Bridlington Town face tough clash at North Shields

A 2-1 defeat against Dunston made it back-to-back home losses for the Seasiders, writes Ben Edwards.

A lacklustre first half saw Liam Thear scramble the ball home from a corner.

However, Bridlington came out the second half well, with Tom Algar netting his first goal since joining on dual registration from York City.

A curling left-footed effort dropped into the bottom left corner, a reward for his excellent performance in the midfield which earned him Man of the Match.

The Seasiders were level for just eight minutes, though, when Thear scored his second goal of the game, an effort from the 18-yard line wrong-footing James Hitchcock and flying into the top right corner.

Matty Dixon returned from injury to start, causing a bit of a reshuffle in defence.

Benn Lewis shifted to centre-back while Jack Griffin was pushed into his more familiar midfield role.

Dixon was replaced by Jack Bulless after 72 minutes, but only due to cramp so will be okay for Saturday.

Eddie Rogerson (groin) and Nick Hutton (virus) are getting better, but were not ready for selection against Dunston.

Although picking up no points at the weekend, Brid remained 11th in the NPL East Division with 39 points.

However, they are only three points away from 17th-placed Shildon who sit in a relegation play-off spot.

The teams below Bridlington all have at least one game in hand, so the Seasiders still need to be wary about the slight chance of relegation.

Despite a 4-0 East Riding Cup semi victory, Brid have failed to win their last four league games.

On a positive spin though, their recent away form has been a strong point for the Seasiders.

Crucial victories against Carlton and Brighouse were followed by very respectable draws with Long Eaton United and Pontefract.

Brid’s last away defeat came on February 7 against Ossett United.

Moving on to the visitors, they have picked up three consecutive victories, conceding no goals in the process, 1-0 wins against Lincoln United and Sheffield FC preceded a 3-0 away win against Ossett United.

Their last defeat came on March 1, though against National League North opposition Blyth, 2-1, in the Northumberland Senior Cup. The last time they lost in the league was seven games ago, a shock loss against relegated Tadcaster.

It was an entertaining affair in the game between Brid and North Shields in December.

Dan Wilson gave the Robins a 50th-minute advantage, cancelled out just two minutes later by Ali Aydemir.

With the game tied at 1-1, Jack Yates came off the bench to head the winner from a corner in the 93rd minute.