Match Report: Will Brown

Gateshead earned their first pre-season victory in a 4-0 win against Spennymoor at The Brewery Field.

It took Gateshead just seven minutes to take the lead when Louis Storey was left unmarked at the back post from a corner, before Paul Blackett doubled The Heed’s advantage from the spot dispatching the penalty he had won hard into the right corner in the 20th minute.

Blackett got his second when Tom AllAn dribbled his way into the box before squaring it to Blackett for an easy finish and The Heed scored their final goal in style when Connor Pani netted a half-volley from inside the box.

Mike Williamson’s team came at Spennymoor from the first whistle, pressing the oppositions defence relentlessly which was the theme for the entire match.

Gateshead’s first chance came in the sixth minute when Allan powered his way through the right flank before pulling it back to Dan Ward but the shot was deflected

An in-swinging corner by Greg Olley managed to reach the back post untouched allowing Louis Storey to get an easy tap-in to give the Heed the lead in the seventh minute.

After pressing the ball to win the ball back and a quick counter-attack to play Blackett through on goal before Max Metcalfe brought him down.

Blackett was deservedly on the penalty and placed it hard into the bottom-right corner sending Metcalfe the wrong way.

Spennymoor got their first chance in the 22nd minute when Glen Taylor’s step-over allowed him to shift the ball onto his right-foot before drilling a shot low which Dan Langley collected.

Blackett managed to get his boot on a loose ball in the box from four-yards but Metcalfe made a fantastic save pushing the ball out for a corner in the 35th minute.

Another set-piece nearly put Gateshead up by three within 36 minutes, Olley caught Spennymoor’s defence sleeping with a quick one-two before attempting an audacious effort from outside the box which rattled the crossbar.

Olley thought another low-driven corner could work and tried for a second time which found Carl Magnay at the back-post but was unable to find the target.

Set-pieces looked dangerous throughout the game and this time it was Spennymoor who scored from a free-kick. Mark Anderson floating one into the box where Jo Cummings flicked the ball just past the post

In the 56th minute Gateshead found themselves 3-0 up when Allan danced his way through the Spennymoor defence giving him time to play a short pass across goal which Blackett met for his brace.

Spennymoor responded by getting more bodies forward and Glen Taylor once again deploying step-overs before releasing a shot which found itself just over the bar.

Spennymoor were down to ten men when Jo Cummings was sent off in the 78th minute for a full-blooded challenge on Trialist.

Connor Pani showed his class moving into space and drilling the ball into the back of the net on the half-volley in the 88th minute.

Gateshead: Langley, Tinkler (Walton, 70′), Magnay, Storey (Wombwell, 65′), Richardson, Bailey, Olley, Ward (Pani, 65′), Allan, Campbell (Trialist, 65′), Blackett (Trialist, 65′).

Goals: Storey (7), Blackett (20 (pen) ,56), Pani (88)

Spennymoor Town: Metcalfe, Lufudu, Duxbury, Wheatley, Tait, Curtis, Trialist, Chandler, Taylor, Thewlis, Oyibo