Keepers Onion
Gateshead 0-3 Barrow (National League)
Ok, so I’m not quite sure what’s been happening at Gateshead this season, it seems they are being finally taken over which is good news, but the bad news is they are bottom of the National League on 4 points from 15 games.
They have a new caretaker manager in Ben Clark after Lee Cattermole was sacked last month, but Clark is suspended from sitting in the dugout today, so Alun Armstrong will be in the hot seat instead. It all feels like a bit of a mess.
Barrow know all about mess, they suffered relegation from the Football League last season but have since employed a decent young cleaner in Adam Murray to help turn things around and are ten unbeaten in all competitions. The Bluebirds are ninth in the table three points off the playoffs with a game in hand whilst they had a great FA cup victory at Gillingham last weekend to set up a second round home tie against of all teams the one that Murray got promoted into this very division with last season, Kidderminster Harriers.
That’s for another time though. Both sides need these three points for very different reasons. I’ve woken up in a hotel near Lockerbie and after a McDonald's breakfast and walk around a frozen lake head south, then east across the A69. I keep spotting signs for Hadrian's Wall so take a slight detour with time on my side, hopping through the villages of Gilsland and Greenhead in the hope I can get a view of some tall ancient stone slabs.
It's a stunning drive through the Cumbrian and Northumberland countryside which is rugged and green, a quiet commute almost traffic free until I see the sign for Newcastle-upon-Tyne and cross the A1 into the urban outsides of the city before pulling up on a ugly looking industrial estate where I park a short walk away from the Gateshead International Stadium.
The Venue
It's not to everyone's taste due to the running track around the pitch and because of the empty setting that surrounds the surface many people tend to stay away because of the lack of its football feel, many have Gateshead as one of the worst away days on their season schedule. But news of a good crowd today, no Premier League of course, a local(ish) fellow Northern opponent and a new found feel good factor are flocking the fellas in, over a thousand sparsely sat in the large Main Stand of this retro feeling arena of former Friday night summers watching Diamond League athletics.
The rest of the place is as usual empty. Opposite on occasion is a stand used by the away teams, since I've last visited here it seems to have lost its roof.
On the plus. The view from the Main Stand is good, centrally located it feels high and on top of the pitch which is in magnificent condition, I'm writing the teams out after finishing a mince pie (not the Xmas sort but one made of mince meat) and brew whilst awaiting the action to start.
The Game
There's a new goalkeeper in net for Gateshead today, Max Thompson makes his debut after signing from Hartlepool, and the home team start well, the Heed fans in good voice as they always seem to be, a large ground but it never lacks noise as the ultras stand to my right singing away throughout the first half, many young teens goading their opponents fans it ever so closely threatens to boil over but separated by one steward and a line of red and white ticker tape it never does.
Gateshead grab an early chance when a short back pass is intercepted by their ironically named striker Jordi Hiwula, the forward shooting straight at Ben Winterbottom in the Barrow goal. He should have scored.
The Bluebirds aren't bad. They play 4-3-3 uncomplicated, Adam Murray's side are prepared to soak up a bit of home possession and break, they have tall fast full backs (Marcel Oakley who I liked at Peterborough Sports and Thierry Latty-Fairweather who I enjoyed watching at Halifax) whilst out wide they have a couple of young exciting wingers with similar size and status, Seb Thompson is the nephew of Daniel Sturridge and plays on the left whilst out right Arian Allen is nineteen, on loan from Stockport County he lists Everton and Rangers as former academy tutors. Allen in particular is having a good battle with Gateshead left back David Ferguson and gets booked when wresting with the defender after he gets brought down.
Another player i'm impressed with from Barrow is Keaton Ward, I have watched him plenty in the past at Boston where he didn't do much but with ten on his back he has a bit of license in midfield behind the hard working front man Innes Cameron, and after eighteen minutes Ward strikes first blow with a low daisy cutter from the edge of the box, that slides under Gateshead's debutant keeper.
The Score
That knocks the Heed for six, after a good start the ultras have suddenly stopped singing, but through Billy Chadwick and Harrison Chapman they show plenty of fight, and on the brink of half time David Ferguson goes close after creating himself some space inside the area to shoot another attempt saved well by Winterbottom.
It's all set up for a feisty second half as the Gateshead ultras move from my right, to my left, where they stand even closer to the Barrow away following, by now songs about incest as 'shag your sister and fuck off home' rings around the Main Stand as the home team push for a leveller, which never really looks like coming.
It's still tight and tense as we go into the final twenty of the game, a long punted ball into the box goes behind for a goal kick but the linesman is flapping his flag, apparently Ferguson had the shirt of Allen and he's now been booked to level up on that particular battle, penalty to Barrow which is put away by Cameron, game, set, and pretty much match.
There's a plethora of subs and as a change is made on 82 a free kick on half way has Barrow keeper Ben Winterbottom step up to punt something forward, but he's spotted Thompson off his line, the debutant has been off his line all afternoon, Winterbottom has only gone and shot for goal, whoaaa is my cry as the ball sails high and forward, it looks to be heading inches wide but Thompson is back tracking, the keeper palms the ball down but only into his own net, no Keepers Union here, one grabs the goal and the headlines whilst the others debut turns to disaster.
The Stars
Barrow have some real quality going forward but besides their experienced centre half Paul Kalambayi they have a nineteen year old on loan from Stoke City who looks a serious prospect, Pijus Otegbayo is an Irish under 19 international who never got himself out of cruise control, he played like a veteran with defending looking very easy to him. One certainly to watch.
Both full backs didn't dissappoint, Marcel Oakley is 24, Latty-Fairweather 23, both will surely go on to play in the league regularly, whilst Keaton Ward had a good game, I really liked the front-three, Seb Thompson linking well with Latty-Fairweather down the left, whilst Arian Allen was direct and quick with a good quality delivery on the right, Innes Cameron up front centrally capping off a good game battling with Gateshead defenders to score a deserved goal from the spot.
Then let's not forget Ben Winterbottom, the last ten minutes of the game saw his opposite number lose his head, whilst Thompson was kicking back passes angrily out of play, at the other end Winterbottom bouyed by his goal wasn't going to give up a clean sheet, one fine stop from lively substitute Josh Anifowose shown what the difference confidence can do to ones game.
Gateshead battled but they look to have a lack of serious talent for survival in the National League, Jordi Hiwula, Billy Chadwick, Fenton John, would be top players in the division below, probably not so at this level?
I was impressed by young Ben Williams at centre half whilst Harrison Chapman was ever honest and hard working with a bit of sparse quality, but if the Heed are to stay up, they certainly need more.
The Verdict
An away day at Gateshead isn't for everyone, but if you're a neutral like me it isn't a bad place to watch football, the big covered stand offers decent elevated seating and a top view of the game, the home ultras are worth the watch alone, and the food is good, cheap pies and a nice brew, although it's an athletics stadium it still feels nostalgic and I quite like coming here, ever friendly are the locals too.
I can't see Gateshead surviving this season but stranger things have happened at this level, whilst the Barrow boys might not be out of the promotion race, they'll be hoping this new exciting crop of players they have will help them back towards the Football League.
The Teams
Gateshead: Max Thompson, Tom Lavery, Kyle Ferguson, Ben Williams, David Ferguson (Josh Anifowose 81), Harrison Chapman (Luke Supyk 81), Fenton John, Sam Bowen (Callum Bone 88), Michael Spellman (Alfie McCalmont 88), Billy Chadwick (Frederick Issaka 61), Jordi Hiwula.
Barrow: Ben Winterbottom, Marcel Oakley, Pijus Otegbayo, Paul Kalambayi, Thierry Latty-Fairweather, Xavier Benjamin, Isaac Marriott, Keaton Ward (Rakeem Harper 70), Seb Thompson (Dan Mooney 70), Innes Cameron, Arian Allen (Danny Amos 88).
3:00pm Kick Off. Saturday 14th November 2026, Gateshead International Stadium, Gateshead (att 1,418).
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