Their impressive unbeaten run of late was halted with defeat against Banbury United in the FA Cup on Saturday, whilst FC United of Manchester took all three points from Greenwich Avenue on Tuesday night.

Previously without loss in the league, the Mariners were humbled at Bamber Bridge in the week – going down 3-0 in Lancashire – but their record to date is an impressive one.

Already accumulating 30 points after 13 games, they sit three points behind leaders Matlock Town and seven ahead of nearest competitors Buxton, albeit with two games in hand.

LAST TIME OUT:
Michael Dodds’ long-range effort was enough for Neil Reynolds’ side on Tuesday as FC United won 1-0 in Nottinghamshire when a draw looked fair.

That result followed a harsh defeat against Oxfordshire’s Banbury United in the Third Qualifying Round; substitute Ethan Johnston the Puritan’s hero as they now look forward to facing Bath City of the National League in the next round.

Previously, a run of ten unbeaten in all competitions saw Steve Chettle’s men rise as high as 6th in the Northern Premier League and equal their best-ever run in the Cup competition.

Ewan Bange, Finn Sinclair-Smith and Sheldon Green put Shields to the sword on Tuesday night as they fell to their first league defeat of the season and second in the latest standings.

Prior to that they drew 0-0 at Nantwich and were dumped out of the FA Cup at the same stage as United, losing 3-0 to step four’s Marske United.

Their 1st Cloud Arena stadium, previous Mariners Park, is currently under an impressive renovation and their average home attendance this season is an equally extraordinary 1890.

SOUTH SHIELDS FORM:
Sat, 18 Sep. (A) vs Marske United – 3-0 (L) - FAC
Sat, 25 Sep. (H) vs Warrington Town – 3-2 (W)
Tue, 28 Sep. (H) vs Lancaster City – 2-1 (W)
Sat, 02 Oct. (A) vs Nantwich Town – 0-0 (D)
Tue, 05 Oct. (A) vs Bamber Bridge – 3-0 (L)

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS:
12/01/19: BAS 0-3 SS
13/04/19: SS 1-0 BAS
21/09/19: SS 2-0 BAS

INJURY NEWS:
Boss Chettle has a full bill of health to select from after injuries plagued United’s squad earlier in the season.

Captain Matt Thornhill was an unused substitute in the defeat against FC United but is likely to return to the line-up.

Stef Galinski returned to the XI in the win at Warrington last week, but it’s expected he will remain benched as Dom Roma and Brad Gascoigne continue to partner in defence.

Callum Chettle and Ollie Clarke continue their long-term spell on the sidelines.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE MATCH:
The game is due to kick off at 15:00 and you can track the latest updates on our dedicated Twitter feed (@Basfordutdfc), and see coverage of our match day build-up, including half-time and full-time scores, on our other social media platforms:

Facebook: Basford United Football Club
Instagram: basfordunitedfootballclub

You can also listen to live commentary via the audio platform, Mixlr, with James Ridge and Alex Wood from 14:55.

ADMISSION:
Adults: £10
Concessions: £8
Under 16s: £3

Tickets can be purchased in advance at: https://bookings.southshieldsfc.co.uk/packages/LZEmOKzmpW/e/3RVaAkMGMd

RIVAL WATCH:
Here’s how the rest of the weekend fixtures in the Northern Premier League shape up (league position):

Atherton Collieries (15) – Matlock Town (1)
FC United of Manchester (10) – Nantwich Town (14)
Gainsborough Trinity (13) – Ashton United (15)
Grantham Town (21) – Bamber Bridge (4)
Hyde Hunted (16) – Lancaster City (11)
Mickleover (17) – Morpeth Town (19)
Radcliffe (20) – Buxton (3)
South Shields (2) – BASFORD UNITED (9)
Stafford Rangers (8) – Scarborough Athletic (12)
Warrington Town (7) – Stalybridge Celtic (6)
Whitby Town (5) – Witton Albion (18)