AN early second half goal sent Warrington Town to defeat at South Shields after they had taken a first half lead.
Matty McDonald scored away from home for the second successive game to give the Yellows the lead in an open first half, though it was almost immediately cancelled out by Will Jenkins.
Ashton Mee’s well hit shot in to the corner just three minutes after the restart was enough to earn the hosts their first win of the season.
The two meetings between these two old foes had ended in a draw last season and it was even from the outset.
Both sides had periods where they controlled possession from the back without really creating anything, with the attacking play almost coming in various flurries.
The first was triggered by a driving run by the excellent Jid Okeke, getting forward from right back and cutting in before hitting a rising shot that Dan Atherton helped on its way over the bar.
From that, the Yellows hit Shields on the counter attack for their first real chance of the game, a fine tackle by Jamie Bramwell denying Gez Sithole who had been released by Connor Woods.
Woods’ subsequent corner was hooked just over the bar by McDonald, but within a minute, he had opened the scoring.
Intercepting a loose pass in the Shields half, McDonald released Josh Miles to fire a shot that rattled off the underside of the crossbar, bounced out and McDonald was able to steer it in despite the presence of three defenders on the line.
The lead only lasted five minutes though, Okeke riding a couple of tackles and pulling back for Jenkins to shoot in to the top corner.
That wasn’t the end of the first flurry of attacking action, Woods having a low shot pushed away by Myles Boney.
The game settled down for a spell before again coming to life – Atherton denying a poke goalwards by Okeke and Miles forcing a smart stop from Boney at the other end.
The best chance fell to last season’s top goalscorer Paul Blackett, who poked wide from six yards out after some nice interchange in the box between Jenkins and Mackenzie Heaney.
Whatever Mark Beesley said to his troops at half time was ripped up within three minutes as Shields scored what would ultimately be the winning goal.
A pass through got Mee space between the lines and he drove forward and hit a low shot across the ‘keeper and perfectly in to the far corner.
For a while, the Yellows struggled to get a handle on possession and it looked more likely that Shields would find a third.
The visitors did have chances though, Bohan Dixon denied by Boney at the far post after Woods’ free kick from deep had skimmed off a defender’s head, and Miles maybe should have done better in steering Mikey O’Neill’s cross straight at the keeper.
Substitute Joe Rodwell-Grant was denied by the feet of Boney, although he was flagged offside from Woods’ cross anyway.
As the Yellows searched for an equaliser, there was even a chance for goalscoring goalkeeper Atherton, who headed wide from a late free-kick.
The Yellows now move on to four consecutive home games, starting with the visit of Kidderminster on Saturday.
South Shields: Boney, Okeke, Bramwell, Broadbent, Shepherd, Briggs, Ward (Mee), Jenkins, Heaney, Blackett, Crossley (Rutledge). Unused subs: Seymour, Taylor, McGowan
Warrington Town: Atherton, White, Gumbs, Woods, O’Neill, McDonald, Bennett, Dixon, Sithole, Miles (Rodwell-Grant), Southern. Unused subs: Roper, Gill, Smalley, McAuley.
