Mike Williamson hails 'sensational' South Shields FC as Southport are swept aside
South Shields preserved their place at the top of the National League North table with a 5-1 win against Southport.
Mike Williamson hailed a ‘real team performance’ from South Shields FC as they preserved their place at the top of the National League North table with a five-star performance against struggling Southport.
The Mariners were always strong favourites to boost their bid for promotion into the National League with a home win against a visiting side sitting in the relegation zone - and they lived up to that tag as a devastating first-half performance laid the foundations for a fourth consecutive win.
Cedwyn Scott set the tone when he curled a sumptuous effort beyond Sandgrounders keeper Douglass Lukjanciks on the quarter-hour mark before Jordan Marshall’s stunning cross allowed Paul Blackett to double their advantage on 24 minutes. Scott doubled his personal tally from close range eight minutes before half-time before Adam Campbell stretched the lead to four just moments before the half-time whistle had been blown.
Jack Roles came off the bench in the second-half to crash home his first Mariners goal and that left Williamson to deliver a positive assessment of his side’s performance despite Sol Solomon grabbing a late consolation for their visitors.
He told The Gazette: “You could see the mentality from minute one. We talked about winning duels and transition and the lads went out there and they gave the fans and us something to be really proud of. I wouldn’t want to single anyone out because that was a real team performance today."
The Mariners stamped their authority on the game from the early stages but had to wait until the quarter-hour mark to open the scoring as Scott expertly curled a shot beyond visitors keeper Douglass Lukjanciks after good work from Jordan Marshall. The latter was involved in the second goal of the game on 24 minutes as his pinpoint cross was headed home by Blackett and two became three seven minutes before half-time as Scott doubled his tally with a close-range header from a Dan Dodds centre. There was a fitting end to a devastating first-half display as Campbell got in on the act by tapping home from two yards after a Kyle Jameson challenge on Blackett allowed the loose ball to run beyond the grasp of Lukjanicks.
‘Sensational’
The momentum spilled into the second-half as the Mariners showed all of their swagger and confidence - although an outrageous strike from substitute Roles was their only reward after the break. It was the visitors that had the final say with Solomon’s late deflected effort belatedly giving their supporters something to cheer.
However, not even that goal could take anything away from an enjoyable day for Mariners boss Williamson.
He said: “The lads were sensational and I thought from minute one the mentality, the intensity, the urgency I asked for was there and I saw it for 95 minutes. It was really, really pleased and my question was could we replicate those habits when things aren’t going our way because you don’t get many days like today where you can enjoy football.”
South Shields: Sheik, Tinkler, Marshall (McGurk), Dodds, Mann, Sykes, Onanaye, De Bolle (Roles), Campbell, Scott (Clegg), Blackett (Kelly) Subs: Jones, Emery
Southport: Lukjanciks, Dwyer, Lavelle, Jameson, Davies (Edwards), Griffiths (Cunningham), Solomon, Williams, Minihan, Moseley (Ogwuru), Hunter Subs: Flowers, Burgess
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