UP NEXT:
Buxton will travel north to face South Shields in the semi-finals of the National League North playoffs with a 4pm kick-off on 2nd May 2026.
The Bucks
On Tuesday, the Bucks advanced to this round with a 4-2 victory over Scarborough.
A brace from Coleman, alongside second-half goals from Brennan and Mee, secured victory over the Seadogs, with all the goals coming after the break.
Reflecting on the game manager John McGrath said:
“A fantastic evening of football, I think we fully deserved the route into the next round away at South Shields.
But yeah we were brilliant tonight, I thought a bit nervy obviously the adrenaline and nerves kicking in for the first 25-30 minutes but once we settled down I thought we were superb and well deserved our spot in the semi-final of the playoffs.”
Opposition facts
South Shields are managed by Ian Watson, who took charge in May 2025. This was his first role as a manager, having previously been assistant manager at MK Dons, Carlisle United, and Gateshead. As a player, he played for Blyth Spartans, Spennymoor Town, Darlington, and Whitley Bay.
Based in Tyne and Wear, the club was founded in 1888 as South Shields Adelaide Athletic, before being reformed in 1974 as South Shields F.C.
Known as The Mariners, they play at the 1st Cloud Arena, which has a capacity of 4,000.
In terms of cup history, they have reached the first round of the FA Cup in three seasons, which is their best run in the competition.
This season, Shields reached the third round of the FA Trophy for the first time in their history.
Last season, the club finished 17th in the league with 54 points.
Across the last ten matches, they rank 11th in terms of form, while Buxton sit 1st over the same period.
At home, they rank 2nd in the form table, having picked up 55 points from 23 games.
South Shields finished 2nd in the league behind Fylde, missing out on automatic promotion by five points.
On the final day, they lost 1-0 to fellow semi-final playoff team Kidderminster Harriers.
One to Watch: Paul Blackett
Blackett ended as the leagues top goalscorer with an impressive 29 goals this season.
Across his previous two seasons at the club, he scored 29 and 22 goals respectively, underlining his clinical finishing ability.
He has played a lot of his football in the north of England, playing for Spennymoor, Gateshead, Blyth and Whitby.
Last time they faced
It was a 1-1 draw when the sides met with Adriel Walker scoring the goal for The Bucks.
Last time at the 1st Cloud Arena it was also a draw ending 2-2 after two goals from Tai Sodje put the Bucks ahead before Max Bardell was sent off and South Shields got back level.
