Two of the leagues in-form teams go head-to-head for three crucial points
Whickham are back on the road in the Ebac Northern League, as they make the trip to the Daren Persson Stadium to face in form North Shields.
The hosts were in action in midweek, scoring a last-minute winner at home to Newcastle Benfield.
Whickham made the journey to Sunderland Ryhope last Saturday, producing a brilliant display in their 4-1 victory over their fellow promotion rivals.
Saturday will see the team’s face off for the third time this season.
North Shields scoring a 92nd minute equaliser to cancel out former Whickham and now current Shields defender Ben Milburn’s opener.
The second fixture came in the FA Vase. The match finishing 0-0 in normal time, but North Shields advanced on penalties.
Whickham come into the match in great form, Tony Fawcett’s team will be looking to stretch their unbeaten league run to eight matches.
The visitors have won four of their last seven league fixtures, drawing the other three on their current unbeaten run.
Fawcett’s team have notched an impressive 16 goals within that period but have only managed one clean sheet in their last seven league matches.
The Lang Jacks will be without defender Rhys Williams, while Jamie Dunn is also unavailable due to the red card picked up against West Auckland in the Division One Cup.
Whickham’s manager will be making late fitness calls on striker Scott Robson along with midfields Dale Burrell and Kaleb Young before naming his team.
North Shields currently sit in second position in the league, just seven points behind Consett with four games in hand on their rivals.
Shields have won five of their last six league games, scoring 15 goals in the process.
The home team are also relatively solid at the back having only leaked four goals in their last six league matches which included two clean sheets.
One to watch for the Lang Jacks will be striker Daniel Wilson. The Shields frontman has racked up an impressive 19 league goals to date.
Both teams will be coming into the match knowing a win is vital should they wish to continue their promotion push.
Whickham manager Tony Fawcett said: “They are currently the best team in the league on form.
“If they win their games in hand, they’ll sit top of the league.
“They’ve played in the Quarter-Final of the Vase; they’re a good outfit. I’ve watched them several times over the years.
“We know a lot about their dangers and threats, we are going to have to be at our absolute best to get anything out of the game.
“It’s a challenge the lads want, it’s a challenge to go and show who we are and show how good we are.
“It’s a good marker for us, we keep beating the teams around us regularly.
“Why can’t we go and compete against them (North Shields), we are a different team to who we were when we first started.
“They’re a good side on their home patch and they’re fighting for the league. We’ve got to be at our best”.
| Form Table – Last six matches. | ||||||
| North Shields | W | W | W | L | W | W |
| Whickham | W | D | D | W | D | W |
