

Substitutes
Substitutes
Gateshead fell to consecutive defeats for the first time in the 2024/25 season with a 2-0 loss at home to Forest Green Rovers.
Liam Sercombe’s deflected strike on five minutes left The Heed chasing an equaliser, but despite the hosts’ pressure for the remainder of the game it was the visitors who struck again in injury time to take three points.
Rob Elliot made four changes to the side that was defeated at Dagenham & Redbridge, with Ben Radcliffe, Tom Allan, Tyrelle Newton and Mark Beck handed starting berths at Gateshead International Stadium.
Forest Green made an energetic start on Tyneside and came close to taking the lead within the opening four minutes when Tom Knowles fired a low shot wide of Tiernan Brooks’ goal, before dealing the opening blow immediately afterwards.
Sercombe came away from a fifty-fifty challenge with Luke Hannant in possession in the penalty area, before sending a shot towards the near post that took a deflection off Louis Storey before heading over Brooks and into the back of the net.
Gateshead took control from then on in search of an equaliser, though found Forest Green’s back-line difficult to bypass in terms of creating clear opportunities.
Allan called Jed Ward into a save from a tight angle at his far post midway through the half, before Owen Oseni sent a 15-yard strike wide of goal in the only chances of note in the opening 45.
The Heed increased the pressure after the interval with Ward again called upon to parry Newton’s cross into the six-yard box clear, while Storey sent a header wide of the far post later on.
Jovan Malcolm was introduced for his competitive debut late on and saw a powerful effort from inside the box beaten away by Ward, before the Forest Green stopper made his most impressive save of the afternoon to acrobatically tip Newton’s 25-yard drive over the bar.
Hannant sent a low effort inches wide of the far post, moments before Beck hit the top of the crossbar with a 12-yard header, but it was Forest Green who struck the decisive blow when Christian Doidge tapped a cross home on the counter in the 96th minute.
Gateshead: Brooks, Tinkler, Storey (Butterfield, 80’), Radcliffe, Allan (Adom, 72’), Hannant, Booty, Whelan (Worman, 90’), Newton (Colkett, 86’), Beck, Oseni (Malcolm, 74’).
Substitutes: Basey, Jones.
Yellow Cards: Hannant (90+7’)
Forest Green Rovers: Ward, Long (Bunker, 46’), Tozer, Moore-Taylor (C), Robson, McCann, May, Sercombe (Osadebe, 62’), McAllister (Quigley, 72’), Knowles (Lavinier, 80’), Cardwell (Doidge, 62’).
Substitutes: Searle, Maddox.
Goals: Sercombe (5’), Doidge (90+6’)
Yellow Cards: Sercombe (10’), McCann (32’), Knowles (72’), Ward (90+3’)
Attendance: 1,112 (97 away)