Moors unbeaten run came to an end on Good Friday as two second half goals earned South Shields all three points at 1st Cloud Arena.
Graeme Lee’s men were second best for much of the contest but still created some presentable chances that could have prevented their first defeat in 11 games.
However, it was Shields who finally found the greater cutting edge in front of goal to further their own play-off prospects at the expense of Moors on Tyneside.
Lee named an unchanged starting eleven for the short trip north, with the only alteration from Tuesday’s win over Scunthorpe United coming on the bench where Finley Shrimpton returned.
It was the hosts who got into their stride quicker during the early stages, coping better with a swirling wind to get on the front foot with a curling effort from the dangerous Mackenzie Heaney which flashed just too high.
Paul Blackett was as busy as ever and almost helped create an opening when he closed down Brad James to impede the Moors’ keeper’s clearance, but Shields forward Aaron Martin wastefully drilled his shot over.
Moors burst into life on 26 minutes when some great footwork from Corey McKeown unlocked the Shields defence, but his shot was well blocked by a defender.
There was a dangerous break from Danny Greenfield down the right not long afterwards as he scampered into space before delivering a low ball into the centre which was cleared away by a defender with McKeown waiting to pounce.
The first big chance of the game arrived on 36 minutes when Martin seized on some hesitant Moors defending to get in behind down the right and lay a ball back for the arriving Blackett, but the division’s top scorer could only drag his effort across goal and wide.
There was another let-off for Moors five minutes before the break when Blackett got across the Moors defence at the front post to flick a shot on goal which cannoned off the cross bar and stayed out.
Glen Taylor could have had the final word in an entertaining first half when he scampered on to a ball through the middle and fired a low shot across goal which was brilliantly turned away by Shields keeper Myles Boney.
Shields began the second half at high tempo too and could have gone in front inside a minute when Blackett’s cross was knocked down into the path of Jed Abbey, but the midfielder sent his effort too high.
Taylor then got another sight of goal at the other end following good work from Greenfield only for the Moors striker to send his shot too close to Boney and the hosts survived.
The home side got their noses in front on 53 minutes. Breaking from Taylor’s chance, they swept across the field to the left and when the low ball came into the front post, it was steered home by Martin for 1-0.
Moors tried to add more energy with the introduction of Shrimpton from the bench and it worked for a while as they got back on the front foot, Callum Ross firing a powerful effort over from long-range against his former club.
However, the game was effectively over on 79 minutes when Blackett again swung a great ball into the penalty area from the right and substitute Dlyan Stephenson sent a wonderful looping header over James to double Shields’ lead.
James had to make a smart save to deny Blackett getting on the scoresheet late on as Moors came to terms with the ending of their seven-game winning run.
Full Time: South Shields 2 Moors 0
South Shields: Boney, Hunter (Savage 84), Adams, Broadbent, Abbey (Clarke), Smith, Heaney, Briggs, Blackett, Martin (Stephenson 73), Jenkins.
Subs not used: Wood, Carrington.
Moors: James, Ledger, Mbeka, Pollock (Chimalilo 85), Staunton, Dolan (Shrimpton 68), Ross, Greenfield (Harris 82), Ramshaw, McKeown, Taylor.
Subs not used: Fletcher, Liddle.
Referee: Declan Brown
Attendance: 3,162
Photo Credit: Kevin Wilson
