A second half brace from Michael Chilton helped Seaham Red Star to a 2-1 victory over high-flying North Shields.
Jack Cooper’s fine finish midway through the first half gave the Robins the lead heading into the break.
However, Chilton’s two well-taken strikes saw the Star on the verge of their second victory in a row.
And despite a late flurry of opportunities for the Robins, they fell to only their second defeat in nine games.
It was the hosts who began the game brightly, with Craig Spooner having the first real chance on goal in the fourth minute, only for the ball to bobble narrowly wide of the post.
Three minutes later and the hosts came even closer to an opening goal when Paul Robinson’s whipped freekick almost caught Chris Bannon out in the Seaham goal. Thankfully for Seaham, Bannon was just about alert enough to tip the ball away to safety.
With the wind picking up a bit, both teams struggled to maintain possession of the ball.
It took until the 21st minute for Seaham to create the next chance of the game ex-Robin Dan Wilson was played through on goal, however, Michael Robinson rushed off his line to smother the ball at his feet.
Three minutes after that, Michael was on hand once again to deny Seaham when he parried a Chilton shot away from immediate danger.
With the visitors starting to take control of the game, the Robins managed to open the scoring in the 28th minute when Cooper managed to break free of the Seaham defence before cutting inside of his marker, composing himself and hammering the ball past Bannon.
Going one goal behind didn’t deter the Star as they continued to apply pressure. As the game entered the 33rd minute, an excellent sliding block from Jack Donnison denied the Seaham attack another chance on goal.
Wilson was having a strong game against his former team and in the 41st minute, a bit more composure after some excellent skill would have almost certainly tested the keeper, however, he could only fire well over from close range.
Just before the break, the Robins had a glorious chance to double their lead when Jordan Summerly squared the ball to Cooper, with the goalkeeper well off his line, only for the youngster to scoop the ball over the crossbar.
The Star began the second half well but struggled initially to cope with the wind, with the Robins defence able to mop up any missed passes.
However, in the 65th minute, Chilton was on hand to give Seaham a deserved equaliser when he powered home his effort from the centre of the penalty are.
The visitors were looking strong since their equaliser but again could capitalise on their pressure.
With ten minutes left on the clock, substitute Callum Johnston was played through on goal after a beautifully weighted pass, only to see Bannon smother the ball before he could chip it over the keeper.
This miss was punished in the 82nd minute as Chilton once again was causing the Robins defence something of a headache. After beating the offside trap, Chilton collected the ball in the Robins penalty area before stroking the ball home.
Going behind seemed to bring the hosts to life and only one minute after the goal, Gaz Bainbridge raced through on goal with the ball at his feet, only for Bannon to wrap himself around the ball.
In the 85th minute, Johnston came ever so close to drawing the Robins level when he collected the ball from an excellent Donnison cross, however, his goal-bound strike was blocked by the Seaham defence.
Since being introduced to the game, Bainbridge was finding plenty of space in which to attack and in the 86th minute, he once again broke free on goal, however, Bannon was on hand once again to prevent the strike.
The hosts had one final chance to rescue a point when David Hall found space to attempt a half volley from inside the penalty area, but the midfielder could only manage to fire the ball over.
Final Score: North Shields 1 Seaham Red Star 2
Attendance: 322
Referee: Glen Hart
North Shields Starting Eleven: Michael Robinson, Jack Donnison, Jordan Summerly (David Hall 45), Gary Ormston, Josh Nearney, Mark McManus, Sean McRoberts, Craig Spooner, Gary Day (Callum Johnston 75), Jack Cooper, Paul Robinson (Gareth Bainbridge 68)
Yellow Cards: Jack Donnison 35, Gary Ormston 81
Unused Substitutes: Josh Skivington
Seaham Red Star Starting Eleven: Chris Bannon, Scott Young, Paul Weldon, Liam Gillesphey, Anthony Myers, Curtis Coppen, Paul Gardiner (Nathan Greenwood 62), Lee Kerr, Dan Wilson, Michael Chilton (Daley Clarke 91), Joseph Hailes
Yellow Cards: Liam Gillesphey 31, Dan Wilson 93
Unused Substitutes: Daniel Hailes, Liam McNamara, Matthew Wilkinson
