Our final pre-season friendly of the summer ended with honours even, as we drew 1-1 with Northern League Division Two side Jarrow F.C.
Despite only 12 senior players being available for the Robins, several players from development sides and New Hartley Juniors made appearances
Jarrow impressed in the first half, testing Elliott with the first real attack of the game before taking the lead after 20 minutes when a forward outpaced his man and drilled the ball home with his right foot.
Their lead would only last ten minutes, though, as Blair Adams equalised after a period of play that mostly took place in the visitor’s final third.
At the end of the half, Dean Holmes nearly put the Robins in the lead after being slipped through by Stephen Hall, but from a tight angle he blazed his shot over the bar.
HALF-TIME: North Shields 1-1 Jarrow F.C.
As expected in pre-season, the second half saw a much-changed Robins side, as Brian Smith gave chances to many of the younger players at his disposal. One impressive addition was a young midfielder from New Hartley Juniors who acted as the engine, pinging balls forward and showing terrier-style aggression to win the ball back high up the field.
One of his best moments involved playing an inch-perfect pass over the top of the defence, which found Hall running to meet it in the box to unfortunately send it over the bar in his stride. Had this gone in, it may well have been one of the greatest goals seen at the Daren Persson Stadium in many years.
Minutes from time, the same player was heavily involved in our potential winning goal that was disallowed for offside. This time whipping the ball perfectly to the head of Euan Anderson from a free-kick, who nodded the ball home, only for the assistant referee’s flag to rule the effort out for offside after Anderson had started his run too early.
FULL-TIME: North Shields 1-1 Jarrow F.C.
Our first league game of the season will take place away at Newton Aycliffe this Saturday, with tickets at The Ashcourt Group Stadium costing £8 for adults, £7 for concessions and £3 for children.
