Report: South Shields 2-1 Warrington Town

Warrington Town still have second spot in the Northern Premier League in their hands, despite a 2-1 defeat at champions South Shields.

Two early goals helped end the Yellows’ 22-match unbeaten run, but defeat for Bamber Bridge means they remain second in the table.

Results elsewhere also mean Warrington Town are guaranteed a home play-off semi-final, to be played at Cantilever Park on Tuesday 25 April.

The Yellows gave the newly-crowned champions a guard of honour to respect their achievements of the season, and the hosts showed why they have topped the division with two early goals.

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Midfielder Conor Newton controlled the opening quarter of the game, before being forced off injured, and it was his delivery from the right that was headed home by Tom Broadbent to open the scoring inside five minutes.

Four minutes later, Newton’s ball over the top found the diagonal run of Jordy Mongoy, who beat Tony Thompson to the ball and laid off for Robert Briggs to sidefoot home.

The Yellows had been dealt a blow shortly before kick-off with the late withdrawal of Tom Hannigan, and it took them a while to settle in the game.

Josh Amis headed just over the bar from Luke Duffy’s cross, before they were gifted a route back in to the game after 34 minutes. Shields goalkeeper Myles Boney simply passed straight to Duffy, who rounded him and passed the ball in to the empty net.

That gave the visitors something to go at in the second half and they came out quickly after half time, Amis heading straight at Boney and then scuffing a shot from Connor Woods’ low cross when he should have done better.

The game opened up as a result, and Thompson kept out a shot from Lewis Alessandra and saved at the feet of Harry Gardiner.

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A Bohan Dixon piledriver was pushed away by Boney but the best chance fell for Isaac Buckley-Ricketts late on, heading over the bar from five yards out.

The Yellows round off the regular season next Saturday at home to Hyde United, who need a result to secure a play-off berth of their own.

South Shields: Boney, Morse, Adams, Liddle, Broadbent, Smith, Hunter, Briggs, Gardiner (Mottley-Henry), Newton (Alessandra), Mongoy (Heaney)

Warrington Town: Thompson, Walker, White, Williams, Gumbs, Harris (Buckley-Ricketts), Woods (Mols), McDonald, Amis (Buckley), Dixon, Duffy. Unused subs: Hannigan, Warren.