Dickman delighted by Morse return as South Shields prepare for Needham Market clash

Elliott Dickman has revealed his delight over Dillon Morse’s return to contention ahead of South Shields’ visit to National League North rivals Needham Market.

The long-serving centre-back has not featured this season after slowly making a painstaking recovery from a knee injury suffered in a 3-0 win at Banbury United during the second half of last season. After returning to full training in recent weeks, the former Blyth Spartans defender is now ready to push for a place in Dickman’s side and will join the likes of Tom Broadbent and Will Jenkins in the squad for the long trip to Suffolk.

Speaking ahead of the game, the Mariners boss said: “It’s a huge bonus and a huge plus to have Dillon back in contention. He’s been back in training for a couple of weeks and the break from games has worked in his favour. We’ve had a brilliant ten days on the grass since the Chorley game with some really good football, really good coaching and some really good details. Having Dillon back is a massive plus and I am pleased to say the likes of Broady (Tom Broadbent) and Jenks (Will Jenkins) are now back to full fitness and available.”

The visit to Needham Market marks the end of a two-week break without a fixture for South Shields - but the hard work has continued on the training pitch after Dickman and his coaching staff put the Mariners squad through their paces in the aftermath of the 3-3 home draw with Chorley. Now the former Newcastle United and Sunderland academy coach is hopeful that hard work will pay off when his side returns to action at the Ecologic Stadium.

He said: “The players are in a good place and there has been a positive atmosphere around the place. These players are really upbeat and positive and if it was that hamster’s wheel where it’s been relentless, they have been really positive in their approach to that. The break has been gone from a mental refresh point of view and the standard of training has gone through the roof to be honest with you. We’ve done some excellent work to push the players really hard on the physical and mental side with what we have to do in games. Now we have to make sure we show all of that hard work in Saturday’s game.”