Report: Magpies 0-5 Gateshead

It was an afternoon as miserable as the York Road weather as United succumbed to a worst-of-the-season defeat to high-flying Gateshead. 

 

The Magpies started the game well. The Gateshead defence initially struggled with the Sam Barratt long throw pinning the Tynesiders back in their box. A Reece Smith cross from the left was stabbed wide at the near post by Barratt before a dangerous Magpies set piece was nodded over by Shawn McCoulsky at close range. 

 

The promotion-chasing visitors hit back when Jacob Butterfield’s shot was parried away by Craig Ross and the complexion of the game changed just after the quarter hour mark. Kevin Lokko brought down Owen Oseni with referee Ross Martin adjudging Lokko to be the last man and sending the Magpies defender off. The resultant free-kick from the edge of the area was taken short and dispatched into the roof of the net by Butterfield. 

 

Alan Devonshire responded by shoring up his defence with Alan Massey replacing the unfortunate Barratt and there was another blow for the manager ten minutes before the break when Miles Welch-Hayes limped off, to be replaced by Remy Clerima.  

 

In between times, Ross pulled off a miraculous save from point blank range from a glancing header by Josh Williams. The away side’s tails were up and Dan Jones and Jacob Butterfield both tried their luck unsuccessfully from distance. A fantastic block from Owen Cochrane then stopped a goal bound effort from Callum Whelan at the far post as Gateshead pulled United’s defence open with the benefit of the extra man. Just as it looked like United might survive to the break a single goal adrift, a left-wing cross was deflected tamely past Ross by Massey. 

 

 

Gateshead continued to retain possession early in the second half, but the first ‘keeper called into action was Owen Mason, with the Gateshead ‘keeper keeping out Shawn McCoulsky’s shot on the turn after good work by Reece Smith in the visiting box.  

 

Seven minutes into the second period the Heed put the game to bed when captain Regan Booty skipped past challenges on the edge of the box to score into the bottom corner.  

 

Before the hour, Callum Whelan side-footed home a simple fourth from inside the box and a very similar goal was swept in by Butterfield before the halfway point in the second period. Tristan Abrahams went close with a free-kick in the final moments but there was in truth little to cheer for the patient Magpies faithful and substitute Josh Home put a gilt-edged opening wide of the target for Gateshead before the final whistle. 

 

 

Magpies: Ross, De Havilland, Lokko, Ferguson, McCoulsky (sub ’67 Ajose), Pettit, Smith (sub Carvalho ’87), Cochrane, Welch-Hayes (sub Clerima ’36 (sub Latty-Fairweather ’56)), Abrahams, Barratt (sub Massey ’21). 

 

Subs not used: Collins, Dyce. 

 

Gateshead: Mason, Tinkler, Butterfield, Booty, Oseni (sub Newton ’62), Whelan (sub Malcolm ’62), Worman, Radcliffe (sub Home 71’), Hannant (sub Adom ’76), Williams (sub Milmore ’86), Jones. 

 

Subs not used: Basey, Thompson. 

 

Attendance: 847