A first half red card couldn’t stop Shildon AFC from comfortably seeing off Marske United 0-4 on Saturday before returning to Dean Street on Tuesday evening to put another five past West Allotment Celtic in a 5-1 win.
The results were enough to see the Railwaymen climb another rung of the league table into second spot, still nine behind leaders Redcar Athletic, but with two games in hand.
Shildon got off to the perfect start on their trip to Marske-by-the-Sea when Nathan Greenwood opened the scoring within five minutes, but two early substitutions due to injury and a straight red card for Jon Weirs ten minutes from half time threatened to derail the side’s day.
But any anxieties about the effects of the reduction to ten men were put to bed before the break when Billy Greulich-Smith doubled the visitors’ lead in added time.
Second half strikes from Leighton Harris and Greulich-Smith meant that, along with the reduced numbers, even a late penalty miss by the returning Andrei Ardelean had no bearing on the final result.
The next victims of the freescoring Railwaymen were lowly West Allotment Celtic, who were put to the sword on Tuesday evening.
It was Greenwood who again opened the scoring, taking all of ten minutes to find the net on this occasion.
Two more before the break, from Ben Errington (36) and Adam Lennox (45) all but secured the points. The evergreen Greulich-Smith was next on the scoresheet four minutes after the resumption, before Lennox’s second (57) completed the Shildon scoring.
A Harrison Minto goal in the 72nd minute proved scant consolation for the visitors.
Shildon entertain Seaham Red Star this Saturday in the second of four home games in a row and will then enjoy a midweek break before Kendal’s visit the following weekend.
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
