Gateshead F.C.
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| Full name | Gateshead Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Tynesiders, The Heed | |||
| Founded | 1977 | |||
| Ground | International Stadium, Gateshead | |||
| Capacity | 11,800 | |||
| Chairman | Richard Bennett | |||
| Manager | Neil Aspin | |||
| League | National League | |||
| 2023–24 | National League, 6th of 24 | |||
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Gateshead Football Club is a professional football club based in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Established in 1977 after Gateshead United folded, they are currently members of the National League and play at the International Stadium.
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, Gatehead 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 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. In 2013–14 the club finished third in the league, qualiyfing 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.[4] 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]
Colours & 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 surrounding area.
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.[5]
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.[6] 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".[7] In December 2015, the club's new owner Richard Bennett announced that the club had restarted the search for a new stadium location, while describing the International Stadium as "fabulous".[8]
Current squad
- As of 17 May 2017.[9]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club officials
Coaching and fitness Staff
- Manager: Neil Aspin
- Assistant Manager: Lee Nogan
- Goalkeeping Coach: Andy Collett
- U19 Team Manager: Micky Cummins
- U19 Team Coach: John Gamble
- Physiotherapist: Annie Davis
- Kit Manager: JJ O'Donnell
- Assistant Kit Manager: Mark Walton
- Club Scouts: James Whittaker
Others
- Owners: Richard Bennett, Julie Bennett
- Chairman: Richard Bennett
- Finance Manager: Julie Bennett
- Club President: Graham Wood
- Managing Director: Brian Waites
- General Manager: Mike Coulson
- Treasurer: Ronnie Spraggon
- Commercial Director: Grahame McDonnell
- Press Officer: Dominic Scurr
- Life President: John Gibson
- Vice-president: Bill Gibson
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–present | Neil Aspin |
Honours
- Northern Premier League
- Premier Division champions 1982–83, 1985–86
- Challenge Shield winners 1985–86
Records
- Best FA Cup performance: Third round, 2014–15[2]
- Best FA Trophy performance: Semi-finals, 2010–11[2]
- Record attendance: 11,750 vs Newcastle United, friendly match, 7 August 1995[5]
- Biggest win: 8–0 vs Netherfield, Northern Premier League[5]
- Heaviest defeat: 9–0 vs Sutton United, Football Conference, 22 September 1990[5]
- Most appearances: James Curtis, 596 (2003–2016)[5][10]
- Most goals: Paul Thompson, 130[5] (1995–1997, 1999–2004, 2005–2008)
- Record transfer fee paid: £9,000 to Dagenham & Redbridge for Paul Cavell, 1994[5]
- Record transfer fee received: £150,000 from Huddersfield Town for Lee Novak, 2009[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b Our History Gateshead F.C.
- ^ a b c d e f Gateshead at the Football Club History Database
- ^ 2007–08 Northern Premier League Football Club History Database
- ^ Cambridge United 2–1 Gateshead BBC Sport, 18 May 2014
- ^ a b c d e f g h 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
- ^ Gateshead have restarted the search for a new home, says Tynesiders owner Richard Bennett Chronicle Live, 13 December 2015
- ^ "FootballSquads - Gateshead". footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ^ Gateshead FC: James Curtis one of nine players released by National League side BBC Sport, 3 May 2016
External links
- Official website
- Gatehead BBC Sport