'They killed the momentum': South Shields boss full of praise for Michael Appleton and Shrewsbury Town after FA Cup clash
South Shields manager Ian Watson praised Shrewsbury Town as Michael Appleton’s men sent the National League North club out of the FA Cup, writes Mark Carruthers.
The TNT Sports cameras were on hand at a sold-out 1st Cloud Arena for a first round tie that had been identified as a potential upset as the non-league side looked to build on a fine run of form consisting of one defeat in 16 games in all competitions so far this season.
However, it was Salop that seized the initiative after an awkward start in the North East as they took a three-goal lead into half-time thanks to a brace from Anthony Scully and a Thomas Sang strike.
On-loan Middlesbrough midfielder Luke Woolston reduced the arrears for the Mariners midway through the second-half - but they were kept at bay by a hardworking display from Appleton’s side that killed any momentum caused by the deflected effort.
Former Carlisle United and MK Dons assistant manager Watson praised the Salop boss and his players for managing a difficult situation and believes his side were shown total respect ahead of and during the tie.
He told The Star: “I think they were really professional in how they went about their work today and I knew they would.
“We are a good side, I know we are a good side and they know we are a good side as well. I knew before coming here they had a really good manager and he’s very experienced.
“Because of all of that we expected them to take this really seriously and they were very professional about how they went about things.
“They killed the momentum when we built it up and managed the game after we got our goal back. They just didn’t allow us into the dangerous areas, we couldn’t build momentum and they deserved to go through to the next round in my option.”
