Julio Arca makes South Shields demand as Mariners prepare to face Spennymoor Town

The Mariners were left frustrated on Saturday after losing a game they dominated away to Southport, where they were unable to take advantage of the opportunities they created.  Arca was left to reflect on a match which provided plenty of positives – apart from the result. 

A controversial second half penalty which was converted by Southport ultimately proved to be the only goal at The Big Help Stadium. Arca said: “It was really disappointing to lose. 

“It didn’t look like a penalty for them, and that changed the game because we were in control and were creating enough chances. 

“We were the better team but lost, and for us that’s not good enough. We created so much but at some point we needed to put the ball in the net.” 

Arca would like a similar performance from his players against fourth-placed Spennymoor as Shields aim to return to winning ways. 

He added: “Our performance was good and we will get criticism for losing away again, but we could not do much more than we did to win the game in terms of our general performance. 

“Pretty much every manager would be happy with a performance like that from their team. They created one or two chances, including the penalty, and that’s football. Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve. 

“The good thing with football is that in the matter of a few days, you get the chance to bounce back. Now we get to play a derby and this is another big game for us. We go again.” 

Shields will hope to welcome back Michael Woods, but remain without forward Joao Gomes as he continues his recovery from a knee injury. 

Kick-off at The Brewery Field is at 7.45pm and admission prices are £15 for adults, £10 for over-60s and £5 for under-18s. The two sets of supporters will be segregated and Shields fans are to enter through turnstiles 1 and 2 on the Tees Crescent side of the ground.