ENTERPRISE NATIONAL LEAGUE. WEDNESDAY, 25th FEBRUARY 2025.

Dodgy Penalties Gift Gateshead a Point.

If there is ever truly such a thing as a `six-pointer’, the game in Gateshead this evening was well and truly it. The Heed started the fixture against Morecambe in the next to bottom position in the National League, just one place and a single point behind us with two matches in hand. On Saturday last, the team from the north-east of England beat Truro City on their own patch 1-2 with a brace from Harry Chapman to leap-frog over the club from Cornwall and leave the Tinners at the very bottom of the table. After an astonishing number of defeats in a row prior to this, the win marked their second successive victory following the Heed’s 1-2 win at Halifax eight days ago. Already this season, Gateshead have humiliated Morecambe in Lancashire, winning 2-5 in the reverse National League fixture and scoring four goals without reply in the opening twelve minutes against Ashvir Singh Johal’s misfiring and basically clueless team. Having said that, the Heed then went on to lose to us 0-3 on their own patch last December in the FA Trophy.

Morecambe would be hoping to put an end to Gateshead’s recent resurgence following a rare win themselves last time out. On Saturday, the Shrimps walloped Eastleigh 4-0 on the Lancashire coast: a defeat that led to the sacking of the Hampshire’s team Manager, Scott Bartlett, after the game. So was this a false dawn for Jim Bentley’s men? Or a sign of a resurgence to come? Tonight’s game should be a good indicator of which…

During the week, the Manager was able to persuade a new player to sign on the dotted line. This is another defender apparently built in the Jim Bentley image: Liam Hogan once Captained Salford City to not just one but two promotions.  He’s not young – 37 years-of-age – but Jim hopes his influence will steady the Morecambe ship, not least at the back:

“Liam is a fantastic professional, who has had a really strong career. He has played all around the North West. He knows the level. When I have spoken to people, they’ve said he’s got a really good way about him. Good professionalism, all the type of things we want at the football club moving forward. I’ve tried to sign him before, so I’m really pleased to have him on board.”

Additionally, forward Dan Ogwuru – who was signed by Ashvir Singh Johal but rarely featured in the first eleven for reasons only the departed Manager could explain – has been recalled from a loan spell at Workington Reds. Dan scored three goals for the Northern Premier League team in just five appearances and the current Manager obviously hopes that the former member of Manchester City’s Academy can play a role in the Great Escape Jimbo is planning for.

Jim’s Opposite Number Rob Elliot was once voted the best goalkeeper ever to have played for Accrington Stanley. He was in the team that won them promotion to the EFL and saved a penalty against Woking in the game that confirmed this key moment in their history. He became Technical Director at the Heed – where he was also registered to play – during 2022 and became Manager a year later. He returned to Gateshead last month after a disastrous stint as Crawley Manager and has overseen their recent mini-revival. This is what he said on the eve of the match:

“It is another opportunity for us to climb up the table. But it’s the same conversation as for Truro after Halifax: don’t let down the work you done on Tuesday at Halifax be let down by Truro. And the same thing tomorrow: don’t let the work you done in the last two games let us down tomorrow: you’ve got to build on it; we’ve got to take that and keep building the momentum we’ve got.”

It was dry as the game started in Gateshead’s soul-less bowl of an athletics stadium. With new signing Liam Hogan included in the back three from the off, all eyes would be on the new back line. It didn’t start well for them. Just two minutes had been played when good approach play saw the home team switch the attack from right to left. Harry Chapman then passed the ball back to Joe Grayson who lofted the ball towards the far post. There, Mark Beck shook off his marker and directed an unchallenged header back into the path of Keaton Ward, who scored with a powerful low volley which beat Jamal Blackman to his right.

It was a poor start and the Heed’s style of play – lots of possession and decent passing throughout the half – didn’t bode well for the visitors. But Morecambe tightened-up and pressed all over the field. Gateshead’s play actually lacked any penetration after the opening couple of minutes but, by contrast, Morecambe constantly looked dangerous on the break. After eighteen minutes, they were level. Lewis Payne got away on the right and slung over a cross which an onrushing Chris Popov headed powerfully past Peter Jameson in the home net to equalise. Payne then appeared from nowhere following a corner a minute later but his low shot was blocked by the Heed defence. Blackman saved easily from a weak Beck header which was straight at him with 22 minutes played. Then it got even better for the visitors as Jamal took a goal-kick three minutes later. Paul Lewis did well to play the ball forward to Popov on the right. Chris slung a cross towards the goal and Jack Nolan headed the ball home from point blank range to put the visitors ahead. Just before half time, Gateshead lost possession as they were attacking; Miguel Azeez led the counter and slipped the ball to Nolan on the Morecambe right who looked-up and found Popov again with a precise pass for the Leicester loanee to make it five goals in five games as he swept the ball home. Referee Gareth Thomas then gave the home team a lifeline in injury time as Skipper Yann Songo’o slid in to make a clearance at the near post only for the ball to hit his trailing hand. He made no attempt to touch the ball and his hands have to be somewhere, don’t they? But Gateshead were awarded the softest of penalties and Billy Chadwick scored from the spot.

So it was 2-3 to the Shrimps at half time in a game which had been skilful throughout and really entertaining to watch. They were good value for it: whereas the Heed played as we have done in the so-called `Ashball era’ – lots of possession; no chances created – Morecambe had been far more direct and taken their chances into the bargain.

The home team started brightly in the second half as rain started to pour from the heavens. With three minutes of the re-start played, Blackman made a good save low to his right by the post at the cost of the corner. From this, the Referee penalised Morecambe again – this time as Lewis tangled with Ward on the edge of the penalty area. He may have got this one right – but this sort of thing happens from corners in virtually all football matches these days and I thought it was harsh at best. Chadwick beat Jamal again from the spot to level things up once more.

But Morecambe commendably still played for the win. It looked as if they might have got it when Popov completed his hat-trick in the fifty-second minute. Azeez orchestrated another counter-attack and played a ball over the top for Chris to run onto, push it past Peter Jameson and then find the net from a very acute angle as two Heed defenders tried to block his shot on the line. But it wasn’t to be. Gateshead scored the flukiest of equalisers with 73 minutes on the clock. Azeez lost the ball in the centre of the park and it was played forwards to Chadwick, who strode forwards on the Heed right and then played a cross to his left into the away penalty area. He completely mis-hit the ball and it swerved towards the left and then clockwise towards the right to loop around a stranded Blackman. And that was it. The game deteriorated into a bit of a scrappy mess in the rain for the last few minutes but ended with the points shared. It’s disappointing to only draw after being 1-3 up in the first half but on another night – and with a better Referee – Morecambe would have won.

This outcome wasn’t a lot of good to either club: both really needed three points to narrow the gap between themselves and other potential rivals for the drop. However, Truro lost again tonight 2-1 at Eastleigh and remain bottom of the National League. Braintree also lost – 1-2 at home to Aldershot – and are only three points better-off than the Shrimps in twenty-first place in the table. Sutton United also were beaten tonight (3-2 at Yeovil) but remain eight points clear of Morecambe in the highest of the positions of safety: twentieth.

This is what Jim made of it at the end of the evening:

“Ultimately, both sets of players have had a right good go to try and win the game. It was hard graft. We’re all desperate to win; to do well but – at the end of the day – we take a point and we move on. I’ve only been in the club three weeks bit I know who’s honest. And Paul Lewis is a very honest lad. And he said – one hundred percent – he’s cleared the ball and the lad’s kicked him and gone down. It’s gone against us in that moment tonight. The big thing for me, we had a right go again; emptied the tank; pushed themselves; competed; battled. We wanted three points but we’ll take one – and move on .”

Gateshead:  12 Peter Jameson; 5 Kenton Richardson (C); 6 Brad Nicholson (Y); 7 Keaton Ward; 8 Sam Bowen; 10 Jacob Butterfield (22 Josh Anifowose 45’); 14 Ben Radcliffe; 18 Joe Grayson (20 Fenton John 45’); 19 Mark Beck (29 Ash Boatswain 43’); 21 Billy Chadwick (9 Dom Telford 87’); 32 Harry Chapman (15 Levi Amantchi 45’).

Subs not used:  17 Josh Home.

Morecambe: 40 Jamal Blackman; 2 Lewis Payne; 5 Harlee Dean; 7 Gwion Edwards (15 Ben Williams 83’); 8 Miguel Azeez (Y); 12 Kyle Jameson (Y); 16 Liam Hogan; 17 Paul Lewis (32 George Thomas 83’); 24 Yann Songo’o (C) (20 Mo Sangare 84’)); 36 Jack Nolan (18 Ben Tollitt 76’); 42 Chris Popov.

Subs not used: 41 Myles Boney; 23 Dan Ogwuru; 33 Timothy Akindileni;

Ref: Gareth Thomas.

Att: Unknown (Over 100 from Morecambe.)