South Shields’ difficult away form continued with a surprise 4-1 defeat against Radcliffe on Tuesday night.
The Mariners responded quickly to George Glendon’s opener through Paul Blackett, but they were quickly hurt by Tom Walker’s goal and couldn’t find an answer thereafter.
Three goals were scored in the first 10 minutes, but things appeared to settle once that initial flurry of finishes had ended and Shields went into the break narrowly behind.
A chance came squandering in the 13th minute when Will Jenkins, standing perilously near the 18-yard box, had his shot headed out for a corner.
It was heart-in-mouth stuff around the 30 minute mark when Iestyn Hughes launched a cross into the box.
His effort rolled agonisingly close to the back of the net, but some last-minute thinking by Brad Jackson meant it was forced out for a throw-in.
Hughes came close only four minutes after but he was denied by the referee’s offside call.
A throw-in taken on the right-side eventually found its way into the box to find Walker at the back-post.
Shields can count themselves lucky that the resulting header glanced wide, otherwise they would have had an even bigger mountain to climb.
After the break, Elliott Dickman’s side just didn’t get into the rhythm they desired and the hosts capitalised on that, with a brace by Jordan Hulme condemning the visitors to their fifth successive away defeat.
Just before they scored their third of the evening, Duxbury surged down the left-wing, getting past Hughes and Jenkins in the process, and aimed a shot straight at Myles Boney.
Once that effort was cleared, the second attempt flew over the crossbar.
That result leaves the Mariners in 14th place in the Vanarama National League North table, with 11 games left of the season to try and pick up as many points as possible.
Next up for Dickman’s team is a visit to struggling Farsley Celtic at Buxton’s Tarmac Silverlands Stadium on Saturday.
Radcliffe: Hewelt, Jackson (Partington 87’), Duxbury, Maynard, Glendon (Navarro 85’), Hulme, Dudley (Owolabi 78’), Roscoe (Thornley 85’), Walker (Riley 78’), Sargent, Greenfield.
Unused substitutes: None.
Goals: Glendon (6’), Walker (10’), Hulme (53’, 68’).
South Shields: Boney, Hughes, Shepherd, Heaney, Briggs, Blackett, Jenkins (Myers-Smith 58’), Crossley, Mee, Carson, Broadbent.
Unused substitutes: Seymour, Smith, Evitt, McGowan.
Goals: Blackett (8’).
Image credit: Barkley Costello (@BarkleyCostello)
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