MATCH REPORT BY WILF TRAY _{(edited by Michael Wilson)}

Opening Day Ends in Goalless Draw for Shildon

Shildon began their 2025/26 league campaign with a 0–0 draw against Carlisle, as chances proved few and far between in a tightly contested encounter.

The visitors struggled to generate meaningful openings throughout, with only a handful of efforts failing to truly test the Carlisle defence.   At the other end, Shildon’s new goalkeeper Sam Taylor impressed on debut, pulling off two superb saves in the second half to keep the scores level.

Carlisle came closest to securing the win late on, when a well-struck free kick crashed against the crossbar — but the honours ultimately ended even.

Speaking after the game, manager Chris Hughes said:

“We didn’t do enough to win today. A draw was probably a fair result in the end.”

Shildon now turn their focus to Tuesday night’s trip to Newcastle Blue Star FC, where they’ll be looking to sharpen up in attack and build on a solid defensive foundation.

Attendance: 163