Blyth Spartans deserved win against South Shields - Shaw

Former South Shields defender Jon Shaw admitted he ‘enjoyed every second’ as he marked his managerial debut with Blyth Spartans by completing a league double over his old club.

Shaw was named as permanent successor to Graham Fenton on Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the Croft Park club had parted company with the former Mariners manager.  The move marked Shaw’s first step into the lead role in the dugout after serving as Fenton’s assistant during the first half of the season and his own reign got underway with a hard earned win on a rainy day in Northumberland.

Paul Blackett’s early goal put the Mariners in front inside the opening five minutes but a neat finish from Spartans defender Fin Cousin-Dawson and a late winner from former Mariners striker JJ Hooper helped Shaw’s men complete a league double over his old club.

Speaking after the game, the Spartans boss told The Gazette: “I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it, even when they went ahead in the first few minutes.

“We had a game plan, but the calmness and the reaction of the players to falling behind, their determination to stick to how we play was outstanding and I think many people probably thought we deserved to get the win.

“The first 15 minutes was all about honesty, endeavour and sticking together and once we figured out how they were setup, it changed the game and we stopped making decisions for them.  Our ability is in possession, we limited them to very little, they didn’t break us down and we cut them open when we turned the ball over.

“On the balance of chances, I think we deserved to win.”