Get the lowdown on our next opponents: Gateshead.
The Opposition
It’s been all change at the Gateshead International Stadium, with Gateshead set to embark on another campaign in the National League after failing to secure a play-off spot last term.
Having finished in sixth in 2023/24 and only missing out on a promotion charge due to issues with their stadium, the Heed will have been optimistic heading into 2024/25, keeping hold of the bulk of the quality within their ranks.
However, manager Rob Elliot – who had replaced Mike Williamson midway through the previous campaign – departed for Crawley Town in October 2024, and was succeeded by former Tynesiders defender Carl Magnay, who since opted to resign from his role after guiding the club to an eighth place finish. Magnay was replaced by former Darlington boss and Under-19 Head Coach Alun Armstrong, who takes on his first senior role since exiting the Quakers in 2023.
Versatile midfielder Luke Hannant was perhaps the most impactful player last season, contributing to 25 goals on his own (15 goals and ten assists), along with goals from Owen Oseni (12), Jovan Malcolm (9) and Callum Whelan (6) helped to make Gateshead the third highest scorers (76) in the division, bettered only by top two Barnet and York City.
Gateshead have since lost a host of players though, with long-serving captain Greg Olley departing after seven years at the GIS; his season-ending injury bringing his time with Gateshead to a premature end, while key players in Hannant, Regan Booty, Ben Worman, Robbie Tinkler, Jean Belehouan and Branden Horton have all joined Olley in the departure lounge, signalling a new era in the north-east, kick-started by the signings of Callum Johnson (Bradford City), Peter Jameson (Darlington) and David Ferguson (Hartlepool United).
They have since added a number of bodies to their ranks, with Callum Johnson (Bradford City), Ibrahim Bakare (Cheltenham Town) and Will Flint (Doncaster Rovers) adding steel to their backline, while Dom Telford (Barrow), Kian Pennant (Leicester City), Kyle Hurst (Doncaster Rovers), Curtis Edwards (Notts County) and Harry Chapman (Barnet) have bolstered an attack which is spearheaded by top scorer and former Sutton loanee Kain Adom, who has been without a doubt a bright spark amongst their struggles so far with 11 goals so far this term.
Indeed, The Heed have endured a difficult period under Armstrong, currently sitting 20th in the Enterprise National League table, but maintain a two-point gap to the bottom four and will be looking to return to winning ways after losing their last five in a row, while winning none in the league league since September.
The Manager
Alun Armstrong
Alun Armstrong was appointed as Gateshead’s first-team manager in June 2025, arriving at the Gateshead International Stadium to take on his third role in senior management, having previously acted as manager with Blyth Spartans from 2016 to 2019 and then Darlington from 2019 to 2023.
The Gateshead-born former forward came through the ranks at Newcastle United but departed without a professional appearance to his name, joining Stockport County in 1993. He subsequently turned out over 150 times for the club before joining Middlesbrough in 1998, where he spent two years including a brief loan spell at Huddersfield Town.
A four-year spell at Ipswich Town followed, with a loan switch to Bradford City preceding a return to the North-East with a move to Darlington, before ending his career with stints at Rushden & Diamonds, Doncaster Rovers, a return to Darlington and Newcastle Blue Star.
Transitioning into coaching, Armstrong led Blyth to the Northern Premier League Premier Division title in 2017, before solidifying his side as a National League North play-off contender and ultimately reaching the quarter-finals in 2019.
He was then appointed as manager of fellow National League North side Darlington in May 2019, memorably leading The Quakers to the Emirates FA Cup second round with a 2-1 win away at League One outfit Swindon Town during the 2020/21 campaign, and remained at the helm until September 2023.
Armstrong took on the role as Head of Elite and Performance Football at Gateshead College in July 2024, working alongside Gateshead FC by taking charge of the club’s under-19 side, with six academy players included in the first team squad across the 2024/25 season.
One to Watch
Kain Adom
Former Sutton loanee Kain Adom has enjoyed a blistering opening few months to the campaign, and currently sits fifth in the division’s goalscoring charts.
The 23-year old began his career Hanwell Town, where he shot through the lower leagues and earned a move to Welling United, where he struck seven goals in 23 appearances for the Wings, and his form in the National League South subsequently saw him receive interest from elsewhere, making the jump up to the fifth tier with a move to Gateshead midway through the 2023/24 campaign.
The explosive winger subsequently enjoyed a rapid impact on the Heed, netting his first goal in just second appearance, and went on to be a key part of former boss Rob Elliot’s team with 20 appearances to his name come the end of the season.
He since added a further 27 appearances this term during the first half of the season, but found himself in the departure lounge at the Gateshead International Stadium following the departure of Mike Williamson, with a loan move to AFC Fylde being confirmed in February.
However, the dismissal of Kevin Phillips brought a change in leadership at Mill Farm, and thus saw Adom deemed surplus to requirements during his short stay in Lancashire. As a result he made the move to Sutton for the final two months of the season, appearing seven times for the U’s under Steve Morison, before returning to Gateshead in the summer, where he has gone on to force his way into the starting XI on a regular basis with a superb goalscoring streak this term.
Adom has notched nine times in the league, bettered only by York City’s Ollie Pearce (15), Carlisle United’s Regan Linney (12), Rochdale’s Mani Dieseruvwe (11) and Boreham Wood’s Matt Rush (11), as well as a further two in cup competition.
Recent Form
Gateshead 0-3 Leeds United
Gateshead 0-3 Boreham Wood
Forest Green Rovers 3-1 Gateshead
Gateshead 0-2 Solihull Moors
York City 4-0 Gateshead
AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Gateshead
Last Time Out
Gateshead’s 2025/26 National League Cup season came to a close in a 3-0 defeat to Leeds United U21 at Gateshead International Stadium.
It was Gateshead who applied the early pressure at the GIS, but Leeds struck first shortly before the half-hour mark, as Ollie Pickles found space in the centre of the pitch before driving through and sending a low shot past George Shelvey and into the far corner of the net.
The hosts were left wondering how they hadn’t levelled just before the break though, as Callum Bone and Kain Adom were both denied by blocks from blue shirts at point-blank range after finding space in the penalty area.
The visitors responded in kind just after the half time whistle to rattle the crossbar from distance however, and added a second with 51 minutes on the clock as Jacob Render slotted home from close range.
Callum Bone would call Darryl Ombang into two smart saves later in the half as Gateshead pressed to halve the deficit, but Leeds punished Gateshead’s profligacy when Pickles sent a rocket into the top-left corner to make it three to the visitors, calling time on The Heed’s National League Cup campaign for the 2025/26 season.
Photo Credit: Gateshead Football Club
