Fans dreaming of one final promotion push

South Shields fans are looking forward to Saturday's playoff final with a mixture of excitement and trepidation [BBC] Fans of South Shields are gearing up for the National League North play-off final on Saturday, hoping one last push can propel them to glory. The Mariners are on the cusp of promotion to the National League but need to find a way to beat Kidderminster Harriers who won both encounters earlier this season. Long-term fan Mark Brun told BBC Radio Newcastle: "Kidderminster are a very good side, but we're a very good side as well.

We have home advantage, passionate support, I do feel that we'll seize the opportunity and get promoted. " Tickets for the match sold out in minutes and some home fans will move to other parts of the stadium to accommodate larger numbers of away supporters. Turnstile operator Alan Reed said: "This is big.

We're expecting a full house, people that haven't been all season are coming down thanks to the success of the club. " Jim Taroni first attended South Shields matches in 1957 [BBC] Jim Taroni, who has been attending matches for almost 70 years, said: "I used to support them as a boy, and now I've retired I'm back to my hometown and supporting Shields. "My first match was around 1957, they used to play in red and green strips and I can remember most of the players by name.

"I'm feeling very apprehensive. There's a lot of excitement, even the worms are getting out of the woodwork to get to this match. " Rob Reed is feeling "80% nervous" but is still optimistic about the result [BBC] Rob Reed, a comedy magician who sometimes performs at the club, thinks despite South Shields losing both games between the clubs this season the Mariners will triumph.