SSFC Women travel to Hartlepool in NERWFL Premier Division clash

South Shields Women hope to bounce back from last weekend’s heavy defeat when they take on Hartlepool United Women in their penultimate away game of the season this Sunday (2pm kick-off).

Shields will want to repeat what they did when the two sides last faced off, when the Mariners ran riot in a 9-0 win at 1st Cloud Arena, in front of 161 supporters.

The top six teams in the NERWFL Premier Division are now separated by six points, and a clear 10 point gap has now formed between the lasses and Wakefield AFC, in seventh place. 

Hartlepool have found life in the division tough since their promotion, having recorded just the one win in 15 matches played so far - a 2-1 win against Harrogate Town in October. 

Only they have picked up a worse defensive record than the Pools, who have conceded 60 goals as things stand.

The Mariners could become the second team in the division to net 50 league goals, with last weekend’s winners Spennymoor Town taking the crown there during their 8-2 win. 

One more goal would see the lasses over the line - and the team would also match the number of goals they scored during the 2021-22 season. 

The post-promotion record is 59 goals, scored throughout the 2018-19 season, which gives the squad something to work towards. 

Alex’s thoughts

Head coach Alex Miller has suggested her side shouldn’t take Hartlepool for granted as they can and have challenged for points, particularly recently - only Spennymoor have beaten the Pools by a margin of more than one goal since the back end of January. 

“The last time we played them we had a great result,” she reflected, “but they have been getting stronger throughout the season. 

“It’s definitely one to be aware of and not to take for granted and make sure we definitely do turn up this weekend.”

Information for supporters

Kick-off at Grayfields Sports Pavilion (TS24 8PJ) is at 2pm this Sunday, March 24th. 

We’d love to see as many Mariners as possible come along. Every game, and every point counts as the lasses look towards finishing as high up the division as possible!