Match Report | North Shields (H)
Town would find themselves unlucky after a close-fought 1-0 defeat at home to North Shields in a much-changed performance from the last time the sides met.
First Half
The visitors started brightly in the game with Ben Fairless having to be alert with a great save down low to his right to deny Stephen Forster, and with 12 minutes gone -Shields did have the ball in the back of the net but Bradley Chisholm was adjudged to have been offside.
An early injury to Ali Banks following a heavy challenge saw Cameron Thomson enter the fray. Town would then get their foothold on the game as it became a bit more end-to-end.
Shields 'keeper Finlay Hodgson saw a pass go straight towards debutant Sam Spenceley however he managed to recover in time to deny Spenceley a goal on debut.
Town would enjoy the majority of attacking chances during the first half with Alfie Conway seeing an effort saved by Hodgson and then McKenzie Dicicco tried his best to find space before running out of room.
Town were still pushing with Shields defending well to limit chances from Spenceley and Dom Moan and the sides would go in level.
HT - Northallerton Town 0 - 0 North Shields
Second Half
Town would come out brightly in the second period, Sam Spenceley causing trouble once more before the Shields defence made amends to clear.
Tom Potter would see a yellow card and a sin-bin for the protestations to the match officials over what felt like every decision in the game, the end of this spell coincided with perhaps Town's best chance of the afternoon.
Sam Spenceley was again at the heart of things alongside Dicicco and Thomson. The latter two worked the ball well between themselves before Dicicco found the run of Spenceley whose curled effort towards the bottom right was just wide of the post.
The deadlock was finally broken with around 20 to play. Tom Potter returning from his sin-bin found space on the edge of the area and fired a great strike towards goal which would cannon off the post directly to the feet of Bradley Chisholm to tap home the rebound - with Fairless ever so close to clawing it out.
Town would go looking for an equaliser in what would have been a fair result in the game. However, a combination of good defending from the visitors and the final ball not quite working for Town they were unable to muster any clear chances to claw back the all-important goal.
FT - Northallerton Town 0 - 1 North Shields
Northallerton
Fairless, McGuckin (Graham 79'), Cocks, Moan, Luck, Flounders, Chidanyika (Hogan 69'), Conway, Dicicco, Spenceley, Banks (Thomson 15' (Jones 79'))
Subs not used: Connor
North Shields
Hodgson, Bexton, Forster, Oliver, Myers, Robson, Hird, McIntyre, Chisholm, Potter, Turner (Joisce 81')
Subs not used: Thompson, Ball, Leonard, Agostinho
Goals: Chisholm (69')