Heed’s Hogan has big points to make
GATESHEAD will attempt to end their four-game losing run at midtable Boreham Wood tomorrow.
The Heed were within minutes of getting back on track against leaders Lincoln City on Monday.
A single-goal victory turned into a 2-1 defeat as the Imps closed in on the title with 90th and 93rd-minute goals.
That was hard to take for a battling Gateshead who are on the same points - 67 - as last season with two games to play.
Captain Liam Hogan, this week voted Player of the Year in his first season at Gateshead, is hungry to beat that total.
Hogan told the Chronicle: “We should have picked something up from the Lincoln game and want to get as many points as possible.
“We don’t want to finish on the same total as last year or end the season without a win in our final 10 games.”
A bumper 3,700 crowd at the International Stadium on Monday produced gate receipts of £25,000, the crowd at Boreham Wood likely to be in the 300s.
Hogan added: “It was a great atmosphere against Lincoln.
“Those sort of games add a couple of per cent on to a player’s performance.”
Boreham Wood, 14th in the table, have the lowest average attendance in the Vanarama National League for what is Gateshead’s final away game. Hogan said: “It will be totally different to Monday but we need to have the same mentality at Boreham Wood we have for the big games. “They play a three at the back like us and don’t concede many goals but I expect us to finish the season strongly.
“It was a good performance against Lincoln and young players like Luke Hannant have come in and done well. “It was also great to see JJ O’Donnell back after all he has gone through and we are determined to finish as high as possible.
“From a personal point of view it was great to be selected as the club’s Player of the Year as we have a lot of good players at Gateshead.”
After being culpable for two of the three goals conceded in his comeback game at Sutton, Dan Hanford had an excellent game in goal against Lincoln.
First-choice shotstopper James Montgomery, however, has a chance of being fit at Boreham Wood.
On-loan Hartlepool United midfielder Kieran Green is out again, top scorer Danny Johnson having had a successful foot operation.
We don’t want to finish on the same total as last year or end the season without a win in our last 10 games Heed’s Liam Hogan