North Shields suffered their second consecutive league defeat on Saturday as they succumbed to a narrow 2-1 defeat away at Shildon.
Reece Wanless took the lead for the Robins in the first half, but a Greulich-Smith brace which included an 89th minute winner meant the home side secured all 3 points.
From the off it was clear that both teams were after a win. After an early scare following a header from a corner that narrowly flashed over the crossbar, the Robins responded by going on the offensive, looking great on the build-up but missing that key finish at the end.
That was of course until Reece Wanless, continuing his great form this season, put the away side ahead. Blair Adams and Ben Sampson linked up well to set the number 10 up just inside the box, and he executed a very casual finish with his right foot into the bottom corner.
He then went on to almost bag an assist just before the half hour mark, making a great run down the wing and firing a low cross into the feet of Blair, his shot deflected out for a corner.
The hosts sit just two points away from league leaders Guisborough Town, and it was at this point that they began to show the quality that put them in that spot. Andrei-Vasile Adelean’s powerful shot on the turn was blocked by Lewis Suddick, and the resulting corner led to midfielder Thomas Price flashing an effort past the post from close range.
They soon equalised after the Robins failed to deal with a loose ball in the box, in a crowded area it was Greulich-Smith who found himself in the right place at the right time, and he hit the ball low and hard past Elliott to make it 1-1.
HALF-TIME: Shildon A.F.C 1-1 North Shields
North Shields shifted into a more counter-attacking outfit in the second half. Keeping the hosts mostly quiet and hitting fast on the break through Lashley, Slater and Ogbewe. The latter had an opportunity to score early in the half as space opened in front of him on the edge of the box, but his strike lacked the power required to test Harrison Bond in goal.
Railwaymen players and fans alike were up in arms not long after as they felt a player was hacked down in the box for a penalty, but the referee was uninterested.
After some North Shields substitutions Elliott was back in action to make a vital save from close range, before Regan Paterson caused serious problems for the home defence having just came on, working the ball up the pitch which eventually landed to feet of Lashley on the edge of the box. His first time effort was spilled behind for a corner.
For much of the final 20 minutes it looked likely that Shields would nick a goal on the break, but it wasn’t to be as Shildon bagged a late winner from a corner. In almost identical fashion to his equaliser, Greulich-Smith took advantage of a loose ball in the box to tap home from close range, and pandemonium ensued amongst the home fans.
Shields almost salvaged a point in extra time through one more long cross into the box on the counter. Stephen Hall rose to meet it, but his header went agonisingly wide of the post.
FULL-TIME: Shildon A.F.C 2-1 North Shields
North Shields: Elliott, Suddick, Adams, Ross, Anderson (Harmison 72′), Sampson, Lashley, Forster (Hall 81′), Ogbewe (Mason 71′), Wanless (Holmes 79′), Slater (Paterson 72′)
