Gateshead F.C.
Gateshead Football Club is a professional football club based in Gateshead, England. The team compete in the National League North, the sixth tier of English football, and play at Gateshead International Stadium.
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| Full name | Gateshead Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Tynesiders, The Heed | ||
| Founded | 1977 | ||
| Ground | International Stadium, Gateshead | ||
| Capacity | 11,800 | ||
| Chairman | Neil Pinkerton | ||
| Manager | Mike Williamson | ||
| League | National League North | ||
| 2019–20 | National League North, 7th of 22 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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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.
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]
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 club – 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 which is a symbol both in the club and in the borough.[8]
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.[9]
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.[10] 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".[11] 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".[12]
Players
Current squad
- As of 17 January 2021[13]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Non-playing staff
| Coaching staff | |
|---|---|
| Position | Name |
| Manager | Mike Williamson |
| Assistant Manager | Ian Watson |
| First Team Coach | |
| Goalkeeping Coach | |
| Academy Coach | Matty Pattison |
| Physio | Chris Bell |
| Kit Man | Mark Walton |
| Non playing staff | |
|---|---|
| Position | Name |
| Owners | Gateshead Soul Supporters Society |
| Chairman | Neil Pinkerton |
| General Manager | Alisha Henry |
| Media Manager | Jack McGraghan |
| Club Secretary | |
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 | Dave Dickson |
| 2019– | Mike Williamson |
Honours
- Northern Premier League
- Premier Division champions 1982–83, 1985–86
- Challenge Shield winners 1985–86
- Conference North Playoffs winners 2008-09
Records
- Best FA Cup performance: Third round, 2014–15[2]
- Best FA Trophy performance: Semi-finals, 2010–11, 2017–18[2]
- Record attendance: 11,750 vs Newcastle United, friendly match, 7 August 1995[9]
- Biggest win: 8–0 vs Netherfield, Northern Premier League[9]
- Heaviest defeat: 9–0 vs Sutton United, Football Conference, 22 September 1990[9]
- Most appearances: James Curtis, 596 (2003–2016)[9][17]
- Most goals: Paul Thompson, 130[9] (1995–1997, 1999–2004, 2005–2008)
- Record transfer fee paid: £9,000 to Dagenham & Redbridge for Paul Cavell, 1994[9]
- Record transfer fee received: £150,000 from Huddersfield Town for Lee Novak, 2009[9]
See also
- Gateshead F.C. players
- Gateshead F.C. managers
References
- Our History Archived 22 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine Gateshead F.C.
- Gateshead at the Football Club History Database
- 2007–08 Northern Premier League Football Club History Database
- Bowron, Jeff (28 April 2010). "Gateshead confirm Ian Bogie as full time manager". Gateshead F.C. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
- Cambridge United 2–1 Gateshead BBC Sport, 18 May 2014
- Gateshead: Club suspended from National League after 'multiple breaches' of financial rules BBC Sport, 24 May 2019
- "Gateshead relegated to National League North after financial breaches". BBC Sport. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- https://www.gateshead-fc.com/club-statement-sale-confirmed/
- Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2016) Non-League Club Directory 2017, Tony Williams Publications, p32 ISBN 978-1869833695
- Gateshead FC unveil new stadium site Gateshead F.C., 28 October 2009
- Book reveals Gateshead might ditch new stadium plans Chronicle Live, 27 July 2014
- 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.
- "Squad Numbers confirmed". Gateshead F.C. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- McGraghan, Jack (14 September 2020). "Cranston joins on non-contract terms". Gateshead F.C. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- McGraghan, Jack (3 October 2020). "Guthrie joins West Auckland Town on loan". Gateshead F.C. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- Richardson, Ian (7 September 2020). "Midfielder Greenfield joins on loan from Gateshead". Matlock Town F.C. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- Gateshead FC: James Curtis one of nine players released by National League side BBC Sport, 3 May 2016
External links
- Official website
- Gateshead BBC Sport