Rovers begin their 2022/23 FA Cup campaign this Saturday as we travel North to face South Shields in the first round of the competition.
Ian Burchnall and side welcome a timely break from league action as they look to advance to round two for the first time since the 2019/20 season.
Here’s an in depth look at the Northern Premier League Premier Division side ahead of our trip to the 1st Cloud Arena.
ABOUT THE MARINERS
South Shields FC were founded back in 1888 and celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2013.
They currently play their football in the 7th tier of English football after narrowly missing out on promotion to the National League North last season.
The club play at the 1st Cloud Arena which they first moved into in 1992 and have played there for nearly all of the 30 years since the move.
The Mariners badge was relaunched back in 2018 with the staple of the crest being an anchor, tipping the hat to the town’s maritime history.
The club’s main honour came nearly five years ago when they won the 2016/17 FA Vase beating Cleethorpes Town 4-0 at Wembley.
IN THE DUGOUT: KEVIN PHILLIPS
Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips became the manager of South Shields back at the start of this calendar year, taking his first lead coaching role in football.
Phillips is no stranger to these parts of the world having most notably played for Sunderland in his 23 year career where he made over 200 appearances surpassing 100 goals.
The 49 year old retired back in 2014 at Leicester City having scored 92 top flight goals as well as making eight international caps for England.
Phillips went straight into coaching with the Foxes after hanging up his boots and spent a year as assistant first team coach after the club’s promotion back to the Premier League.
Spells with Derby County and Stoke City followed before the opportunity at South Shields was taken and Phillips returned to Tyne and Wear.
Phillips will now be hoping to build on last season’s loss in the play-offs and guide the Mariners to promotion.
Credit: Kev Wilson
ONE TO WATCH: LEWIS ALESSANDRA
33 year old forward Lewis Alessandra joined South Shields ahead of the 2022/23 season and arrived with real experience and EFL pedigree.
Born in Heywood, Alessandra came through the academy system at Oldham Athletic where he made his senior debut in 2007 in a 1-1 draw against Huddersfield Town.
Time with the likes of Morecambe and Plymouth Argyle were to follow before further stints with Hartlepool United and Notts County.
Alessandra returned to Morecambe in 2019 but would make a move to Carlisle United just months before the COVID-19 pandemic’s start.
After two and a half years with the Cumbrians the attacker opted to link up with Phillips at South Shields and play his football outside of the EFL for the first time.
And he’s had an enjoyable start to his time on Tyneside having most notably scored a hat-trick in the club’s FA Cup second round qualifying tie.
FORM – LWWWW
08/10/22 – Stalybridge Celtic 1-2 South Shields (FA Trophy)
15/10/22 – South Shields 1-0 Scunthorpe United (FA Cup)
18/10/22 – Liversedge 0-1 South Shields
22/10/22 – South Shields 1-0 Warrington Rylands 1906 FC
29/10/22 – Warrington Town 3-1 South Shields (FA Trophy)
HOW THEY GOT HERE
South Shields began their FA Cup run this season with a narrow 3-2 win over Workington as a brace late in the day from Michael Woods turned the game around.
They would back up that win two weeks later with a resounding 5-0 away victory over Shildon as Lewis Alessandra bagged a 46 minute hat-trick.
Next up for the Mariners was another big victory as they beat Marske United 5-2 with Dylan Mottley-Henry this time netting a trio of goals.
Their biggest result came in the last round when they met National League Scunthorpe United at the 1st Cloud Arena and won as Mottley-Henry’s early header separated the sides.
Kevin Phillips’ side now host Rovers in Tyneside this weekend as they look to make it even further into the competition and fly the flag for Non-League clubs.
