South Shields desperately need points on Saturday, Jan 2 at 4:00 PM in the National League – North. With the team sitting in the bottom three, this is quickly becoming a must-win situation.

South Shields come into this fixture in mixed form (2W 0D 3L). Radcliffe are in mixed form (2W 0D 3L), making this a relatively even contest on current form. South Shields head into this on the back of a defeat, while Radcliffe arrive off a win — momentum clearly with the visitors.

History strongly favours South Shields here — they've won 6 of 10 previous meetings against Radcliffe, with 1 draws. Their last encounter ended in Radcliffe won 2–5. These two tend to produce goals — averaging 3.2 per game in recent meetings.

Verdict: This looks an evenly matched contest. Home advantage gives South Shields a slight edge, but Radcliffe are capable of causing problems. A draw would be a fair result.