SHIELDS’ SIX-HITTERS URGED TO GRAB GLORY
JOINT BOSS FENTON WANTS MARINERS TO LIFT VASE AFTER CLINCHING SEMI SPOT IN STYLE
Joint manager Graham Fenton told of his delight after watching South Shields sail into the last four of the Buildbase FA Vase – but insists his side have achieved nothing yet.
The Mariners are now into the semi-finals of three cup competitions following Saturday’s 6-1 crushing of Newport Pagnell Town.
They are also well-placed in second in Northern League Division One, knowing a top-three finish would be enough to secure promotion. However, Fenton insists that unless the Mariners convert their current position into trophies, it will all ultimately mean nothing.
He said: “It is a great achievement so far, to reach three semi-finals. No one remembers semi-finalists, though, so we’ve now got to push on and make sure we get into finals, and hopefully pick up a few trophies.”
Shields went 2-0 up inside the first six minutes on Saturday thanks to stunning strikes from David Foley and Wayne Phillips.
Those goals led to a carnival atmosphere among a record Mariners Park crowd of 3,161. And Fenton also feels they played a crucial role in settling the players down on such a big occasion.
He added: “The start went exactly to plan.
“They were two unbelievable strikes to get us 2-0 ahead and I think that just settled everyone down.
“You go into the game with a little bit of nerves, but when you’re 2-0 up in such a short space of time, it settles everyone. The lads went on from there and it was brilliant that they performed well.
“The last two times we had played in front of really big crowds, it didn’t quite go to plan, and we hadn’t been at our best.
“This time, we were excellent and hopefully the people who came for the first time will have had their appetites whet, and want to come back again and support us.”
The Vase semi-final draw will take place today, with Shields joined by Cleethorpes Town, Bromsgrove Sporting and Coleshill Town.
The two-legged last four ties will be played on March 11 and 18, with the final at Wembley on Sunday, May 21.
Newport Pagnell, who knocked Sunderland RCA out in the last round, were behind after just three minutes as Foley picked the ball up 40 yards out, danced past a defender before unleashing a stunning left-foot strike which crashed inoff the post.
It was 2-0 three minutes later as the visitors again failed to close down a shot from distance and Phillips’ left-footer arrowed into the corner of the netfrom25yards.
Dillon Morse added a third goal on 23 minutes, heading home a Phillips corner, and Robert Briggs quickly made it 4-0, rounding off a flowing team move – which went from right to left and back again – by powering a rising shot into the top corner.
Gavin Cogdon added to Newport Pagnell’s woes with two goals in three minutes after the hour mark.
His first was a dubious penalty after he raced clean through and appeared to get the ball stuck under his feet before falling to the ground. Referee Anthony Blackhouse awarded a penalty, however, which Cogdon converted.
For his second, and Shields’ sixth, a quick exchange with Andrew Stephenson on the edge of the box was finished with a beautifully controlled volley into the bottom corner.
Elliott Sandy hit a late consolation, but it did not put a dampener on a great day for the Mariners.