NPL Match Preview: Matlock Town vs South Shields

South Shields travel to Matlock Town on Tuesday as they play one of their games in hand in the Pitching In Northern Premier League (7.45pm kick-off).

This is the third in a run of four consecutive away fixtures for the Mariners, who were 4-0 winners at Marske United on Saturday.

That result stretched Shields' unbeaten run to nine games and ensured they retained their nine-point lead at the top of the table.

It is a little over two weeks since Shields and Matlock last met, with the reverse fixture at 1st Cloud Arena ending in a 1-1 draw.

Matlock are eighth in the table, four points adrift of the play-off places heading into their final nine matches of the campaign.

Manager's views

Shields manager Kevin Phillips is expecting a difficult test in Derbyshire, but has backed his players heading into the match.

He said: “We’re going there full of confidence.

"We played Matlock not so long ago and it was a tight game, although we probably deserved to win it with the chances we had.

"We know what to expect, but we’ve got an opportunity to go there and get a result.

"We respect Matlock and they’ve got quality in their team, but it’s about what we do.

“If we apply ourselves as we did on Saturday at Marske, we have an opportunity to get some more points on the board and get one step closer to where we all want to be.”

Team news

Shields are expected to remain without injured defender Dillon Morse, but hope to have an otherwise full-strength squad to choose from.

Information for supporters

Kick-off at the Proctors Cars Stadium – which has a post code of DE4 3AR – is at 7.45pm, and admission prices are £12 for adults, £8 for concessions, £5 for those aged 16 to 18, £3 for children aged 10 to 15 and free for Under-10s. Cash and card payments will be accepted at the turnstiles.

Those unable to make it to the game can listen to live commentary on the Mariners Live Mixlr channel, with Chris May to talk through the action. The commentary will be accessible by clicking here.