It has been a whirlwind few days for academy youngster Oli Thompson.
The forward was named on the bench for the first team on Tuesday night, before bagging a hat-trick for the U19s in their 4-3 derby win at Blyth Spartans on Wednesday.
Although Thompson was an unused substitute, his experience of being named on the National League bench for the first time was a special one.
“It was an excellent moment for myself,” he explained.
“I trained on Tuesday morning with the U19s and Ian Skinner told me that I’d be involved.
“It was a quality experience – I haven’t felt anything like that before so it was good to feel something new.
“Even warming up before the game, you could feel the energy and atmosphere in the stadium from the fans which was great.
“Hopefully I can push on and get on the bench again for the first team, that’s the aim for me.”
One sleep later and the striker was in derby action, with the U19s travelling to Croft Park to face Blyth Spartans.
Thompson scored three in a seven-goal thriller, which saw The Heed’s youngsters win 4-3 following a dramatic comeback.
Photo: Ben Cuthbertson
“It was very good to win,” he stated.
“The first half was disappointing because we went 1-0 up and then Blyth scored three, but the lads stuck to it.
“The reaction in the second half was immense, we got three goals on the bounce to get the victory.
“It was obviously great to win but that outstanding team performance in the second half was the main positive.
“It was good feeling to help the lads with a hat-trick but ultimately it was the team that got us the win in the end.”
And with games coming thick and fast, Thompson hopes that victory will stand Gateshead in good stead.
“That win is massive for us,” added the attacker.
“Blyth are top of the league by quite a few points – to go their place and get a win like that is huge.
“We’ve struggled a bit this season so that result should give us some confidence to push on for the next few games.”
