Celtic’s fifth defeat in a row saw them stumble from the FA Trophy at the hands of a South Shields who cruised into the next round.

South Shields took the lead with almost their first attack. Robert Briggs twisted and turned to create the space towards the corner flag, lofting in a cross to the back post, where Sam Hodgson lifted his shot over Greg Hall. The traffic headed mostly in one direction, with the visitors denying Celtic any kind of foothold in the game, whilst making most of the chances. Briggs fired over from an angle after rounding Hall, and Callum Ross’s header from a free kick had to be scrambled away. Just past the half hour mark, a thunderous Domaine Rouse shot gave Celtic their first real chance, but Thomas Broadbent put his body in the path, deflecting the shot for a corner which came back to Moses Yoak to fire wide from twenty-five yards.

The visitors put the game beyond reach when Celtic failed to clear their lines and Joao Gomes-Carrington fired back in from the edge. It should have three when Briggs went one-on-one with Hall, but the Celtic keeper stood his ground and made the save. A game turning point came and went when Dillon Morse denied Rouse a chance using his hand in the box to sweep the ball around the back of his body and away, missed by the officials. Incensed, Celtic finally looked fired up, but it took another ten minutes for the breakthrough to come, with Osebi Abadaki racing past the defence and forcing Miles Boney into his only save of the match.

Pushing everybody forward, Celtic got their penalty as Yoak got tripped by Ross and Osebi Abadaki converted the spot-kick. With a long throw from Ben Richardson deep into stoppage time, everybody but Dahrius Waldron packed in and around the box, but even with Greg Hall lurking, it was too no avail and South Shields progress on in the Trophy.