South Shields 'fell short of usual standards' in Chester defeat

South Shields manager Elliott Dickman bemoaned his side’s defensive lapses as their recent upturn in form was ended by a narrow defeat at Chester.

The Mariners made their way to the Deva Stadium on the back of winning four of their last five games and were hoping to claim a third consecutive maximum after seeing off Scarborough Athletic and Buxton over the last seven days. In what was a tight and nervy contest, where both sides enjoyed positive spells, it was a Tom Peers goal just before the interval that settled the contest in favour of the hosts.

The goal itself came thanks to a defensive lapse of concentration as a Kurt Willoughby cross found Declan Weeks and that allowed him to set up Peers to beat Boney from close range and condemn the Mariners to a defeat. Dickman admitted his side fell short of their usual standards and urged his players to strive for better over the coming weeks.

He told The Gazette: “It would be fair to say we weren’t at our best today. We weren’t at our normal standards and we have to say that is disappointing because we have been in good form recently. It was just one of those days because we knew what they’d do, we knew how they play and it was tight but they got the goal. I just wish someone would score a world class goal against us but we let ourselves down with our defensive play. We need to be better and the standards we set for ourselves just weren’t hit.”

There was one bright spot from the day for Dickman and his squad after former Sunderland midfield Martin Smith returned to action for the first time this season after he suffered a fractured skull and bleed on the brain during the summer.

“The positive from the day is seeing Martin Smith back on the pitch,” said Dickman after the game. “He’s healthy, he’s safe and it was great to see him back out there for us. That was really a big bonus for us.”

The Mariners are back in action next Saturday afternoon when they visit Northern Premier League Premier Division leaders Macclesfield in the FA Cup second qualifying round.