Match Report: Worksop Town 0-3 South Shields

South Shields picked up another valuable three points on the road in a 3-0 win against newly-promoted Enterprise National League North side Worksop Town on Tuesday night.

On-loan winger Lemar Gordon gave the visitors the lead shortly before half-time, before a Will Jenkins brace soon after the restart put the game beyond any doubt.

The midweek game also saw Tom Watson keep his first clean sheet as a Mariner.

Due to results elsewhere, it means that Shields remain top of the table by two points heading into this weekend’s home game against Peterborough Sports.

Gordon provided the Mariners with their first opportunity of the game, in the fifth minute, when he sprinted through on goal - the offside flag was swiftly called to put a stop to that threat.

Only a few minutes later, Vaughan Redford charged up the field in the hope of grabbing a goal, but his effort appeared to take a deflection and it went out for a corner. 

Soon after, a Worksop set-piece near their 18-yard box caused enough danger for Shields to threaten the goal, with Luke Woolston being the next in line to flash his shot just wide.

Set-pieces became a recurring theme for the hosts, who took advantage of them and forced Watson into making some superb dives at times.

Robbie Tinkler did excellently at one point to hold onto the ball, before he released it at the perfect moment to Dan Ward, who waltzed past two defending players before he hit the shot wide.

It would have made for a spectacular goal had it gone in, but it wasn’t to be.

Woolston’s shot-hitting instinct continued with a rocket from range, which went very close.

Worksop then nearly scored from a corner; Gordon managed to clear it off the line in heroic fashion.

He later netted Shields’ first goal of the evening, in the 42nd minute, when he nodded the ball past Tommy Taylor.

Jenkins staggeringly managed to score from a corner in the 50th minute, before he extended Shields’ advantage with a well-timed, albeit deflected, finish in the 54th minute.

While Aaron Martin - the former Mariner - struck the post later in the second-half, the game was largely comfortable for Shields, who managed to see out the win.

The lads have little time to rest, however, with Peterborough Sports next up at 1st Cloud Arena on Saturday.

Worksop Town: Taylor, Gooda, Redford, Starcenko, Martin (Burrow 73’), O’Malley, Whitman-Brown (Fadera 73’), Atherton, Whitham, Waterfall, Woods (Wedgbury 73’).

Unused substitutes: Bencherif, Cogill, Tomlinson, Chadwick.

South Shields: Watson, Tinkler, Sykes, Morse, Blackett (Wheeldon 83’), Jenkins, Ward (Savage 82’), Scott (Alcock 85’), Gordon, Woolston, Dodds.

Unused substitutes: McGurk, Mann, Blaney.

Goals: Gordon (42’), Jenkins (50’, 54’).

Attendance: 620.

Image credit: Kev Wilson (@KevWilson19)