Radcliffe 0 South Shields 4

Radcliffe concede four against league-leaders South Shields.

It was an evening to forget for Lee Fowler’s side as they endured a 4-0 defeat at the hands of South Shields.

The Boro conceded three goals in a nightmare four minutes midway through the firsthalf, with the North-East based side adding a fourth late on.

Despite the scoreline, Radcliffe made a good start to the game, defending well when pressured and creating some good chances from either side of the wings. Adam Dawson superbly beat two players with silky footwork inside the box, he then found a gap to shoot on his left foot, however his shot wasn’t close enough to trouble Mariners goalkeeper Myles Boney.

On twenty-six minutes, South Shields were ahead through Ntumba Massanka. The former Burnley man put the away side in front after some good play down the left flank by the winger, eventually playing him in on goal to tap home.

Only a minute later, South Shields doubled their lead with a left footed effort which deflected off Cam Belford on his way in. Darius Osei drove at the Boro defence before ignoring his options and opting to shoot, his shot went through the legs of Belford and into the back of the net.

To add to that, South Shields gained a three goal advantage through former Leicester midfielder Connor Tee. The 21-year-old smashed a low effort into the bottom corner, away from an outstretched Cam Belford, sending the away side into half-time 3-0 up.

One minute after the interval, South Shields were awarded a penalty. Tom Miller got back excellently to block the ball on the line, however his block fell to Kempster who rounded Belford and was tripped up by the goalkeeper, leaving the referee with no other choice but to point to the spot. Fortunately, Robert Briggs hit the penalty wide of the mark to the right hand side.

With two minutes to go until full time, Darius Osei doubled his tally for the evening. A free kick from his own half was played into him, he then turned Tom Miller inside out to create an opening for himself to shoot. His curling shot deflected off of Jo Cummings, wrong-footing Cam Belford on its way in who could only stand and watch as it rolled into the bottom corner of the net.

That goal put an end to a disappointing evening for the Boro, certainly one we can put behind us as we look towards Saturday’s FA Cup game against Mossley at Seel Park.