South Shields manager Elliott Dickman ready for return to action after free weekend

Elliott Dickman believes South Shields have taken an opportunity to assess their current state during their recent break from on-field action.

The Mariners battled their way to a 2-2 draw against Peterborough Sports last Saturday as goals from Lucas De Bolle and Kyle Crossley were cancelled out by Turbines duo Dan Jarvis and Michael Gyasi ensured the spoils were shared.

The game preceded a week-long break for Dickman and his players following their FA Trophy defeat at the hands of Spennymoor Town last month - and the former Newcastle United and Sunderland academy coach has been determined to put their time on the training pitch to good use.

He told The Gazette: “It’s important we have the break to give lads time to recover from injuries and we have hit 30 games this season including pre-season games and it’s only the first week of December, which is a lot of football and we have a lot of football left to play. We have players that have played through the pain barrier and have done the best they can for the club and for their team-mates.

“We just need to make sure those players are looked after and it’s good to get on the training pitch, get some hard work in and make sure we use the time to be fully prepared for the game against Rushall Olympic on Tuesday. It’s a good chance to look at everything and assess where we are at going into a key part of the season.”