South Shields aim to extend their unbeaten start to the season

Both sides have picked up four points from their opening two games in the Northern Premier League, having won their first fixture before drawing in midweek.

Shields’ stalemate was away to Ashton United on Tuesday, with Michael Woods notching for the second time in two matches to earn his side a point.

They will be looking for more at the Marine Travel Arena, but will face a team full of confidence having won promotion through the play-offs last season, hot on the heels of a historic run to the third round of the FA Cup the previous campaign.

Marine’s cup exploits – which culminated in a tie against Tottenham Hotspur which was screened live on national television – helped fund a new 3G pitch, which Shields manager Kevin Phillips hopes will play to his team’s strengths.

Ahead of the game, Phillips said: “This is another tough match for us, but it’s one we’re looking forward to.

“It’s always challenging to play a newly-promoted team and they’ve had a good start to the season, so we know the kind of intensity to expect.

“They play on a 3G pitch, which I’d like to think will suit us with the way we like to play football,” he added.

Former Sunderland legend Phillips has stressed Shields have plenty of areas for improvement following Tuesday’s draw, particularly their first half performance.

He added: “We had to mix it up a bit on Tuesday and play slightly more direct than we normally would, and we should have won.

“We’ll be able to get the ball down on the deck and play the patterns and football we know we can play this weekend, hopefully.

“Over a long season, we’re going to have first halves like the one we had on Tuesday.

“Not everything is going to go our way and we’re not going to play every team off the park, so we have to learn different ways to win.

“On Tuesday we learned another way of getting a point but on Saturday, we should be able to play more like the way we want.

“We’ll be well recovered and ready to go,” he added.

The teams last met in last season’s FA Trophy, with Marine prevailing in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.

Shields remain without injured quartet Tom Broadbent, Cedric Main, JJ Hooper and Callum Ross for their trip to Crosby, Merseyside.

Dillon Morse is available again after recovering from a groin injury, but the Mariners are expected to ease him back into the squad by building match fitness with the club’s Academy teams.

Kick-off in Saturday’s game at the Marine Travel Arena – which has a post code of L23 3AS – is at 3pm and admission prices are £10 for adults, £6 for over-65s, students and those aged 14 to 17, £3 for children aged 11 to 13 and free for under-11s.