Match Preview: SSFCIA v I2I International U23s Red

South Shields will be looking to bolster their title hopes as they travel to I2I U23 Reds in the National Football Youth League.

The young Mariners are currently in fifth place in the table, with eight games left to play.

They have four games in hand against the teams ahead of them.

Every point they earn is crucial for moving up the table, especially since they still have a shot at the title.

After losing 4-3 to Macclesfield in their last match, Shields will be looking to get back to winning ways.

On the importance of collecting three points in Newcastle, wingback Joseph Abrahart said: “Yeah, it's massively important.

“I think we've come up against some strong teams lately and maybe not done as well as we'd hoped.

“So, tomorrow is going to be a big opportunity to get three points and get back in the race to win the league."

With I2I International U23 Reds struggling towards the bottom of the table, Abrahart reflects on the valuable lessons learned from past encounters: “We have been guilty of doing that in the past [underestimating teams] and maybe haven’t got the results we wanted.

“So, I think we won’t have that mentality going into tomorrow’s game, we’ll be ready for it.”

With fixture postponements and the Easter break, the young Mariners haven’t played a league game in 27 days.

Abrahart said: “We've had a bit of a break, but we've been back in training this week.

“We've had some intense sessions, brought the group back together, and we all feel good heading into tomorrow's game. So, it's important to get back in and back to it.”