Talking Heeds: Gateshead 2-1 Sunderland

A slightly smaller stadium than I'd imagined...

On 5th November 2022, Stevenage played Gateshead in the FA Cup, winning 3-2 despite a stirring comeback from the hosts. I had planned to fly to Newcastle from my new home in the Czech Republic, but my visa had not yet been processed. As a result, I was worried that if I'd left the country, I perhaps wouldn't have got back in. 

Chances were I'd have been fine, but I didn't want to take any chances. Instead, I watched another 3-2 win, this time for Ceske Budejovice at home to Zbrojovka Brno. While disappointment loomed large in the away end, it was a hell of a weekend that resulted in me passing out on the sofa having thrown up in the hotel bathtub. 

To quote octopus Tony Harrison from The Mighty Boosh, when I go, I go large, but that's a once, maybe twice a year deal.

All that is beside the point in any case, as having missed out on ticking Gateshead off, I've returned almost two years later for a summer job in the north east, and subsequently will have the chance to tick Gateshead off. As far as I can tell, it's my most local ground at the moment, a mere 3km from where I'm currently staying south of the Tyne.

Gateshead gained headlines at the end of last season for some pretty horrendous reasons, missing out on taking part in the play-offs they'd qualified for due to ground issues. From my understanding, said problems were entirely as a result of the local council. In any case, it's arguably more painful to lose out in this way than to miss out competitively. 

This would be my first time seeing either team play as it happened, though I do recall checking in on an eventful 5-3 win against Gateshead back in 2009 from the comfort of a rainy Tesco car park, in which Charlie Griffin bagged a hat trick. That kind of entertainment would have done nicely today against Sunderland, though I expected it to be fairly one-sided, a little like the game I attended last week at Hebburn.

The game, the ground, and any other business

Getting to the ground was nice and easy from my temporary home in Bensham - a brisk 35 minute stroll according to Google, though I probably managed to do it quicker than that. I popped into the nearby Maccies for a quick bite, then headed to the ground. 

I'd already picked up a ticket online for a fairly hefty £20 given that it was only a home friendly against a Championship side. The likes of Bellingham, O'Nien and Clarke were playing, but even so, it's a bit much. 

The stadium itself is fine, but it's clearly not designed for football - the racetrack around the side of the pitch pretty much emphasises that. That said, there were a nice selection of pies on offer, which in hindsight I probably should have sampled.

All the goals came in a fairly eventful first half, before the wholesale changes in the second half inevitably slowed the game down. It's a big reason you can't read too much into pre-season results, even if this was a nice win for Gateshead as far as they were concerned. Owen Oseni, signed from Derby County earlier this month, bagged either side of Jack Clarke's penalty for the away side. 

All in all, despite the horrendous weather, and the slightly tedious second half, it was just about worth the walk. I wouldn't be against having that £20 back mind...

Five things you (possibly) didn't know about Gateshead

1.The current iteration of Gateshead is relatively new having been formed in 1977, but it's all a bit complicated. They were established after Gateshead United folded in 1977, with United established in 1936 in South Shields as a replacement for Gateshead AFC, who had been relocated to Gateshead in 1930. They were established in 1899 as South Shields Adelaide Athletic. The short version is two clubs were moved from South Shields to Gateshead before going bust. The current Gateshead are 'third time lucky' in many respects.

2. Bensham, a neighbourhood in Gateshead, is home to one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities in UK, perhaps even Europe. It's one of the only Jewish communities in the UK outside of London and Manchester that is growing, mainly due to Gateshead Talmudical College - one of the most prestigious religious educational establishments in the world.

3. The Angel of the North, located in Gateshead and thought to be one of the largest angel sculptures in the world, is actually based on the artist Anthony Gormley's own body. It's 20 metres tall and 54 metres wide - this enormous woman will devour us all!

4. Manager Rob Elliot spent nine years at Newcastle as a goalkeeping understudy to many a keeper - from Tim Krul to Martin Dubravka. He took the reins at Gateshead last year as caretaker in October 2023 and hasn't looked back since. He is one of two goalkeepers in the dugout in this season's National League - Kelvin Davis of Eastleigh being the other.

5. Gateshead are one of only two FA Trophy winners from the north east, having won the prestigious non-league trophy last year. They lost the final to Halifax the previous season, but were able to see off perennial second placed finalists Solihull Moors on penalties this season. If you can guess the other North East team, then...well, I don't know. I can't offer you anything. But I guess you can feel good about yourself.