The Robins were on the wrong side of a goalfest as league leaders Consett AFC ran out 6-3 winners in what was actually an evenly fought contest.
Two first-half goals from Callum Johnston were not enough for the Robins as goals from Luke Carr, Daniel Craggs, David Dowson and Nicholas Cassidy gave the hosts a two goal lead.
A goal midway through the second half from Curtis Coppen, following a well struck cross, gave Shields a route back into the game.
However, goals from Craggs and Calvin Smith opened up the gap once more and with the weather deteriorating, the Robins couldn’t find their way back.
Following a 3-1 loss to Hebburn Town the previous weekend, the hosts will have wanted to get going as soon as possible and they did just that in the fifth minute.
Having defended a Shields attack moments before, Consett broke forwards and having been played through on goal, Luke Carr was able to beat Greg Purvis with a low shot from inside the penalty area.
The hosts tails were now up and only two minutes later, Dowson smartly beat his marker before trying his luck on goal, only to fire the ball well over the crossbar.
Craig Spooner was the first Robin to test Consett shot-stopper Kyle Hayes in the 11th minute with an acrobatic effort from a corner, however, he couldn’t quite connect with the ball and the effort was saved.
The Robins weren’t allowing Consett any time on the ball and in the 14th minute they drew level through Johnston. Following some excellent play from Craig Spooner and Paul Robinson, the former Gateshead striker found himself in the box with the ball at his feet before hammering it into the back of the net.
And within the blink of an eye, the Robins found themselves infront following another goal from the red-hot Johnston. After controlling another pin-point Spooner cross, Johnston worked his way down the left-hand side before curling a sensational effort over the head of Hayes and into the back of the net from the corner of the box.
Having been stunned by the sheer ruthlessness of the Robins attack, the hosts began to start turning the screw and in the 18th minute, fullback Nicholas Green rose highest at the far post before heading the ball onto the top of the crossbar and behind for a goalkick.
They weren’t made to regret this miss as in the 23rd minute, Dowson beat the offside trap before charging through on goal, rounding the keeper and passing the ball into the far corner of the goal to draw Consett level.
Things improved further for the hosts as in the 26th minute, having been awarded a freekick 20-yards out from goal, Craggs gave Consett the lead after he arrowed the ball over the Shields wall and into the bottom corner of the net.
After a brief lull in the game, the Robins came within inches of drawing level once again in the 37th minute after Hayes spilled the ball at the feet of midfielder Bobby Taylor, however, after bringing the ball under control, his shot was cleared off the line by defender Darren Holden.
Consett made the Robins pay for this miss when in the 41st minute, following a scrambled clearance, Cassidy’s ferocious shot from around 25-yards out whizzed through a packed out penalty area and past the outstretched Shields keeper to increase the hosts lead to two.
With the weather taking a turn for the worse as the second half began, both teams struggled to create many chances of any worth.
The first real attempt on goal came the way of the Robins when substitute Sean McRoberts fired a shot at the Consett goal which whistled narrowly wide in the 66th minute.
This effort seemed to buoy the visitors and in the 75th minute, having applied some extreme pressure on the Consett goal, Coppen capitalised on another spillage from Hayes before hammering the ball home from close range; giving the Robins a hope of coming away from this game with something.
However, with the game entering the last ten minutes and with the weather getting increasingly worse, the hosts struck once more when after a quick breakaway, Smith was on hand to fire past Purvis to increase the score to 5-3.
And just as Shields did in the first half, Consett did the same in the second when they scored a quick-fire goal almost straight after the restart when Craggs was able to seal the win in the 88th minute with a decent effort.
Final Score: Consett AFC 6 North Shields 3
Referee: David Pill
Attendance: 420
Consett AFC Starting Eleven: Kyle Hayes, Nicholas Green (Nathan Lawrence 78), Darren Holden, Nicholas Cassidy, Arjun Purewal, Ryan McKinnon, Calvin Smith, Daniel Craggs (c), Richard Juul, Luke Carr (Adam Male 88), David Dowson (Michael Mackay 75)
Unused Substitutes: Matty Cornish, Jordan Lavery
North Shields Starting Eleven: Greg Purvis, Jack Donnison, Jordan Summerly, Craig Spooner, Kevin Hughes (c), Bobby Taylor (Sean McRoberts 60), Finlay Hayhurst, Callum Johnston (Gary Day 75), Ryan Carr, Paul Robinson (Lewis McGeoch 66)
Unused Substitutes: Gary Ormston, Mark McManus
