South Shields claim fourth win in five as 'gritty' display against Buxton is rewarded

South Shields manager Elliott Dickman admitted his young side had to ‘win ugly’ after coming through three major injury blows to claim a 1-0 home win against National League North rivals Buxton.

The Mariners went into the game looking for a fourth win in their last five games and that was exactly what they did thanks to a first-half header from on-loan Gateshead striker Aidan Rutledge. However, injuries to last season’s top goalscorer Paul Blackett, midfielder Will Jenkins and on-loan Stockport County defender Jid Okeke left Dickman’s side to battle through the second-half with a youthful lineup.

Speaking after the win, the Mariners boss told The Gazette: “All credit to everyone on the pitch because they’ve been waiting for their opportunities. Young Ewan (McGowan) has had a little taste and I thought he was fantastic in the second-half, Coleby (Shepherd) is carrying a bit of a knock himself so we are trying to look after him but he had to go on and again he was magnificent. Then young Bryan Taylor comes on at the end and he’s left-footed, but we had to ask him to play at right-back and he was brilliant. It was a really good team performance, not the prettiest of games, not how we want to play but we had to stick in and we had to make it difficult. Credit to the team, we’ve won ugly and at times I don’t think people think that’s we are about - but that’s what we have done tonight.”

The visitors enjoyed the better of the exchanges during the opening 45 minutes as Mariners stopped Myles Boney produced a smart save to deny Djavan Pedro before a Josh Popoola run ended with a driven cross that none of his team-mates could convert. A breakthrough finally arrived just before half-time but it went the way of the Mariners as they opened the scoring with what was their first real sight of goal. After failing to trouble visitors keeper True Grant for the vast majority of the half, Dickman’s side got their breakthrough when Rutledge rose highest to flick an inswinging free-kick from Robert beyond the Bucks number one and into his net.

After suffering an injury blow during the first-half when Blackett was replaced by Shepherd, Dickman was forced to look to his bench once again at half-time as young midfielder McGowan replaced the injured Jenkins. A third injury blow would come inside the final 20 minutes of a largely uneventful second-half as Jid Okeke was flattened by visitors defender Kieran Burton, who was shown a yellow card for the challenge after escaping punishment for pushing Rutledge into the advertising boards during opening stages.

Bryan Taylor came on for the on-loan Stockport County full-back in what suddenly looked like a largely youthful Mariners side. Despite their relative inexperience, Dickman’s young charges stuck to the task and showed plenty of grit and desire - although they had something of a narrow escape when Buxton substitute Sam Tomlinson was narrowly off-target with an effort in the fifth and final minute of added-on time.

The win was secured in no small part down to a man of the match performance by Mariners stalwart Robert Briggs, who earned praise from his manager for a ‘leader’s display’. He said: “We were led by our captain tonight, he was outstanding and it was a leader’s display. He took the game by the scruff of the neck, he sussed it out and he’s brilliant for these young lads.”