Gillies grabs a dramatic late winner
SOUTH SHIELDS STALYBRIDGE 3 2
JOSH Gillies was South Shields’ match-winner as his injury-time goal helped the Mariners claim all three points in a five-goal thriller.
Stalybridge struck first on 18 minutes with a goal from Neil Kengni, who made the most of some determined approach play from Scott Bakkor before stroking the ball past Liam Connell.
Jack Taylor came close to extending Celtic’s advantage when he headed wide from a corner moments later, but that miss seemed to spark the hosts into life and Mariners captain Jon Shaw had two chances to restore parity as the half-hour approach.
Neither effort found the target, but Lee Mason fired home the equaliser from the edge of the box after a quickly-taken free-kick had caught out the visitors.
Celtic went back in front two minutes into the second half via Kengni’s second of the day, his effort looped against the crossbar before nestling in Connell’s net.
But the Mariners hit back again just after the hour-mark when Mason found some space in the area and made no mistake.
But there was to be a winner and it came from Gillies, as the winger’s cross somehow found its way past keeper Jake Turner, to the delight of the majority of those inside Mariners Park.
SOUTH SHIELDS: Connell, Baxter, Adams, Shaw, Morse, Turnbull, Cogdon (Cogdon), Briggs, Mason (Brown), Finnigan, Lowe (Foley) Subs: Lough, Mouanda STALYBRIDGE: Turner, Tongue, Taylor, Clarke, Smalley, Dent, Wilkinson, Bakkor, Wolfenden, Scott (Jones), Kengni Subs: Marx, Hughes, Crawford, Winterbottom
WHITBY TOWN MATLOCK TOWN
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WHITBY Town’s inconsistent form continued as they were beaten at home by Matlock Town.
Things had started well for Chris Hardy’s side as Matty Tymon put them in front on seven minutes, getting on the end of a high cross from Kieran Weledji and bundling the ball home.
The lead lasted until just after the half-hour when Marcus Marshall got the visitors level with a calm finish after racing in behind the Whitby back-four.
The Gladiators went in front for the first time midway through the second half as Luke Hinsley punished an error by Seasiders defender Alex White.
Any Whitby thoughts of a comeback were ended when Marshall rolled home his second and his side’s third on 80 minutes.
The result leaves the Seasiders in 11th place in the table, 11 points behind Gainsborough Trinity in the final play-off place.
WHITBY TOWN: Mchugh, Weledji, Sukar, Gell, Lees, White, Hopson, Scott, Tymon, Rutherford, Maloney Subs: Mctiernan, Wilson, Bullock, Mcwilliams, Norton MATLOCK TOWN: Durrant, Hare, Beevers, Hollingsworth, Wiley, Yates, Chappell, Taylor, Hinsley, Marshall, King Subs: Beatson, Jackson, Westcarr, Whitehead, Hall