Blackett's back as South Shields eye final National League North title push

Paul Blackett is back and the South Shields striker is ready to take out his frustrations on National League North defences as the Mariners look to secure a historic promotion into non-league’s top tier during the final two months of the season.

The former Gateshead striker has been gradually reintroduced to on-field action over the last week after a hamstring injury limited him to unused substitute appearances or brief cameos over the last month. The 28-year-old came off the bench in Saturday’s underwhelming 2-2 home draw against AFC Telford United and took just 13 minutes to put his side in front before an Adan George equaliser earned a more than deserved point for the visitors.

Blackett was restored to the Mariners starting eleven for Tuesday night’s 1st Cloud Arena clash with Worksop Town and celebrated his first start in over a month with a goal in each half as Ian Watson’s men kept up the pressure on title rivals AFC Fylde with a 3-1 win against the Tigers. There was an element of frustration for a player that thrives on goals as he was replaced on the hour-mark in a move that brought an end to his search for a first league hat-trick since he blasted a treble in a 7-0 demolition of Rushall Olympic in December 2024.

Far from being disappointing with his early exit from the game, Blackett is appreciative of the cautious approach the Mariners are taking to his comeback and is relishing the opportunity to get back up to full speed as he looks to claim the second National League North title win of his career.

Speaking to The Gazette after Tuesday’s home win against Worksop, the Mariners star said: “Nobody has been more frustrated than I have been not playing but I’ve had a knock and I haven’t been able to get out there as much as I would like. It’s nice to be back out there, I’ve had to ease myself back in with a game on Saturday and then tonight. I would have liked to have stayed on to try and get a hat-trick but I had to be sensible and it was the right thing to do but we are just managing it right now.

“I just want to play football, it’s a dream to do it and I just want to be out there training, playing games and scoring goals because that’s what I do. Ultimately, I want to get us in the best position we can be at the end of the season. The lads have been unbelievable this season, it’s not just about me, but personally, it’s nice to be back out there and scoring goals again.”

Right time

Blackett’s double against the Tigers showed why the striker has established himself as one of the most feared frontmen in the National League North as he managed to make the most of two outstanding crosses from Sonny Finch and Will Jenkins. With half-time approaching and the stalemate still in place, on-loan Middlesbrough youngster Finch delivered a pinpoint cross from the right that allowed Blackett to force the ball home from inside the six-yard box before he doubled his own tally to restore his side’s lead minutes after the restart with a neat flick from a Jenkins centre. In his own words, they were ‘the best kind of goals’ for any striker to score.

“I just try and get in and around the six-yard box I guess,” explained the striker after it was suggested he had scored ‘two typical Paul Blackett goals’. “They are the best kind of goals for me, when you’re in the area and the ball comes in at the right time, they’re the best ones, I’d take those over a 30-yard effort every day of the week.”

Competition

Blackett’s return to contention has further strengthened the attacking options at Watson’s disposal as the Mariners look to bring a successful end to their push for promotion into the National League. Blackett’s former Gateshead team-mate Cedwyn Scott is enjoying a productive first season at the 1st Cloud Arena and on-loan Boro forward Finch has netted four goals in his first seven league appearances for the club. Another EFL youngster, Lennon Wheeldon, rounded off the win against Worksop with a late goal on Tuesday night and the Derby County prospect will hope to continue earning further experience over the coming weeks and months. For Blackett, it’s all about his fellow forwards pushing each other to ensure they can continue pushing for a place in non-league football’s top tier.

He said: “There is competition for a place but we all get on and the main thing is that we are all contributing. It’s not a one-man team, it’s never going to be that, not the way we play. We need everyone to be contributing and as long as we are doing that, it can be a successful season.”

Focus

A visit to Peterborough Sports is next on the agenda for the Mariners as they make the long trip down the A1 on Saturday afternoon. There has been some danger of a tricky looking away day being overshadowed by a monumental home clash with title rivals AFC Fylde on Tuesday night - although both Blackett and his manager moved quickly to quash such talk following Tuesday night’s win against Worksop.

The duo have been there, done it and have the t-shirt in National League North title races after helping Gateshead see off the challenge of Brackley Town to gain promotion into the National League four years ago - and Blackett believes the focused approach used by the Heed will benefit South Shields in their bid for success.

“Every game we go into, it’s all about what we do,” he stressed. “We played them here and they gave us a decent game but we have to focus on us and doing what we do best. There is a lot of football to be played so we will focus on Saturday and then it’ll be into recover. That’s how the management team want us to react. There are similarities with Gateshead, not just because I’m working with the same management team. It was Brackley that year, they pushed us and it went to the second last game. You can take from what you’ve learnt in the past and use that experience to help the lads that haven’t been in and around it and that means making sure we just focus on the next training session or the next game.”

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