Following another late defeat for the Martyrs last time out against Spennymoor Town at Penydarren Park, Paul Michael's side makes the long trip up north to 2nd place South Shields for matchday 40 of the Enterprise National League North season. South Shields host Merthyr, hoping to return to winning ways, after their last fixture saw them travel to King's Lynn Town and lose 3-0, leaving them 4 points off the top of the table.

Previous Encounters

The only previous encounter between the two sides was an entertaining top-of-the-table clash at Penydarren Park, which saw the Martyrs claim the 3 points. Cawley Cox opened the scoring on the day after 25 minutes, which was swiftly followed up by Ricardo Rees, who doubled Merthyr's lead in the 40th minute. On the brink of half-time, Tom Woolston narrowed the deficit, making it 2-1. However, the Martyrs fought on and claimed the 3 points as Cole Jarvis fired home in the 9th minute of injury time to seal a 3-1 win for Merthyr.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | KEY STAFF

Manager | Ian Watson

Assistant Manager | Carl Magnay

Ian Watson was appointed as the First Team Manager of South Shields in May 2025, following a disappointing 2024/25 season for 'The Mariners' that saw them finish in 17th place. Watson started his senior coaching journey in 2019 as he captured the role of Assistant Manager of Gateshead FC, working under Mike Williamson, where he enjoyed a period of success by winning the Vanarama National League North League in the 2021/22 season, which was followed up by reaching the FA Trophy final at the prestigious Wembley Stadium in the 2022/23 season. The successful duo caught the eyes of multiple EFL clubs with their attacking style of football, and in October 2023, Ian Watson continued his successful partnership with Mike Williamson as they both were appointed Manager and Assistant Manager of EFL League 2 club MK Dons. When Watson was appointed as Assistant Manager, MK Dons found themselves in 16th place, but Watson supported Mike Williamson in taking the 'Dons' to a playoff position by the end of the season, which further enhanced his reputation as an attack-minded coach. In September 2024, Watson was appointed by Carlisle United, but in the early months of 2025, Ian Watson departed and returned to MK Dons as Assistant Manager once again. Then, in May 2025, Watson had an offer to step up into the role of First Team Manager of South Shields, which he accepted and has had an excellent start to life at 'The Mariners'.

Assistant Manager Carl Magnay joined 'The Mariners' following the appointment of First Team Manager Ian Watson. Magnay's playing career started at Chelsea before being loaned out to MK Dons and Northampton. Magnay also moved up North, where he played over 200 games for teams such as Gateshead, Hartlepool United, Spennymoor Town and Grimsby Town. In 2015, Magnay started coaching at the Pro Player Football Academy, and in 2019, he stepped into the role of Youth Talent Scout in the Northeast of England for Chelsea FC. In 2023, Carl Magnay joined the coaching staff of Gateshead FC under Mike Williamson. Magnay also stayed with Williamson's coaching staff at MK Dons and Carlisle United before returning to Gateshead FC as 1st team manager prior to his appointment as South Shields Assistant Manager.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | SEASON SO FAR

Despite facing defeat at Penydarren Park in November, South Shields have had an incredibly positive 2025/26 campaign, which sees them still competing to be crowned champions of the Enterprise National League North. 'The Mariners' bounced back after losing at Penydarren Park by hosting Oxford City and defeating them 4-1. South Shields travelled to playoff-chasing Telford United and were held to a 1-1 draw despite taking the lead in the 84th minute through Cedwyn Scott. South Shields managed to pick up a brilliant 3-0 away win at Worksop just 3 days after drawing at Telford. However, 'The Mariners' couldn't continue their positive run of form from their last three games as they were defeated 2-1 at home by Kidderminster Harriers. Despite the defeat, they managed to bounce back as they managed to go 16 games undefeated in a run of form that saw them win 11 games and put themselves in pole position for promotion. However, in the last 3 games before hosting Merthyr, Ian Watson's side have hit a rough patch of form that has seen them only pick up 1 point from a possible 9 after a draw against Chorley and defeats against Hereford and King's Lynn Town. The top goal scorer for South Shields this season so far has been Paul Blackett, who has hit the back of the net 22 times.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | 2025/26 SQUAD

Goalkeepers | Tom Watson, Jasper Sheik, Kyle Seymour

Defenders | Oli Bainbridge, Dillon Morse, Ethan Mann, Cain Sykes, Robbie Tinkler, Daniel Dodds, James Sloan, Coleby Shepherd

Midfielders | Ethan Robson, Todd Alcock, Caden Kelly, Martin Smith, David Carson, Dan Ward, Ewan McGowan, Will Jenkins

Attackers | Sonny Finch, Lennon Wheeldon, Cedwyn Scott, Louis Burns, Sean McGurk, Dan Savage, Paul Blackett, Kyle Crossley

Match Details

Date | Saturday 21st March 2026

Competition | Enterprise National League North

Time | 15:00

Stadium | 1st Cloud Arena

Please note the game is fully segregated,. There is however access to Food & Drink kiosks in the away section of the ground.