Match Report: Oliver Spark

Halifax’s one-goal advantage proved enough to take three points from Tyneside. 

The Heed’s tenth league match of the season got underway at the GIS under serious rainfall on a cold afternoon on the Tyne in front of an eight-hundred and twenty-eight-strong crowd. The home side will have been hoping for a change of fortune against a side that they have failed to beat in nineteen previous games.  

The start of the match confirmed that these were two evenly matched teams. In the ninth minute, a well-worked switch to the left-hand side made its way to Fenton John, whose curling effort was denied at the near post by Halifax’s Sam Johnson.  

In the same minute, Halifax went to the other end and worked a one-on-one with Kenton Richardson. The struggle in the area was deemed to go too far, and a penalty was awarded to Halifax. After another long wait in rain that refused to let up, Tiernan Brooks made an excellent save from Josh Hmami’s effort to keep the score level. 

Then came a great spell for Gateshead. Kain Adom skipped away from the opposition to fire a shot that was saved. Harry Chapman then made more of this spell of pressure, and his cross forced a save from the keeper and went down as a shot on goal, one of three for The Heed in the first twenty-five minutes.  

Chapman then forced another save from range that had to be pushed out for a corner.  

Shots from range were the more favourable option as the pitch wasn’t ready for quick, incisive football in the area. On the half-hour mark, Curtis Edwards and Fenton John combined beautifully to break the lines and give it to Kyle Hurst in the final third, who worked a shooting position, and his deflected shot won a corner. Both teams pushed hard for the opener, and there was little let-up in effort or weather.  

Adom was lively again on the right wing and won us a corner to keep the pressure on Halifax over the half-hour mark. The resulting corner wasn’t dealt with by Halifax, and in the midst, there was a foul, and a penalty was awarded. Adom stepped up and fired coolly down the middle to give us the lead.  

Then Halifax had their own corner in the thirty-second minute, a tackle in the box was deemed too physical on Owen Bray and Halifax were awarded the penalty. Jay Turner-Cooke levelled for the Shaymen from the spot.  

Gateshead kept pushing and didn’t allow their heads to drop. Chapman used a free kick for a shot that was blocked by the wall, the rebound was well-worked, and The Heed had another shot saved.  

Curtis Edwards broke the lines again, and Kyle Hurst was left to take on two defenders which he skipped through to a one-on-one with the goalkeeper on the by-line. The ball was smothered bravely by Johnson, and Gateshead won the ball back to keep pushing.  

Six minutes were added at the end of the half. Halifax had a chance with Grayson heading clear off the line, only for it to be called offside regardless. Then Gateshead went up the other end and Hurst’s shot was saved by Johnson yet again.  

The homeside worked a corner well again, eventually coming to Adom, who had looked dangerous for the whole half. His first effort hit the remaining players in the box; his second was narrowly wide. As the half rounded off, John had a similar curling effort saved as the away side’s keeper continued to frustrate the Heed.  

The second half began in similar torrential rain, and now under the floodlights.  

Gateshead had the better of the first fifteen minutes, picking up where they left off with plenty of pressure.  

However, in the sixty-first minute, a tackle on the left wing made space for Halifax to break. Their number twenty-two David Kawala finished the move to give the visitors the lead.  

Halifax capitalised on this and built their pressure well. Tidy possession from Gateshead kept the game level. Adom again was an outlet and looked lively on the left, but this area of the pitch was waterlogged, and the ball was lost to the surface.  

A similar move on the left looked promising as Frank Nouble held up a line-breaking ball that was worked out wide, but the pitch again put a stop to any move. As the match wound down, it was clear the conditions stopped the home side from playing with their normal confidence, as Halifax closed out their lead in front of one hundred and seventy-four travelling fans.  

In the end, it was a match played bravely by both sides with good spells for each that defied the pitch’s surface. The result on Tyneside, however, leaves Gateshead still searching for an elusive win against Halifax.  

Gateshead lineup: Tiernan Brooks, Connor Pani (Will Flint 6’), Kenton Richardson (C), Joe Grayson, David Fergurson (Jacob Butterfield 85’), Josh Home, Curtis Edwards, Fenton John (Callum Bone 81’), Kyle Hurst (Frank Nouble 69’), Harry Chapman (Lucas Lowery 69’), Kain Adom 

Substitutes: Preston Leech, Ben Williams 

Goals: Kain Adom 33’ (P) 

Yellow cards: Kenton Richardson 9’ 

Halifax Lineup: Sam Johnson, Shaun Hobson, Josh Hmami, Angelo Cappello, Jevon Mills, Owen Brady (Will Hugill 63’), David Kawa (Thierry Latty-Fairweather 79’), Dylan Crowe (Jamie Cooke 23’), Jay Turner-Cooke, Cody Johnson (Jack Jenkins 79’), Owen Davenport (Will Harris 79’) 

Substitutes: Nat Ford, Adam Adetoro 

Goals: Jay Turner-Cooke 37’ (P), David Kawa 61’ 

Yellow cards: Jevon Mills 40’