South Shields vs Shrewsbury Town: Ian Watson roused by Macclesfield reality check

Sunday, Kick-off: 12pm, Live on TNT Sports 1

South Shields manager Ian Watson believes his side’s first league defeat at Macclesfield last week came at the right time as the Mariners look to cause an FA Cup upset against League Two strugglers Shrewsbury Town.

The high-flying Mariners had embarked on a stunning 15-match unbeaten run to open the season as they marched to the top of the National League North table and breezed into the first round of the FA Cup.

However, that run came to an end when a strike from Macclesfield striker Danny Elliott – who worked under Watson during the latter’s time as assistant manager at Gateshead – ensured the Silkmen became the first side to topple the Mariners this season.

But, far from treating that loss as a setback, Watson says his players have taken the positives from the defeat and have used it as motivation to achieve cup success in front of a packed 1st Cloud Arena this afternoon.

Focus

“You have to have defeat, you have to have bad times to grow, I firmly believe that,” Watson told The NLP.

“I think if you’re winning every week, it sometimes gets forgotten that you have to work really hard and Saturday was a reminder of that.

“We took stock from it, we know why we got beat and we know why we didn’t win the game.

“We’ve had a lot of fixtures, so it’s been hard to focus on this one – but we got Saturday out of the way, so this week has been fully focused on Sunday.

“I know the boys are excited, I think the club as a whole is excited.

“It’s been a couple of seasons since we have been to the first round of the FA Cup, so there is a really good feeling around the place and we just can’t wait for kick-off now.”

Awkward

A capacity crowd is expected for this lunchtime clash, and Watson has called upon the Mariners faithful to make life awkward for Michael Appleton’s Shrews, who sit third from bottom in League Two.

“We’ve spoken loads about how good the boys have been with the football they play and we want to try and fill this stadium out as much as we can,” he added.

“We hope to see the stadium full and everyone will get to see a good game.

“The stadium is incredible, it wouldn’t look out of place in League Two, so the facilities and things like that, they won’t feel too much difference.

“We’ve just got to make it feel as different as we can on the day, so the fanbase have to be as loud as they can and they’re really close to the pitch, which really helps if we want to put the opposition off a little bit.”

Noise

But despite the two-division gap between the sides, Appleton insists his side are aware of the noise surrounding the tie and insists they start as underdogs.

“There’s a reason why we’re on TV – I’m not stupid,” he told BBC Radio Shropshire. “I’ve been in the game long enough as a League Two manager playing a team a few steps below us – but we’re looking forward to it.

“We’ll have to play well but the biggest thing on the day will be mentality.

“Treat it like we’re the underdogs. We’re the ones under the cosh, but as soon as the whistle goes on Sunday, I’d like to think we’ll be ready to go.”