A point apiece for South Shields and Radcliffe as 1st vs 2nd clash ends 0-0 at the 1st Cloud Arena.
The game was played on Non-League Day and Kevin Phillip’s side had fantastic support throughout the full 90 minutes.
Chances were had from both sides, but no one had that cutting edge to break the deadlock.
It was a fairly unadventurous first half and the first real chance came in the 12th minute.
Mackenzie Heaney curled in one of his trademark crosses that Dylan Mottley-Henry was so close to getting a flick on, but it went behind for a goal kick, despite protestations for a corner.
In the 18th minute, Jordan Hunter whipped in a superb ball into the back post Ade Shokunbi had the space to touch it down and line up a strike, but his curled effort sailed past the wrong side of the goal.
South Shields were in attack mode throughout the game, winning a succession of corners but none were testing enough of the Radcliffe backline.
In the 25th minute, Robert Briggs hit a powerful striker that cannoned out for a corner, really putting the pressure on the travelling side but it fell to nothing.
The best chance of the first half came just before the referee's whistle, Heaney played in a corner, and it eventually found its way to Shokunbi on the edge who forced a great stop by Luke Hutchinson who tipped it out for another corner which was then cleared.
Radcliffe looked a bit livelier in the second half and in the 58th minute they almost squeezed in an opener from a corner but Boney eventually got a hand to it but only towards the Radcliffe forward who hit the side netting.
Martin Smith delivered a great cross into the area and Briggs was there to win the header, but it goes over the bar in the 66th minute, South Shields growing into the second half now.
Radcliffe’s Matthew Grivosti had a chance on goal in the 68th minute as he tried to curl one away, but it was a routine stop for Boney.
Josh Doherty hit a fantastic strike that nearly found its way into the back of the net, but it was inches wide in the 83rd minute.
Up the other end, Radcliffe broke away and Mikael Ndjoli only had Boney to beat but the Shields shot-stopper was equal to the chance and the danger was hooked away.
In the 89th minute, Radcliffe found Joe Piggott in the box, and he nearly headed his side in front but Boney was quick to react and claimed it.
Heaney had a final opportunity to find an equaliser in injury time, but his corner went behind for a goal kick and the referee blew the full-time whistle.
Nothing to separate first versus second this afternoon and attention now turns to next week as South Shields travel to the Sir Tom Finney Stadium to face Bamber Bridge, another vital game in this end of season run in.
South Shields: Boney, Hunter, Adams (c) (Doherty 56), Liddle, Broadbent, Smith, Heaney, Briggs, Mottley-Henry (Osei 75), Shokunbi, Mongoy (Alessandra 81). Subs not used: Gomes, Gardiner.
Image: Kev Wilson.
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