Gateshead F.C.

Football club infobox
clubname = Gateshead


fullname = Gateshead Football Club
nickname = The Tynesiders, The Heed
founded = 1889 (Reformed in 1977)
ground = Gateshead International Stadium
capacity = 11,800 (all seated)
chairman = flagicon|England Graham Wood
manager = flagicon|England Ian Bogie
league = Conference North
season = 2007-08
position = Northern Premier League
Premier Division, 3rd
(Promoted via play-offs)
pattern_la1=_blackline|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=_blackline
leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=FFFFFF|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=000000|socks1=000000
pattern_la2=_whitelines|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=_whitelines
leftarm2=0000FF|body2=0000FF|rightarm2=0000FF|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFFFF Gateshead F.C. are a football team based in Gateshead, England, who will play in the Conference North for the 2008-09 season. The club was reformed in 1977, after the original club, which was a member of the Football League from 1930 to 1960 collapsed in 1973.

The club is chaired by Graham Wood, a millionaire who supported the original Gateshead A.F.C. and attended games at their Redheugh Park home.

In May 2007 Ian Bogie was appointed as Manager, his assistant being former Preston North End and Newcastle United team mate, as well as former Gateshead Captain, Jeff Wrightson.

Early Years

The history of Gateshead Football Club is a fragmented one, with many different clubs having taken the towns name. The earliest recognised club Gateshead NER FC were formed in 1889 and played in the Northern Football Alliance league until 1903. However the most prominent early club Gateshead Town FC joined the Northern Football Alliance League in 1905, they played their football at The Shuttles and Old Fold Park. The height of the club saw them join the North-East Counties League, turn professional and became a Limited Company in 1911. The club attracted large crowds for the time including a reported 13,000 attendance. However following a few seasons of struggle, it was decided not to re-form after the First World War. 1919 saw a new Gateshead club, originally called Close Works then later renamed Gateshead Town FC. They also played in the Northern Football Alliance League, unfortunately this team only lasted until 1924.

Football League Years

After a six year gap, the town had a new representative. 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 team playing at the Horseley Hill Ground. Financially South Shields F.C. were struggling and the inevitable happened in 1928 when the club finished bottom and were relegated to the Third Division (North). After two fairly mediocre seasons in the lower division, the club was on its knees so the board took the almost unprecedented step of moving the club lock, stock and barrel to another town with hopefully more support.

Newcastle was mooted as a possible destination, but Gateshead was the chosen due the enthusiastic support of Gateshead Council. A new stadium was built at Redheugh Park in the West end of Gateshead and in August 1930, Gateshead F.C. kicked off a new era when 15,545 spectators watched the home side beat Doncaster Rovers 2-1. Gateshead narrowly missed out on promotion when they finished runners-up (on goal average) in 1932 and again in 1950 (by two points), but stayed in the lower division until the regional divisions were replaced by the Third and Fourth Divisions in 1958.

In their 1950s heyday, Gateshead enjoyed some remarkable FA Cup runs. The 1951-52 season saw Gateshead drawn at home to West Bromwich Albion in the fourth round. The game was switched to Newcastle United's St James' Park and 39,287 witnessed West Brom run out 2-0 winners. Gateshead's greatest season came the following season (1952-53) as the club made the quarter-finals. Having already beaten Liverpool 1-0 at home in round three (15,193 spectators attended a foggy Redheugh Park), Gateshead beat both Hull City and Plymouth Argyle away to set up a mouth-watering quarter-final tie with Bolton Wanderers. A sold out Redheugh Park saw 17,692 fans turn up as Gateshead changed from their regular all white shirts to unfamiliar black and white stripes. At 0-0 late on Gateshead could possibly have won the game when Bolton defender Bell handled inside the penalty area (he later admitted the offence), the referee waved play-on Bolton broke away and England international Nat Lofthouse headed in past Bob Gray to give them a 1-0 win. They went on to reach the final.

Missing the cut to form the new national Third Division by only one point, Gateshead were founder members of the Fourth Division. The travelling in the new national Division was difficult for all clubs but especially one as far North as Gateshead. In the first season, (1958-59), Gateshead finished twentieth and the next year Gateshead finished even lower in 22nd place. At that time, the bottom four clubs in the Fourth Division had to apply for re-election.

Gateshead applied along with Southport (applying for the third year running and the seventh time in total), Oldham (applying for the second year running) and Hartlepool (applying for the fourth time). Gateshead had no reason to believe they were at risk, but the Football League failed to re-elect Gateshead.

Post Football League

With no National League System then in place, the club played in various regional leagues before becoming founder members of the Northern Premier League (NPL) in 1968. The club played in the NPL from 1968 to 1970 when they finished bottom and were out. After a season replacing their reserves in the parochial Wearside League, the first team were admitted to the Midland League. By now the club was in financial difficulties and were forced to leave Redheugh Park. They took up residence in the Gateshead Youth Stadium, however the new venue proved no easier on the club bringing the liquidation of Gateshead AFC in late August 1973.

The following season saw a third Gateshead Town F.C. play one season in the Northern Combination League. History then repeated itself, when the reformed South Shields F.C., themselves members of the NPL, moved to the Youth Stadium and became Gateshead United F.C.. Despite relatively successful FA Cup runs, the club only lasted three seasons before they themselves went out of business in 1977.

The current Gateshead FC

A reformed Gateshead F.C. was constituted to take their place in the NPL. By now, the Youth Stadium had been upgraded and renamed as Gateshead International Stadium. With a superb ground and a new dynamic board, Gateshead finally made progress, winning promotion from the NPL to the Alliance Premier League in 1983. With good sponsorship, Gateshead spent several seasons in the Football Conference and looked on the brink of regaining their coveted Football League place. But as the sponsorship money dried up, the club declined and spent the 2003-04 season in the Northern Premier League First Division. A 6th place finish was enough to win promotion to the Premier Division due to the restructuring of the National League System.

In March 2008 Gateshead F.C. announced the merger of Low Fell Juniors F.C. into the club to become Gateshead F.C. Juniors from the start of the 2008/09 Season. Over 200 young footballers ranging in age from under 6 to under 18 will be overseen by Gateshead chief executive Derek Bell. The under-17 team will represent the club in the FA Youth Cup.cite news
title = Clubs to merge
url = http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football-newcastle/2008/03/27/clubs-to-merge-72703-20680574/
publisher = Evening Chronicle
date = 2008-03-27
accessdate = 2008-03-29]

On May 3 2008, Gateshead beat Buxton F.C. 2-0 in the Unibond Premier League Play-Off Final and were therefore promoted to the Conference North.

Players

"As of 21 September 2008."cite web
title = Gateshead FC 2007/2008
url = http://www.gateshead-fc.com/squad.php
publisher = Gateshead FC
accessdate = 2008-09-21]

Current squad

Notable former players

Club Colours

Gateshead AFC played the last season in South Shields wearing claret and blue for the first time, after moving to Gateshead in 1930 the club continued to play in this combination until 1936. The 1937 season saw Gateshead change to their now familiar white shirts, black shorts and socks. Gateshead briefly altered this to play in black and white stripes for their FA Cup quarter final match against Bolton, before reverting back to an all 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 to add a second colour, a green front panel in a similar fashion to Ajax's famous shirts.

1977 saw Gateshead FC formed in Silver Jubilee year, and subsequently play in an all red strip with a white and blue vertical sash on the shirt. Gateshead continued to play in variations into the mid 1980s when the club went back to its more traditional colours of white shirt, black shorts and socks and has been playing in these colours ever since.

Honours

"Gateshead (1) (1930-73):"
*Football League
**Third Division (North) runners-up 1931-32, 1949-50
*FA Cup Quarter Finalists 1952-53
*Tyne Tees Wear Cup Winners 1944-45
*Durham Senior Professional Cup Winners 1930-31, 1948-49, 1950-51, 1954-55, 1958-59
*Northern Regional League Champions 1963-64"Gateshead (2) (1977-date):"
*Northern Premier League
**Champions 1982-83, 1985-86
**Runners-up 1989-90
**League Challenge Shield Winners 1985-86
**League Challenge Cup runners-up 1989-90, 2002-03
** Play-off Winners 2007-2008
*Durham Challenge Cup runners-up 2007-08

Further reading

*cite book
author=Thompson, George | title=Gateshead F.C. The Football League Years 1930 - 1960
date=2002
publisher=Yore Publications
id=ISBN 1874427399
*cite book
author=Twydell, Dave | title=Rejected F.C. Volume 1
date=1992
publisher=Yore Publications
id=ISBN 1874427003
*cite book
author=Esther, Goff | title=Requiem For Redheugh
date=1984
publisher=Gateshead Libraries

External links

* [http://www.gateshead-fc.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.heedarmy.co.uk/ Heed Army Fan Site]
* [http://www.homeoftheheed.co.uk/ Home of the Heed - A New Stadium for Gateshead FC]

References