North Shields succumbed to a 3-0 defeat on home soil in this fixture.
A first loss in six for the Robins, who struggled to break down Guisborough’s defensive line throughout the game.
It was always going to be a challenge facing the Priorymen, who at this stage are several points clear at the top of the table. Kurtis Howes scored a first half brace before Matthew Willshaw added a third midway through the second half.
Shields fell behind after just four minutes through forward Kurtis Howes, who latched onto Jack Bailey’s whipped free kick into the box at the back post and poked the ball past Callum Elliott. 0-1.
It was one way traffic at times in the first half, and the away side almost doubled their lead in the 17th minute after a crafty one two between Howes and Joe Ferguson on the wing led to the former firing a low cross towards midfielder Jack Bailey, who hit the left post from close range.
Minutes later, Blair Adams tried to clear the ball out of Shields’ box, but it was intercepted by Ferguson, who slipped a through ball past the defence for Howe to pounce on and score his second. 0-2.
Howes was then substituted in the 27th minute, presumably through injury, and North Shields attempted to create chances to get into the game, but they struggled to get through the Priorymen’s defensive line, just a few flurries into the final third and unment crosses into the box was as good as it got in the first 45.
Half-time North Shields 0-2 Guisborough Town
Shields would’ve hoped to change the trejectory of the game in the second half, and did manage to keep the ball in Guisborough’s half for a longer period, but they couldn’t find their way back into the contest.
In the 59th minute, Bailey won the ball back for the away side near the halfway line and did well with the outside of his foot to find Matthew Willshaw, who forced two great saves out of Elliott before he scored after the second rebound landed in front of him. 0-3.
Brian Smith knew things had to change, throwing making changes in the 66th minute in a bid to inject a breath of fresh air into the match, but nothing turned the tide in his team’s favour.
There was a scuffle between the two sets of players just minutes later after an incident involving Brandon Slater and Bailey, and after a brief conversation with the linesman, the referee decided to issue a yellow card to both Slater and Guisborough’s Callum Martin.
A tough period then followed for Shields with fifteen minutes to go, as Willshaw had three shots blocked in a five minute period as the Robins backline did well to prevent further misery at the Daren Persson stadium.
Shields did have the ball in the net with five minutes to go, but the linesman quickly flagged for offside, in what proved to be the last moment of note in the 90.
Full-Time: North Shields 0-3 Guisborough Town
