North Shields strolled through their rescheduled home fixture against Thornaby AFC with a well deserved 2-0 victory.
A remarkable half-volley by Ben Sampson took the Robins into a 1-0 lead at the break, before Ogbewe guaranteed the win with a minute to go.
The originally scheduled meeting between the two sides back in November was abandoned after 18 minutes when Blues goalkeeper Harry Alderson suffered a broken tibia.
This weekend’s meeting started with Stephen Hall almost scoring a thunderous bicycle kick in the box after just 10 minutes. The acrobatic shot was destined for the roof of the net were it not for a quick reflex save by Sam Taylor to deflect the ball onto the crossbar and behind. This was the first of four shots for the home side that would hit the woodwork.
Adam Doyle was a danger all half, making several overlapping runs down the right wing, the youngster had his best effort at goal after making one of these runs into the box and trying to squeeze a shot inside Taylor’s near-post, but the keeper stood firm to make the save.
After further pressure, Ben Sampson fired Shields into the lead with a brilliant volley. Jordan Lashley whipped a free kick into the box which was headed just a couple yards out to the midfielder, who timed his effort perfectly with the bounce of the ball to whallop the ball into the roof of the net.
Half-Time: North Shields 1-0 Thornaby FC
Shields would have a plethora of key opportunities in the second half. In the end it was unbeliveable that the score was as kept as low as 2-0.
Hall would have two further efforts before being taken off, a right footed shot in the box that whizzed inches wide of the post, and a longer range effort that soared high over the goalframe.
Reece Wanless would hit the bar a minute later with a chipped effort, and Lashley would hit the post after pulling off a deft flick past his defender and going for a curler with his left foot.
Lee Mason got in on the act with a rare spinning back heel volley, which whistled past the post once again. By this point, fans around the ground were audibly perplexed at how their team was still only up by one goal.
The defence had to work hard at times to prevent Thornaby from ever testing Callum Elliott, Ben Harmison stood out in particular and was a real rock at the back in the second half.
Going forward, frustrations would intensify when Wanless hit an effort on target, but this time Taylor would pull off another great save to deny him.
Substitutes Paterson and Ryan Carr narrowly missed two headers in the last ten minutes, but just as hope of a second goal seemed lost, Ogbewe stepped up with his first goal since December. With the ball whipped into the box, Lashley had a shot saved and deflected to the feet of ‘Nella’, who tapped home and wheeled away in celebration. What a way to announce your arrival back in the starting XI.
Moments before the final whistle, Shields would have one more shot at goal via Sampson from range which, fittingly for this fixture, hit the woodwork.
Full-Time: North Shields 2-0 Thornaby F.C
Robins XI: Elliott, Doyle (Carr, 53′), Adams (Anderson, 90+2), Forster (C), Cherry, Harmison, Sampson, Wanless, Hall (Ogbewe, 67′), Mason (Paterson, 81′), Lashley (Holmes, 90+1)
