South Shields will make the long trip to National League North rivals Oxford City on Saturday afternoon.

South Shields manager Ian Watson has revealed his players have made the most of the postponement of Tuesday’s home clash with AFC Fylde by working hard on the training pitch.

The Mariners were set to host their National League North title rivals on Tuesday night before the persistent rain made the 1st Cloud Arena playing surface unplayable and forced the postponement of the fixture. However, that allowed Watson and his coaching staff to focus on the rare luxury of a full week on the training pitch ahead of Saturday’s visit to Oxford City and the Mariners boss has insisted that can only be ‘a big positive’ as his side prepare for the long trip south.

He told The Gazette: “You know how much I love training and how much I believe in it and I think the more we get time on the training pitch, the better we will become. Sometimes it’s just good to get those sessions in, to get the detail in, to work on things, because when it’s Saturday games and then Tuesday games, you aren’t really training, it’s just recovery really.

“You end up giving the information on screens and on boards and it’s not training as you’d like it to be. To actually get out there and deliver some details is really important for us with the way we play and the way the boys are. Yes, we were disappointed the game was off but it’s a bit of a blessing for us and we have to turn that into a big positive.”

Pressure

Sonny Finch celebrates after scoring his first South Shields goal against Southport (photo Kevin Wilson) | Kevin Wilson

placeholder image — Sonny Finch celebrates after scoring his first South Shields goal against Southport (photo Kevin Wilson) | Kevin Wilson

Watson’s side travel to Oxford knowing they will face a tough task against a home side that claimed an impressive home win against second placed Fylde last weekend and have also beaten play-off contenders Buxton on their home patch since the turn of the year.

The Mariners boss knows their visit to the RAW Charging Stadium will bring ‘difference pressures’ for his players and stressed they must be ready for what they will face as they look to hand yet another boost to their bid for promotion.

“They beat Fylde last weekend and Fylde are an incredible football side,” he explained. “They found a way to win a game of football against a really good team and we are expecting a really tough test. If you look at the table and look at the second half of the season compared to the first half, the amount of points that the teams at the top pick up is a lot less and the teams at the bottom pick up more.

“It’s one where we know those teams are giving everything they can to get the points they need to stay in the league so there are different pressures involved and we have to be ready for that.”

Watson could hand another start to on-loan Middlesbrough youngster Sonny Finch after he scored in his last two appearances for the club. Carlisle United midfielder Ethan Robson could make his first Mariners start after joining the club on loan and making his debut as a substitute in the draw with Marine.

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