North Shields won their first game in three after a last minute header from Ryan Carr.
The forward’s goal was his third in the two games he’s featured in since returning from a long-term injury.
A change in formation and some substitutions led to a late flurry of domination from the Robins, with Hall eventually picking out Carr at the backpost for the winner.
The first half was largely a cagey affair with not too many clear-cut chances for either side, The Robins would have been a little worried after Forster picked up a yellow on the edge of the box; however, the subsequent free kick for the away side was wasted.
The biggest chance of the half came when a North Shields counter attack led to Jamie Holmes driving inside the box from a wide area, his right-footed shot looked destined for the bottom left if not for a superb save by Oliver Bailey. Another chance fell to him in an almost identical area just a minute later, however the ball was struck high over the bar this time.
At the end of the half the Robins had their own edge of the box free kick after Paterson was hacked down by James Dillon. This time the free kick was lobbed into the box before being cleared away by a Rangers defender.
Half-Time: North Shields 0-0 Boro Rangers
After picking up an injury early in the half, Regan Paterson was forced off for Callum Ross, prompting further changes as Stephen Hall replaced Jamie Holmes and Ryan Carr came on for Dean Holmes ten minutes later. From there the game opened up into a far more end-to-end affair.
The two goalkeepers were in action with twenty minutes to go, starting when Elliott had to react quickly to make a world class save to prevent Stuart Rose from finding the top right corner, before Ben Sampson had an effort from six yards out saved by Bailey.
With the game slipping away, Shields shifted into high gear as they bombarded the away side with a flurry of attacks from the wing. Rangers made this especially difficult by sitting in a low block, overwhelming the Shields frontline with pure numbers in the box.
Then, Stephen Hall launched a counter attack from the halfway line, and managed to get into a dangerous position faster than the defenders could get back. However he was promptly hacked down from behind by Ryder Maughan, only receiving a yellow card to the fury of the home faithful.
Hall had the last laugh in added time, dancing past Jacob Thompson on the wing and delivering a perfect cross towards Ryan Carr at the backpost, whose downward header crossed the line before bouncing out again. Luckily the referee caught this and gave the goal, causing pandemonium amongst the supporters and players alike.
Full-Time: North Shields 1-0 Boro Rangers
SHIELDS XI: Elliott, Suddick, Wanless, Sampson, Bexton, Harmison, Paterson (Ross, 56’), Forster (C) , Mason (Cherry, 90+2’), D. Holmes (Carr, 68’), J. Holmes (Hall, 57’)
