on as he tipped an Isaac Rice header over the bar.

Boney also held a strike from the edge of the box by Curtis Durose before the Mariners began to exert themselves on the contest.

A spot of pinball in the Trinity penalty area eventually led to a shot from 20 yards by Briggs which went past the post.

Just three minutes later, Shields attacked again as Martin Smith played a superb pass beyond the defence to the onrushing Mottley-Henry, who was fouled by Joe West as he attempted a diving tackle.

Briggs converted the spot-kick into the bottom-right corner as he notched for the fourth time in five games, with three of those goals coming from 12 yards.

The Mariners dominated the next period of the match but were unable to convert their play into further chances, which allowed Gainsborough to battle their way back into it.

Boney made a fine save with his foot to deny the prolific Clayton Donaldson after he created a decent opportunity for himself with decent footwork in the area.

The only other effort at goal was a speculative attempt from near the halfway line by Briggs which went wide after the midfielder pounced on a loose clearance by home goalkeeper Matt Yates.

Gainsborough levelled less than a minute into the second half when a slick move down the left led to a ball being delivered into the box, where Hornshaw and Durose combined well before the former fired into the bottom corner with an impressive finish.

Shields weathered something of a Gainsborough storm and gradually regained control, although they did not create a clear-cut chance until nine minutes from the end.

It almost resulted in a goal, but Gary Liddle's glancing header from a Mackenzie Heaney corner dropped agonsingly the wrong side of the post.

At the other end, Donaldson turned and hit a shot wide from the edge of the box and a free-kick was headed narrowly over in stoppage time as neither side was able to find a winner.

The result extended Shields' unbeaten run to six games, and they will aim to extend that sequence when they welcome Matlock Town to 1st Cloud Arena on Saturday.

South Shields: Boney, Doherty. Adams (c), Liddle, Broadbent, Smith, Mottley-Henry, Briggs, Osei, Woods (Shokunbi 90+1), Mongoy (Heaney 63). Subs not used: Hunter, Morse, Alessandra.

Goal: Briggs (pen 12).

Attendance: 747.

Image: Kev Wilson.