Gateshead F.C.

For the defunct football club, see Gateshead A.F.C.

Gateshead

Full name	Gateshead Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Tynesiders, The Heed
Founded	1977
Ground	Gateshead International Stadium
Capacity	11,800
Chairman	Neil Pinkerton
Manager	Mike Williamson
League	National League
2021–22	National League North, 1st of 22 (champions)
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Gateshead Football Club is a professional football club based in Gateshead, England. The team compete in the National League , the fifth tier of English football, and play at the Gateshead International Stadium.

Established in 1977 after Gateshead United folded, the club are known as the "Tynesiders" or the "Heed". There had been a Gateshead A.F.C. in the English Football League from 1930 to 1960, which had itself folded before Gateshead United had been established. The current incarnation of the club began life in the Northern Premier League, winning Premier Division titles in the 1982–83 and 1985–86 seasons. However they were relegated out of the Conference in 1984 and 1987. They secured promotion back into the Conference at the end of the 1989–90 season, though would remain there only until another relegation in 1998. The club were further relegated out of the Northern Premier League Premier Division in 2003. They won the First Division play-offs in 2004 and the Premier Division play-offs in 2008, before winning promotion out of the Conference North with a second-placed finish in 2008–09. Gateshead spent the next decade in the top-flight of English football's non-League system, losing a play-off final in 2014, before they were demoted into the National League North in 2019 due to financial irregularities. They returned to the National League after winning the National League North in 2021–22.

History

The original Gateshead club was formed in 1899 as South Shields Adelaide and became members of the Football League in 1919. In 1930 financial problems saw the club moved to Gateshead, where they adopted the name of their new town. However, the club was voted out of the Football League in 1960 and folded in 1973. History repeated itself as the South Shields club formed to replace the original one was also moved to Gateshead, becoming Gateshead United in 1974. However, they were dissolved at the end of the 1976–77 season. A new club was established, taking over from United in the Northern Premier League. ^[1] After three seasons in the bottom half of the table, they finished eleventh in 1980–81, also reaching the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 1–0 at Lincoln City. The club finished fourth in the league the following season.

The 1982–83 season saw Gateshead win the Northern Premier League with a record points tally (100), scoring 114 goals in the process. ^[1] As a result, the club were promoted to the Alliance Premier League. After a sixteenth-place finish in their first season in the league, they finished second-from-bottom in 1984–85 and were relegated back to the Northern Premier League. ^[2] The club went on to win the Northern Premier League at the first attempt, earning an immediate return to the (now renamed) Football Conference. However, they lasted only one season in the Conference, and were relegated back to the Northern Premier League after finishing bottom of the table.

With the Northern Premier League having gained a second division, Gateshead became members of its Premier Division upon their return to the league. They finished eighteenth in 1987–88 and second-from-bottom the following season, but avoided relegation to Division One as no team was relegated to the league from the Football Conference. After this reprieve, the club went on to win the league in 1989–90 and were promoted back to the Football Conference. ^[2] The following seven seasons saw them in mid-table every season, but after finishing in the relegation zone in 1997–98, they returned to the Northern Premier League. ^[2]

After two top-five finishes following their return, Gateshead finished in mid-table in 2000–01 and 2001–02. Although they were relegated to Division One at the end of the 2002–03 season, a sixth-place finish in 2003–04 was sufficient to secure a return to the Premier Division due to the creation of the Conference North and South leading to many clubs leaving the Premier Division. A third-place finish in the Premier Division in 2007–08 saw the club qualify for the promotion play-offs, and after defeating Eastwood Town 4–0 in the semi-finals, they beat Buxton 2–0 in the final to earn promotion to the Conference North. ^[3]

In the 2008–09 season, Gateshead were Conference North runners-up. In the subsequent play-offs, they defeated Southport 2–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals, before a 1–0 win over AFC Telford United in the final saw them promoted to the Conference National. The club adopted a full-time squad for the first time for the 2010–11 season. ^[4] In 2013–14, the club finished third in the league, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. They defeated Grimsby Town 4–2 on aggregate in the semi-finals, setting up a Wembley final against Cambridge United, which they lost 2–1. ^[5] In the following season the club reached the third round of the FA Cup for the first time; wins over Norton United in the first round and Warrington Town in the second led to a third-round tie with West Bromwich Albion, with Gateshead losing 7–0. ^[2] The club were suspended from the National League in May 2019 due to financial irregularities, ^[6] and were demoted to the National League North the following month. ^[7]

The curtailed 2019–20 season saw Gateshead finish seventh (with the league table calculated on points-per-game), qualifying for the play-offs. However, after beating Brackley Town on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the first round, they lost 5–3 to Boston United in the semi-finals. ^[8] In 2021–22 Gateshead were National League North champions, earning promotion back to the National League. ^[9]

Colours and crest

The club initially played in all red strip with a white and blue vertical slash on the shirt. Gateshead continued to play in odd-coloured variations until the mid-1980s, when the club changed to the colours of the previous Gateshead incarnation – white shirt, black shorts and socks – and have played in these same colours ever since. Since 2011, Gateshead has adopted their original colours of claret and blue as the club's away strip.

The club's crest incorporates an image of the statue the Angel of the North.

Stadium

The club have played at the Gateshead International Stadium since their establishment. The record attendance of 11,750 was set in a 1995 friendly match with Newcastle United. ^[10]

The stadium planned in 2009

On 28 October 2009, Gateshead unveiled plans for a new 8,000 capacity stadium to be built in the town centre, opposite the Gateshead Civic Centre, formerly the home of North Durham Cricket & Rugby Club. ^[11] However, after the failure of England's bids to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022, the stadium, which would have acted as a training base for teams playing at nearby St James' Park, was put on hold indefinitely. In 2014, it was reported that chairman Graham Wood "no longer considers a new purpose-built football ground vital to the future of Gateshead Football Club". ^[12] In December 2015, the club's new owner, Richard Bennett, announced that the club had restarted the search for a new stadium location, although he described the International Stadium as "fabulous". ^[13]

Current squad

As of 12 February 2023 ^{[14] [15]}

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF   ENG Robbie Tinkler 3 DF   ENG Ethan Pye(on loan from Stockport County) 5 DF   ENG Kenton Richardson 6 DF   ENG Louis Storey 7 FW   ENG Tom Allan 8 MF   ENG Owen Bailey 10 MF   ENG Greg Olley (captain) 11 FW   ENG Adam Campbell 12 MF   ENG Dan Ward 14 MF   ENG Elliot Forbes 15 FW   ENG Aaron Martin 17 MF   ENG Connor Pani 19 FW   ENG Will Harris

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 GK   IRL Rob Elliot 22 MF   ENG Harrison Clark 24 DF   ENG Mike Williamson 27 FW   ENG Lewis Knight 31 GK   ENG James Montgomery 32 DF   ENG Carl Magnay 42 MF   SLE Kamil Conteh (on loan from Middlesbrough) 77 MF   POR Quevin Castro (on loan from West Bromwich Albion) – GK   ENG Filip Marschall(on loan from Aston Villa)

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 4 MF   ENG Dan Jarvis(on loan at Hereford) 20 MF   ENG Lirak Hasani (on loan at Boston United) 23 MF   ENG Lewis Leech(on loan at Newcastle Benfield) 25 DF   ENG Kyle Errington(on loan at Newcastle Benfield)

Non-playing staff

As of 12 February 2023 ^[16]

Coaching staff
Position	Name
Manager	Mike Williamson
Assistant Manager	Ian Watson
First Team Coach	Louis Storey
Under 19 Coach	Ben Clark
Under 18 Coach	Mark Spencer
Physio	Chris Bell
Kit Man	Mark Walton
Kit Man	Dave Allen

As of 12 February 2023 ^[16]

Non-playing staff
Position	Name
Owners	Gateshead Soul Supporters Society
Chairman	Neil Pinkerton
Media Manager	Jack McGraghan

Managerial history

Years	Manager
1977–1986	Ray Wilkie
1986	Terry Hibbitt
1986–1990	David Parnaby
1990–1993	Tony Lee
1993–1994	Tommy Cassidy
1994–1997	Colin Richardson
1997	Jim Platt
1997–1998	John Carroll
1998	Alan Shoulder, Gary Robson (co-caretakers)
1998–2001	Matt Pearson
2001–2002	Paul Proudlock
2002	Gary Gill
2002–2004	Derek Bell
2004	Alan Bell
2004–2005	Tom Wade
2005–2006	Colin Richardson
2006–2007	Tony Lee
2007–2012	Ian Bogie
2012–2013	Anth Smith
2013	David Rush (caretaker)
2013–2015	Gary Mills
2015	Malcolm Crosby
2015	Ben Clark, Micky Cummins (co-caretakers)
2015–2017	Neil Aspin
2017	Micky Cummins (caretaker)
2017–2019	Steve Watson
2019	Ben Clark
2019–	Mike Williamson

Honours

• National League
  • National League North champions 2021–22
  • National League North Play Off Champions 2008-2009
• Northern Premier League
  • Premier Division champions 1982–83, 1985–86, 1989–90
  • Challenge Shield winners 1985–86
• Durham Challenge Cup
  • Winners 2010–11

Records

• Best FA Cup performance: Third round, 2014–15 ^[2]
• Best FA Trophy performance: Semi-finals, 2010–11, 2017–18, 2022–23 ^[2]
• Record attendance: 11,750 vs Newcastle United, friendly match, 7 August 1995 ^[10]
• Biggest win: 8–0 vs Netherfield, Northern Premier League ^[10]
• Heaviest defeat: 9–0 vs Sutton United, Football Conference, 22 September 1990 ^[10]
• Most appearances: James Curtis, 596 (2003–2016) ^{[10] [17]}
• Most goals: Paul Thompson, 130 ^[10] (1995–1997, 1999–2004, 2005–2008)
• Record transfer fee paid: £9,000 to Dagenham & Redbridge for Paul Cavell, 1994 ^[10]
• Record transfer fee received: £250,000 from Peterborough United for Marcus Maddison, 2014 ^{[18] [19]}

See also

• Gateshead F.C. players
• Gateshead F.C. managers

References

1. Our History Archived 22 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine Gateshead F.C.
2. Gateshead at the Football Club History Database
3. 2007–08 Northern Premier League Football Club History Database
4. Bowron, Jeff (28 April 2010). "Gateshead confirm Ian Bogie as full time manager". Gateshead F.C. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
5. Cambridge United 2–1 Gateshead BBC Sport, 18 May 2014
6. Gateshead: Club suspended from National League after 'multiple breaches' of financial rules BBC Sport, 24 May 2019
7. "Gateshead relegated to National League North after financial breaches". BBC Sport. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
8. Craig Singleton (25 July 2020). "Match Report: Boston United 5–3 Gateshead". Boston United. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
9. Jeff Bowron (2 May 2022). "Gateshead clinch promotion to National League as Chorley draw seals title". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
10. Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2016) Non-League Club Directory 2017, Tony Williams Publications, p32 ISBN   978-1869833695
11. Gateshead FC unveil new stadium site Gateshead F.C., 28 October 2009
12. Book reveals Gateshead might ditch new stadium plans Chronicle Live, 27 July 2014
13. Brown, Steve (13 December 2015). "Gateshead have restarted the search for a new home, says Tynesiders owner Richard Bennett". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
14. "First Team". Gateshead F.C. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
15. "Squad Numbers Confirmed". Gateshead F.C. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
16. "Club Information & Contacts". Gateshead FC. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
17. Gateshead FC: James Curtis one of nine players released by National League side BBC Sport, 3 May 2016
18. Marcus Maddison sale can help Gateshead thrive - Gary Mills BBC Sport, 28 August 2014
19. Gateshead receive another cash windfall after Marcus Maddison plays his 20th game for Peterborough Chronicle Live, 10 February 2015

External links

• Official website
• Gateshead BBC Sport