Shildon drew 1-1 with Ashington
Zak Atkinson gave the visitors the lead half way through the first half after charging down a clearance from Shildon goalkeeper Shaun Newbrook.
After 60 minutes Shildon were awarded a penalty when Aidan Heywood was pulled to the ground in the box. Nathan Steel then sent the Ashington keeper the wrong way to level the scores.
Final Score : Shildon 1 Ashington 1
Martin Gray has wasted no time is taking steps towards building on Shildon AFC’s strong foundations to help them realise their full potential.
Over the past week Gray and chairman David Dent have met with Shildon’s long-standing board of directors, Shildon Development Centre CIC and key sponsorship partner Livin to discuss their future steps.
He has spoken with the players and coaching staff and made himself available at games, including recent away match at Barton Town which saw them take home a 2-0 victory, sending them through to the next round of the FA Vase. He was also at Tuesday’s eBac Northern League Division One home defeat to Dunston UTS.
As part of these next steps, Martin Gray has invited Shildon fans to an open Question and Answer session on Friday November 23 from 7pm to 9pm at Dean Street, Shildon.
Martin Gray said : “Shildon AFC are renowned for their strong community support and the introduction of a new face, in a new role, can cause some unrest and I understand some people may be sceptical and wonder what the agenda is.
“But I need the fans to understand that the agenda is simple. I want to make this football club successful and help achieve the chairman’s ambitions and we need to listen to them and work together. I want to provide reassurance and an open platform for fans to get to know me and see how I fit into their community and most importantly how we can work together to take the club forward”.
“I know they must have plenty of questions. What is a sporting director? What can I bring to the club? What are the long term aims?
“It is an opportunity to share our thoughts and aspirations with the fans but it is important that we listen too. I want to embrace what the club has and bring even more of the community on board. To do that I know we need to listen the fans.
The Supporters Club are looking to put a Coach on to our away game against Penrith on the 8th December. If there are enough people interested there maybe an early bus.
If you would like to travel with the Supporters Club please see Paul Mulley to book your seat.
The same 4-1 scoreline as last season gave Dunston victory at Dean Street.
Liam Marrs opened the scoring on 10 mins heading past Newbrook in the Shildon goal. 3 minutes later Marc Ellison leveled from the Penalty spot after Danny Earl was fouled in the area. Michael Pearson restored the the lead just before the break after a mix up in the Shildon defence.
In the second half Fitzpatrick added a further 2 goals to make the final score Shildon 1 Dunston UTS 4
With our win in the FA Vase a couple of our League Games have been re-arranged
Guisborough Town (H) will now be played on 9th February, originally due to be played on 1st December
Whitley Bay (A) will now be played on 2nd February, originally due to be played on 9th February
Shildon are in Monday’s draw for the 3rd round of the FA Vase after a 2-0 win away at Barton Town.
Ben “One of Our Own” Trotter headed in after Matty Robson’s penalty was saved at the end of the first half to give Shildon the lead. In the second half Matty Robson made amends for the penalty miss when he doubled the lead with a 25 yard strike that took a deflection into the top corner of the net.
Final Score : Barton Town 0 Shildon 2
Our Durham Challenge Cup fixture away to Newton Aycliffe has been arrange to be played on Tuesday 18th of December 2018 with a 7.30 KO.
Ebac Northern League Division one side, Shildon AFC, have today appointed Martin Gray as sporting director. Gray a former Sunderland and Darlington player recently managed York City in the National League North, and enjoyed three promotions at Darlington, taking them to National League North from the Northern League.
David Dent, chairman Shildon AFC said “We are building on the clubs strong foundations to help us realise our ambitions on and off the pitch. Martin’s appointment is a defining moment in the club’s history. He is an exceptional coach and manager and brings strong leadership skills which will assist first team manager, Daniel Moore in realising his ambitions of managing Shildon AFC at a higher level.
Dent went on to say “we have spent a great deal of time planning the clubs next step and Martin is an essential part of this and he is as excited as I am at the challenge ahead. This is a five year project and I am confident we will see Shildon competing in the Northern Premier League, with a successful Academy behind us. This forms a crucial part of the work which is ongoing with our community club sponsor Livin allowing the club to be truly engaged with our local community”.
Martin Gray said ” I was approached a number of weeks ago by David to discuss the opportunity of taking Shildon forward and progressing up the leagues. His vision, the project ahead and the role of sporting director excites me, I had numerous management offers earlier in the season but they have not been right for me. This feels right”
“It’s about the bigger picture for the club and Shildon. As soon as I met with David and we discussed the plans for the wider community, it was easy to see how we could work in partnership to achieve this. I have had subsequent meetings with David and manager Daniel Moore and we are united in our thoughts moving forward”
Daniel Moore, Shildon AFC Manager said: “ Having met Martin and spoken with him and David at length about our plans for the future, I can say there are exciting times ahead for the club, the town, the players and myself.
Moore went on to say: “Martin has a wealth of experience in professional and non league football which I can tap into and that can only help the development of myself as a manager and the professional running of the club which I have worked hard on over the last two years”.
Shildon AFC have further plans which will see Harry Dunn appointed Head of Recruitment and further investment secured. Dunn who has worked with Martin in the past is starting work immediately for this and next season.