In the first game of the season, Celtic make one of their longest journeys, away to champion favourites, South Shields.

Starts don’t come harder than being away to full-time South Shields. They finished last season three points off top spot, after losing their last two matches, 2-3 away at Whitby and 0-1 at home to Grantham. They failed at the first hurdle in the play-offs and will spend at least one more season in the Northern Premier League.

Last season, they had a great start with twelve games unbeaten, drawing three and winning nine. Their first loss of the season came to free scoring Bamber Bridge, who had also had a great start. A wobble between October and November saw them win three of their ten games, losing four. South Shields stabilised the ship for December and January with four wins and two draws moving them into top spot, but the league was lost in March, when they lost two, drew two and won two, allowing Buxton to establish a lead they never relinquished.

South Shield’s home form last season was the best in the league, picking up three quarters of all points available at home, and winning more home games than any other team. Basford, Buxton, Hyde and Whitby were the only teams to beat them at home all season, whilst Ashton and FC United managed draws. Their top scorers were former Celt, Darius Osei and Jon Hooper, both of whom got twelve goals apiece, with Hooper the more prolific at home with nine. On average they scored 1.7 goals per game (2.2 at home), failing to score just twice at home from nine times overall. Defensively, they conceded a goal per game (home and away), keeping six of their twelve clean sheets at home. They had the second best attack at home (behind Buxton), but five teams had better defences at home.

We’ve never beaten Shields, with our best result a 2-2 draw at Bower Fold, with Darius scoring both and earning a transfer to South Shields, and scoring the opener against us in their last visit to Bower Fold when they won 3-1, and scored twice against Celtic in the return fixture that Shields won 4-0. We have twice given South Shields a bit of a scare at their place. The first time we visited in 2018, they were on the back of a fifty-two game winning streak, and until a slightly dubious penalty decision seconds from time, we were set to end it with the game finishing 3-2 after Celtic led through Neil Kengni’s brace. It was another dubious penalty that gave Shields the three points in 2019 after Chris Smalley had equalised. Robbie Briggs keeping alive their one hundred percent win record at home.

Both teams have seen numerous squad changes over the summer, South Shield’s friendly campaign has seen them win their last five, most recently over Dunston, but also beating Scarborough. Blyth and Barrow both beat South Shields. Celtic’s friendly campaign saw two of each, with wins over Fleetwood and Curzon, draws with Witton and Mossley and losses to Chester and Morecambe.

Hopefully Celtic can catch South Shields napping at the start of the season and finally record a win over them. It will certainly be a stern test for Chris Willcock in his first competitive game in charge.