Rutherford were back in action this week after a week off to face the Division 8 Runners up, South Shields. The game took place at South Shields stadium, the First Cloud Area and it was a really impressive place for the kids to play at, great facilities and we were on 4g which always ensures a good playing surface.

Rutherford were without a few players today, Max Johnson, Michael Burns and Aodan Robson-Burrell but we were bolstered by Sam Dixon returning following a nasty injury to his hand.

Staying with the 1-3-5-2 formation that served us well against Seaton Carew we were confident we had enough in the squad to get a positive result but we got off to the worst possible start conceding two goals in the opening 8 minutes both from conners. Both goals, at least from my memory, we almost identical, out swinging corners from the Rutherford left which weren't cleared properly and were converted from the penalty spot by players who weren't marked properly. Very frustrating as we spoke about tight marking and being goal side at set pieces we knew it was a strong point of this South Shields team.

The first 20 minutes were incredibly scrappy and frantic from our point of view, we couldn't control the ball, it was bouncing off us, the passes were rushed and the tackling wasn't competitive enough. We were losing the central midfield battle and it was only due to our back three that we were lucky not to concede further goals.

The stand out performer in the first half was Sam Dixon. We all know by now that Sam is an excellent defender but he was very impressive in possession today. Very calm and composed, bring the ball out of defence and playing us forward. It calmed everyone down as did the arrival of Finley who came on and held the central midfield well, breaking up play and passing the ball simply. This allowed Joe, Elliott and Amir to grow into the game and start to control the ball better.

Towards the end of the first half we had settled and finished the stronger. At half time we spoke to the players and asked them to play with more composure and replicate the passing patterns we see on Wednesday nights, be far more competitive in central midfield and win the second half.

In the second half the players tried to implement the game plan and for large parts of the game I thought we did and looked the better side for it. We moved Sam forward to add a physical presence to the centre of the pitch which helped and we were able to get our strikers into better positions to shoot. The best chance of the half fell to Max Billingham but his shot just missed the far post. Other chances came and went from James Lee who jinked one way than the other but struck the ball straight into the impressive South Shields Keeper. Joseph Fenton went close too when he cut inside and shot but again it was well fielded. Shields had their moments too, mainly from set pieces but they did managed to get behind our defence twice, the first time brought a brilliant save from Jack and the second a fantastic tackle from Taylor.

The game looked like it would finish 2-0 despite Rutherford pressing but we were thrown a life line in stoppage time when a Shields player handled following a Rutherford corner. Joe was desperate to take the kick and stepped up confidently to strike the ball hard and low into the centre of the goal, the Shields keeper got a big hand to it but the power was too great and the ball hit the back of the net.

Unfortunately Rutherford ran out of time and the game finished 2-1.

Shaun and I were proud of the teams effort in the second half as they achieved what we asked them to do but ultimately the first half cost us. Before every game I write down certain objectives. They relate to in and out of possession but also how we translate our training into match day. Today I wanted the team to transition to defence quickly as Shields play direct and on the counter, we did this pretty well and I wanted us to challenge for the ball in central areas, specifically ensuring the ball didn't bounce. This wasn't so great. In possession I'm looking to carry over our learning from Wednesday nights, to play through the thirds, into feet and utilise the passing patterns ("1-2", "around the corner", "up, back and through") we've been practicing. This was ok in parts, but overall we didn't quite hit the mark. I'd say a C- overall.

Man of the match today was a tough one to call. Sam was excellent, Amir also. Joe was busy, creative and scored. His work rate was brilliant too but in the end we went for Elliott who really played well in central Midfield, then wing back. For someone of Elliott's size, nothing phases him; he put his foot into tackles, take the ball in tight areas, run his legs off and take players on. The very same could be said for Amir and Joe too and should prove to others than size is no limiting factor when it comes to competing. He spoke well today too, encouraged teammates and organised. A captans performance, just edging the other players out of the award.

Cup next week, at home to Hilda Park and we're looking to bounce back and improve on todays performance.