FA Youth Cup Story of the night: South Shields 3-2 Hartlepool United

Mariners Park ahead of the FA Youth Cup game between Hartlepool United and South Shields.

Goals from Joe Grey and Jack Leonard weren’t enough for Pools as a Sam Hodgson brace and a Ben Errington header saw the Mariners secure a third round tie at Fulham.

Ian McGuckin named a strong side including Brad Young, Harrison Webster and Coleby Shepherd who had been involved with the first team during pre-season.

After a few half-chances, The Mariners opened the scoring early on as Hodgson found himself in space before coolly slotting the ball past Brad Young to give the hosts the lead.

The Pools youngsters had a great chance to level things up when Shepherd’s pinpoint cross from the right found Joe Grey’s boot but the young forward could only lift the ball narrowly over the crossbar from close range.

But Grey didn’t waste his next chance just minutes later as he curled a wonderfully weighted effort from 20-yards into the net via the right hand post to level the score on the half-hour mark.

That lead would last little over a minute as Shields went down the other end and won a penalty which was emphatically converted by Hodgson for his second of the evening.

After going in 2-1 at half-time, the visitors created a lot of the early chances after the restart with Jack Leonard, Jay Gibson and Aaron Willoughby all coming close before the hour.

Shields came close to extending their advantage as Errington’s header looped over Young and onto the crossbar as the score remained 2-1.

Substitute Luke Chapman thought he’d levelled things up when he directed a point blank header goalwards only for it to be kept out by Ethan Hodgson in the Shields goal.

But the away side were made to rue their missed chances as Errington made it 3-1 with a looping header in the closing stages.

Pools weren’t quite done there as Leonard fired the ball into the net in the final moments to make it 3-2, but it wasn’t enough.

Pools XI: Young; Wilson (Chapman 71), Thompson, Pilling (Sturdy 83), Webster, Campbell, Gibson, Willoughby, Shepherd, Leonard, Grey.

Subs: Lowerson, Naisbett, James