| Full name | Gateshead Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Tynesiders, The Heed | ||
| Founded | 1889 (Reformed in 1977) | ||
| Ground | Gateshead International Stadium (Capacity: 11,800) |
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| Chairman | Graham Wood | ||
| Manager | Ian Bogie | ||
| League | Conference National | ||
| 2010–11 | Conference National, 14th | ||
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| Current season | |||
Gateshead Football Club are a professional Association football club, based in Gateshead, England. They currently play in the Conference National, the fifth level of the English football league system.
Ian Bogie is the current manager.
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The first-ever recognised club was Gateshead NER FC , who were formed in 1889, playing in the Northern Football Alliance until 1903, however the earliest prominent club, Gateshead Town FC joined the Northern Football Alliance in 1905, they played their games at The Shuttles and Old Fold Park. The reputation of the club saw them join the North-East Counties League, turning professional and becoming a Limited Company in 1911. The club attracted large crowds at the time, including a reported attendance of 13,000. However, things started to backfire following a couple of seasons struggle, it was later decided that the club would not re-form after the end of the First World War. In 1919, a new club was reformed, originally known as Close Works, then eventually to be later re-named, Gateshead Town F.C.. Gateshead Town F.C. also played in the Northern Football Alliance League before folding in 1924.
After a six year absence, the town had a new representative, although Gateshead AFC originated eight miles (14 km) from Gateshead in the town of South Shields. South Shields F.C. were a Football League Second Division club formed in 1899 by Jack Inskip and playing at the Horseley Hill Ground. They played in the Northern Alliance, and North Eastern Leagues before joining the extended Football League Second Division in 1919–20. The mid-to-late 1920s saw South Shields struggling financially before in 1928 the club finished bottom and were relegated to the Third Division (North). After two unsuccessful seasons in the lower division, the struggling club took the step of moving the club another town targeting more support. Newcastle upon Tyne, was mentioned as a possible destination, but Gateshead was eventually chosen, mainly due to the enthusiastic support of the Gateshead Council.
A new stadium was constructed, Redheugh Park, located in the in the West end of Gateshead. In August 1930, Gateshead F.C. started a new era when 15,545 supporters watched Gateshead beat Doncaster Rovers 2–1. Gateshead missed out on promotion, finishing runners-up decided by goal average. They were runners up again in 1932 and in 1950 two (2) points being the decider, but they still stayed in the lower divisions until the regional divisions were replaced by the third and fourth divisions in 1958.
In the 1950s, Gateshead enjoyed some relatively successful FA Cup runs. The 1951/52 season saw Gateshead drawn at home to West Bromwich Albion in the fourth-round. The game venue was re-located to Newcastle United's St James' Park , in which 39,287 fans witnessed West Bromwich Albion coming out on top, winning the match 2–0. One of Gateshead's greatest ever seasons occurred the following year in 1952/53, the club reached the quarter-finals, having already beaten Liverpool 1–0 at home in the third-round. (15,193 spectators attended the match in the foggy Redheugh Park), Gateshead beat both Hull City and Plymouth Argyle away from home to set up a 1952–53 FA Cup sixth-round tie against Bolton Wanderers. A sold out Redheugh Park saw 17,692 fans turn up as Gateshead changed their traditional plain white shirts to a unfamiliar black and white stripes. At 0–0 late on in the match, Bolton defender, Eric Bell, handled the ball inside of the penalty area (Bell later admitted the offence), but the referee waved play-on and Bolton quickly broke away and England international Nat Lofthouse headed the ball past Gateshead goal-keeper Bob Gray to give Bolton a wining 1–0 lead. During this time the club regularly included the brothers Tom and Jack Callender, who's combined appearances for Gateshead, established a record for the most by two brothers at a single club.[1] Jack Callender also set a personal record for the most Football League appearances for the club with a total of 470. [2]
Gateshead missed the chance to become a member of the new National Third Division, losing out by only one point. Gateshead were the founders of the Fourth Division. The distance in travelling between the clubs of the new National Division proved difficult for many, but especially for one as far North as Gateshead. In the 1958/59 season, Gateshead finished in twentieth (20th) position at the end of the season, then the following season, the 1959/60 campaign, Gateshead finished the season even lower than the previous one, finishing in twenty-second (22nd) position. At that time, the bottom-four teams in the Fourth Division had to apply for re-election. Gateshead applied along with Southport, who applied for the third year running, and for the seventh time altogether. Oldham, who were also applying for the second year in a row, and Hartlepool, who were applying for the fourth time. The Football League failed to re-elect Gateshead.
With no National League System in place at the time, the club played in various number of regional divisions before becoming the founder members of the Northern Premier League, also known as the NPL. In 1968, the club played in the Northern Premier League for two (2) years, from 1968 to 1970 when they finished bottom of the division and were relegated. After a season replacing their reserves in the parochial Wearside League, the first team were accepted to play in the Midland League, At this point, the club was in severe financial difficulties and were eventually forced to leave Redheugh Park. They took up residence at the Gateshead Youth Stadium, however the new venue didn't help the clubs problems at all, sending them into liquidation and the end of Gateshead AFC in August 1973.
The next year saw yet another Gateshead formed, this time to be formed as Gateshead Town F.C.. Gateshead Town F.C. only managed to complete one season in the Northern Combination League before folding again. History repeated itself all over again when the reformed South Shields, members of the Northern Premier League, moved to the Gateshead Youth Stadium and became Gateshead United F.C.. Despite having relatively successful run in the FA Cup, the club only lasted three seasons before they went out on existence as well in 1977.
Gateshead reformed again in 1977, this time as Gateshead F.C.. The Gateshead Youth Stadium had been upgraded and renamed as Gateshead International Stadium. Aided by a new board, Gateshead won promotion from the Northern Premier League to the Alliance Premier League in 1983, with a record tally of points and goals scored. With a relatively lucrative sponsorship, Gateshead spent several seasons in the Football Conference. However the sponsorship money dried up, and the club started to decline, spending the 2003–04 season in the Northern Premier League First Division. A 6th place finish was enough to gain promotion to the Premier Division due to the restructuring of the National League System.
On May 3, 2008, Gateshead beat Buxton 2–0 in the Northern Premier League Premier Division Play-Off Final and were therefore promoted to the Conference North.
In March 2008, Gateshead announced the merger of local club Low Fell Juniors to form Gateshead Juniors from the start of the 2008/09 season. Gateshead finished the 2008–09 season in the Conference North in second (2nd) place. They qualified for the Play-Off's along with Alfreton Town, A.F.C. Telford United and their semi-final opponents Southport. Gateshead beat Southport 2–1 on aggregate and won the Play-Off Final 1–0 against Telford earning promotion to the Conference National.
Gateshead announced on October 13, 2009 that they would be moving to a full-time employed playing squad for the beginning of the 2010–2011 season.[3]
Gateshead currently play their home games at Gateshead International Stadium.
On 28 October 2009, Gateshead unveiled plans for a new 7,856 capacity football stadium to be built in the town centre. The stadium will be built on a derelict site opposite the Gateshead Civic Centre, formerly the home of North Durham Cricket & Rugby Club.[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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A list of Gateshead FC managers from 1990 onwards.
| Years | Manager |
| 1990–1993 | Tony Lee |
| 1993–1994 | Tommy Cassidy |
| 1994–1997 | 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 |
| 2002–2004 | Derek Bell |
| 2004 | Alan Bell |
| 2004–2005 | Tom Wade |
| 2005–2006 | Colin Richardson |
| 2006–2007 | Tony Lee |
| 2007– | Ian Bogie |
Gateshead AFC played their final season in South Shields wearing claret and blue colours for the first time, after moving to Gateshead in 1930 the club continued to play in these colours, until 1936. The 1937 season saw Gateshead change from claret and blue to their, now familiar plain white shirts, black shorts and socks. However, Gateshead briefly altered the style to play in black and white stripes for their FA Cup quarter-final match against Bolton, before reverting back to what it was previously, a plain white shirt, black shorts and socks. The club continued to play in this combination until the late 1970s when they changed to an all white strip after they had moved to the Gateshead International Stadium.
Gateshead United slightly altered the all white kit and added a second colour, a green front panel in a similar fashion to Ajax's famously known shirt.
1977 saw Gateshead F.C formed in the year of the Silver Jubilee, and they subsequently played in an 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 back to its more traditional colours of a white shirt, black shorts and socks and they have played in these same colours ever since.
Gateshead (1) (1930–73):
Gateshead (2) (1977–present):
When Gateshead AFC were previously a Football League club, their main rivals used to be Hartlepool United, Darlington and Carlisle United. Due to geographical isolation for the level of Non-League football club's, Gateshead didn't have any strong local rivalries that existed. However, a bitter local rivalry developed with Blyth Spartans at the beginning of the 1990s, which still continues to this current day.
Other rivalries involving Bishop Auckland, Spennymoor and Whitby Town also existed in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
For the 2010/11 season, their rivalry with Darlington will most likely begin again, after Darlington were recently relegated from The Football League to the Conference National.
Coaching and fitness Staff
Others
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