Buxton’s season came to an end with a narrow 1-0 defeat to South Shields in the play-off semi-final.
Early on, South Shields nearly found themselves through on goal when Paul Blackett latched onto a loose pass back from Kieran Burton, but the Buxton goalkeeper was alert and raced out to clear the danger.
After ten minutes, Johnny Johnston slipped Connor Douglas through into the area, only for the South Shields defence to recover quickly and make an important clearance.
Soon after, Luke Brennan fizzed a dangerous ball across the face of goal but could not pick out a Buxton shirt in the middle.
At the other end, Sonny Finch was played through on goal, but Joe Young was quick off his line to smother the danger.
Moments later, Finch turned provider as he picked out Sean McGurk inside the box, though he could not hit the target after bursting into the area.
Buxton skipper Connor Kirby then thought he had given his side the lead, only for the referee to blow for a foul on a South Shields defender before the ball hit the net.
Defensively, Young was called into action again and reacted quickly to prevent the ball from falling kindly for Blackett.
In the 39th minute, South Shields took the lead from the penalty spot after McGurk was brought down by Connor Douglas, allowing top scorer Blackett to step up and confidently convert.
Shortly before the break, the hosts appealed for another penalty when Kirby challenged Blackett in the area, but the referee waved away the protests.
Before half-time, Finch had the final chance of the opening period as he weaved through the Buxton defence, only to poke his effort wide of the target.
At the start of the second half, Oliver Bainbridge created the first opening after some clever footwork, but his dinked effort drifted just over the bar.
Searching for an equaliser, The Bucks came close down the right when Douglas beat his man and pulled the ball back for Johnston, who was unable to get a shot away inside the box.
Just after the hour mark, Buxton made their first change of the afternoon as talisman Tai Sodje was introduced in place of Douglas.
Next, Coleman came close to levelling the contest after turning smartly in midfield, but he could not keep his effort down as it curled over the crossbar.
In the 77th minute, Buxton worked a corner back into the danger area and Max Bardell’s powerful effort crashed against the post before bouncing safely into the goalkeeper’s hands.
Late in the game, Buxton had the ball in the net for a second time through Burton, but the effort was ruled out for a foul in the build-up.
Finally, Buxton’s last opportunity came from a well-worked move into the area, but after Ashton Mee beat his man, Bainbridge’s effort was cleared away to seal South Shields’ place in the final.
