They made us work – Ian Burchnall hails South Shields after challenging cup tie

Posted Saturday, November 05, 2022 by PA

Forest Green manager Ian Burchnall praised South Shields after his side came through a challenging afternoon against the Northern Premier League club.

Former Sunderland striker Connor Wickham returned to the north east to grab a goal in each half that ensured the Sky Bet League One strugglers came through an awkward test in front of a club-record crowd of 3,800 at the 1st Cloud Arena.

Wickham opened the scoring on the half-hour mark with a routine header from close range – but there was nothing conventional about his second goal of the day as he settled the contest with a stunning 45-yard strike in the final seconds of the game that made it 2-0.

Rovers boss Burchnall said: “They made us work and it’s credit to them.

“They were brilliant in the second half and this is what you get in the FA Cup. It’s a sell-out crowd, there’s 3,500 here and we knew this would be tough for us. We were brilliant in the first half, very calm and we dominated the game.

“But when you’ve only got a one-goal lead, you always leave yourself open for the opposition to come back into it. We really had to defend resolutely to get through in the second half.”

After moving on from a disappointing first-half display, South Shields had their chances to secure at least a replay in the second half, with midfielder Michael Woods and defensive duo Dillon Morse and Blair Adams all going close within 15 minutes of the restart.

But it was former Swindon centre-back Tom Broadbent who came closest to securing what would have been a deserved second meeting with Rovers when his angled volley dropped agonisingly wide of the far post just moments before Wickham settled the contest with the final kick of the game.

They will return to Northern Premier League duty on Tuesday night when Hyde head to the north east and Mariners manager Kevin Phillips called on his players to use their much-improved display during the second 45 minutes to inspire them to promotion into non-league’s second tier.

“An FA Cup run can help (a league-title bid) but it can hinder,” explained the former England striker.

“Hyde will come here looking to jump on the disappointment so I can’t afford to let that happen.

“I’ve said to the players, yes, you are disappointed, but when you wake up tomorrow morning the focus is on Tuesday. We are desperate to get out of this league and I’ve said if they play like they did in the second half for the rest of the season we should win the league.”