South Shields lay foundations for the new season

South Shields have announced that captain Jon Shaw has committed to the Northern Premier League club for a fourth season after the defender put pen to paper on a new contract at Mariners Park.
Shaw, who joined the South Shields from Gateshead in the summer of 2016, has won five trophies and two promotions during his three years at the club.
He has made almost 150 appearances for the club during this time, with the Mariners just missing out on promotion to Step 2 this season.
Speaking to the club's official website, the South Shields captain said: “I never wanted to leave and everyone knows that.
“It has never even been a conversation.
“We had a disappointing end to last season but as I said at the time, my focus straightaway shifted to next season.
“To get myself sorted and tied down is all I ever wanted.
“I'm sure fans will see that some people have left the club, but the positive thing is that a lot of players have re-signed so a massive chunk of that successful squad from the last couple of seasons are still here.”
The Mariners finished the Northern Premier League season in 2nd place, just three points behind winners Farsley Celtic, before crashing out at the play-off stage.