Heed fight back to share the honours
GATESHEAD remain unbeaten at the mid-point of their eight-game pre-season campaign – but only just.
Northern League champions and FA Vase winners South Shields matched their full-time opponents in fitness and finesse.
The Mariners were particularly impressive in the first half, moving the ball well after taking a third-minute lead.
Gateshead were slow out of the blocks and were punished when their former striker Jon Shaw scored from close in.
The second half was more even, neither side creating a lot in front of a bumper 1,450-strong crowd.
A stunning strike from distance into the top corner by Middlesbrough loanee Robbie Tinkler on the hour levelled the scores.
Gateshead manager Neil Aspin praised South Shields but is confident the best is yet to come from his men.
“Once we have a side that plays the full 90 minutes we’ll start to see a much more consistent team performance,” said Aspin.
“At the moment everyone is fighting for a starting position and doing well, so it’s only fair to give everyone an equal chance.
“Obviously with us changing essentially our entire side at halftime you lose a bit of intensity as it takes players time to get going.
“There’s a lot of places still up for grabs. South Shields played well and gave us our best test yet.
“I had a decent idea of what my strongest team would be before the game, now I’ve got a different idea after it.”
The game was marred by crowd trouble involving a small number of fans from both clubs, leaving Gateshead chairman Richard Bennett frustrated.
“I was very disappointed with the whole day off the pitch,” said Bennett, “and we’ll be in touch with South Shields to find out what went wrong.”