Gateshead F.C.
Template:Short description Template:For Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football club
Gateshead Football Club is a professional association football club based in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Template:English football updater, the fifth level of the English football league system, and play their home matches at the Gateshead International Stadium.
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 Football League from 1930 to 1960, which had 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 from the Football Conference in 1984 and 1987. They secured promotion back to the Conference at the end of the 1989–90 season, though would remain there until another relegation in 1998. The club were further relegated from 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 from 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 to the National League North in 2019 due to financial irregularities. They returned to the National League after winning the National League North in 2021–22. They won their first FA Trophy title in the 2023–24 season having finished as runners-up in the previous competition.
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.<ref name=H>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=H/> 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.<ref name=FCHD/>
The 1982–83 season saw Gateshead win the Northern Premier League with a record points tally (100), scoring 114 goals in the process.<ref name=H/> 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.<ref name=FCHD>Template:Fchd</ref> The following season saw the club win the Northern Premier League title and the league's Challenge Shield,<ref name=CIC>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name=FCHD/>
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 Conference. After this reprieve, the club were runners-up in 1989–90 and were promoted back to the Conference,<ref name=FCHD/> as champions Colne Dynamoes were ineligible for promotion. 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.<ref name=FCHD/>
After two top-five finishes following their return, Gateshead finished in mid-table in 2000–01 and 2001–02.<ref name=FCHD/> Although they were relegated to Division One at the end of the 2002–03 season,<ref name=FCHD/> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 2008–09 season, Gateshead were Conference North runners-up.<ref name=FCHD/> In the subsequent play-offs, they beat 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.<ref name=FCHD/> The club adopted a full-time squad for the first time for the 2010–11 season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2013–14, the club finished third in the league, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. They beat Grimsby Town 4–2 on aggregate in the semi-finals, setting up a Wembley final against Cambridge United, which they lost 2–1.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 Premier League side West Bromwich Albion, with Gateshead losing 7–0.<ref name=FCHD/> The club were suspended from the National League in May 2019 due to financial irregularities,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and were demoted to the National League North the following month.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The curtailed 2019–20 season saw Gateshead finish seventh (with the league table calculated on points-per-game), qualifying for the play-offs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=FCHD/> However, after beating Brackley Town on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the first round, they lost 5–3 to Boston United in the semi-finals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021–22 Gateshead were National League North champions, earning promotion back to the National League.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The 2022–23 season saw them reach the final of the FA Trophy at Wembley Stadium, where they lost 1–0 to FC Halifax Town.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After finishing sixth in the National League in 2023–24, the club were barred from competing in the play-offs after failing to meet the entry criteria for the Football League due to not obtaining a "10-year security of tenure" for their stadium.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They also reached a second successive FA Trophy final, this time defeating Solihull Moors on penalties following a 2–2 draw to win the competition.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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 incarnation – 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.Template:Citation needed
The club's crest incorporates an image of the statue the Angel of the North.<ref>Passionate People, Passionate Places: Our Angel of the North Chronicle Live, 6 December 2020</ref>
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.<ref name=NLCD2017/>
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.<ref>Gateshead FC unveil new stadium site Gateshead F.C., 28 October 2009</ref> 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".<ref>Book reveals Gateshead might ditch new stadium plans Chronicle Live, 27 July 2014</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite Gateshead qualifying for the National League play-offs in 2023–24, they were excluded due to Gateshead Council failing to grant the club a ten-year security of tenure for the International Stadium, which is required for all teams that apply for EFL membership from the National League.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Current squad
Template:Updated<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Fs start Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs mid Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs end
Out on loan
Template:Fs start Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs end
Non-playing staff
Template:Updated<ref name="Club information & Contacts">Template:Cite news</ref>
| Coaching staff | |
|---|---|
| Position | Name |
| Manager | Alun Armstrong |
| Assistant Manager | Jacob Butterfield |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Peter Jameson |
| Head of Football Operations | Simon Johnson |
| Head of Analysis | Josh Lucas |
| S&C Lead | Angelo Mappouras |
| Community Officer | Ben Clark |
| Physiotherapist | Frazer Bell |
Template:Updated<ref name="Club information & Contacts"/>
| Non-playing staff | |
|---|---|
| Position | Name |
| Chairman | Bernard McWilliams |
| Vice-Chairman | Lawrence O'Halleron |
| Directors | Laurence Dinning, Mark Nellist |
| General Manager | Mike Coulson |
| Media Manager | Jack McGraghan |
Managerial history
Template:More citations needed section
| Years | Manager | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| 1977–1986 | Ray Wilkie | |
| 1986 | Terry Hibbitt | |
| 1986–1987 | George Smith | |
| 1987–1988 | Dave Parnaby | |
| 1988 | Billy Bell | |
| 1988 | John Carver (caretaker) | |
| 1988–1990 | Dave Parnaby | |
| 1990 | Jim Pearson (caretaker) | |
| 1990–1991 | Tony Lee | |
| 1991–1993 | Tommy Cassidy | |
| 1993–1997 | 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 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2002–2004 | Derek Bell | |
| 2004 | Alan Bell | |
| 2004–2005 | Tom Wade | |
| 2005–2006 | Colin Richardson | |
| 2006–2007 | Tony Lee | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2007–2012 | Ian Bogie | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2012–2013 | Anth Smith | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2013 | David Rush (caretaker) | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2013–2015 | Gary Mills | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 2015 | Malcolm Crosby | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 2015 | Ben Clark, Micky Cummins (co-caretakers) | |
| 2015–2017 | Neil Aspin | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 2017 | Micky Cummins (caretaker) | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 2017–2019 | Steve Watson | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 2019 | Ben Clark | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 2019–2023 | Mike Williamson | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 2023–2024 | Rob Elliot | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2024 | Ben Clark (caretaker) | |
| 2024–2025 | Carl Magnay | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2025–present | Alun Armstrong | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Honours
- FA Trophy
- Winners 2023–24
- National League
- National League North champions 2021–22<ref name="FCHD" />
- Northern Premier League
- Champions 1982–83, 1985–86<ref name="FCHD" />
- Challenge Shield winners 1985–86<ref name="CIC" />
Records
- Best FA Cup performance: Third round, 2014–15<ref name=FCHD/>
- Best FA Trophy performance: Winners, 2023–24<ref name=FCHD/>
- Record attendance: 11,750 vs Newcastle United, friendly match, 7 August 1995<ref name=NLCD2017>Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2016) Non-League Club Directory 2017, Tony Williams Publications, p32 Template:ISBN</ref>
- Biggest win: 8–0 vs Netherfield, Northern Premier League<ref name=NLCD2017/>
- Heaviest defeat: 9–0 vs Sutton United, Football Conference, 22 September 1990<ref name=NLCD2017/>
- Most appearances: James Curtis, 596 (2003–2016)<ref name=NLCD2017/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Most goals: Paul Thompson, 130<ref name=NLCD2017/> (1995–1997, 1999–2004, 2005–2008)
- Record transfer fee paid: £9,000 to Dagenham & Redbridge for Paul Cavell, 1994<ref name=NLCD2017/>
- Record transfer fee received: £250,000 from Peterborough United for Marcus Maddison, 2014<ref>Marcus Maddison sale can help Gateshead thrive – Gary Mills BBC Sport, 28 August 2014</ref><ref>Gateshead receive another cash windfall after Marcus Maddison plays his 20th game for Peterborough Chronicle Live, 10 February 2015</ref>