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

Wednesday Night Heartbreak at Welfare Park

Shildon’s hopes of climbing the table were dashed once again by their perennial nemesis, Easington Colliery, in a midweek encounter that saw the Railwaymen slump to a 3–2 defeat — despite a spirited second-half fightback.

The visitors were second-best for much of the opening 45, delivering arguably their poorest half of the season. Easington took full advantage on 27 minutes when a speculative long-range strike was spilled by Sam Taylor, allowing ex-Shildon forward Brad Hird to pounce and lash the rebound into the roof of the net.

Bereft of attacking spark, Shildon failed to register a single shot on target before the break, trailing 1–0 at the interval.

Things went from bad to worse just six minutes into the second half. A corner from the right found Ethan Ord completely unmarked, and the Easington man made no mistake, thundering home a header to double the lead.

But Shildon finally stirred. In the 55th minute, Ciaran Banks sliced through the defence, exchanged passes with Luke Spalding, and coolly slotted home to reduce the deficit. Just two minutes later, Banks struck again — robbing a defender near the corner flag before driving into the box and firing past the keeper to level the scores.

With momentum swinging their way, Shildon pressed for a winner. Billy Greulich-Smith and Nathan Greenwood both went close, but couldn’t convert.

Then came the sucker punch. A rare Easington break saw their striker halted in the box by Max Allen, and the referee pointed to the spot. Up stepped Hird, who sent Taylor the wrong way to claim his brace and restore the home side’s lead in the 73rd minute.

There was no way back for Shildon, who not only left empty-handed but also picked up injuries to Andrei Ardelaen and Gary Brown — adding insult to injury on a bruising night in County Durham.

Next up, is a break from league action as Shildon head to Manchester for an FA Vase clash with Irlam this weekend.

Attendance: 239

Attendance: 211