Paul Blackett signs new deal

We are delighted to announce that Paul Blackett has penned a new deal with the Club, keeping him with us until the summer of 2029.

Blackett extends his stay after another impressive season with the Mariners, scoring 30 goals in the Enterprise National League North, and featuring in the league’s Team of the Season.

South Shields FC has been home to the number nine for three years now, and it has proven to be three great years for the striker, who has scored 87 goals across his time spent at the club, with last season being his best, scoring 35 goals in total.

Blackett signed for the Mariners in 2023, joining from Spennymoor Town

Blackett gave us an insight into his time at the club so far and what he wishes to achieve this season.

On signing his new contract: “It’s probably a good thing that it’s done early. It’s something that’s been going on over the summer, so now it’s all done, I’m delighted, and we can look forward to a good season.”

On why he’s been so successful at the club: “I don’t really know, to be honest. It just has [clicked] and I’ve built on that first season that I had here. Getting a new contract at the end of my first year gave me the security I needed to forget about everything else and just focus on my football.”

On working under Mike Williamson: “I’m really excited. I think everyone should be. We’ve got the new owners, Geoff’s still here, and now Mike’s involved. It’s lined itself up to be an exciting season. We’ve got everything in place to go one step further this year.”

On his goals for the new season: “As a striker, you always want to score goals. That’s your main job and that’s what you’re judged on. I’ll set myself a little target at the start of the season and try to repeat or better what I’ve done in previous years.”

On the club’s summer signings: “The signings we’ve made have been really good. We’ve got a mix of experience and young lads, which I think is important in this league. We didn’t really lose many players from last year, so it’s more about adding to the group and building on what we had.”