What Mike Williamson 'absolutely loved' about South Shields' 1-0 win at Spennymoor Town
Paul Blackett’s first half goal secured South Shields a 1-0 win at Spennymoor Town in National League North.
Mike Williamson believes South Shields showed both sides of their game after edging past North East rivals Spennymoor Town 1-0 at The Brewery Field.
The Mariners secured a second consecutive National League North win, with striker Paul Blackett on target against his former club in the first half to help his side stay one point behind leaders Oxford City, whom they travel to face on Saturday.
Spennymoor goalkeeper Matt Urwin brilliantly denied Cedwyn Scott twice in quick succession before Blackett broke in behind to open the scoring in the 23rd minute.
Williamson’s side then had to dig deep in the second half to secure their first away win in league since Hednesford in early September.
What Mike Williamson ‘absolutely loved’ about South Shields’ win at Spennymoor Town
Substitute Caden Kelly missed from six yards out and hit the crossbar late on as Shields were unable to extend their lead, but Williamson was pleased with the way his team saw out the three points.
“I felt our attacking play in the first half was brilliant, and then our defensive display in the second half was equally as strong,” Williamson told The Gazette. “And we could have had a couple more in the second half.
“But like I say, it's a local derby and it's never going to be easy. And I thought we were really professional.”
“The clean sheet? Yeah, I loved it,” Williamson replied. “Absolutely. Genuinely. That's the type of 45 minutes that I enjoy at the end, not during it so much because we haven't got control of the game. But just the character and the personality.
“The whole back four. Sykesy [Cain Sykes], obviously he’s just come back from injury, so Doddsy [Dan Dodds] going back there. But Manny [Ethan Mann] and Tinks [Robbie Tinkler] and Joe [Emery] were just outstanding.
“And in front of them, Toby [Onanaye] and Khanya [Leshabela] just covered so much distance. Yeah, it was just like a real good team performance. It was really pleasing.
“Blackie, you just want him on the pitch all the time. He's hungry to score. You can see he runs extra than he needs to because he’s just desperate to be put through and stretch the back line. We're very fortunate to have him on the team.”
‘Completely irrelevant’ - Mike Williamson on Spennymoor Town’s league position
Shields made the short trip to County Durham sitting fourth in the National League North table, while Spennymoor sat bottom and were still reeling from their 3-0 hammering at rivals Darlington on Saturday.
“Yeah, it's completely irrelevant to me,” Williamson said of the Moors’ league position. “We know how tough it's going to be. They made a lot of changes as well, so there's a lot of unknown players. That was not the typical Spenny team that we've faced in the past.
“So yeah, they had energy. They were on the front foot. It wasn't easy. But really pleasing to get through it.”