Butler serves up a brace in Heed victory
GATESHEAD Under-19s took a huge step towards securing survival in the Northern Alliance Premier Division with an impressive 5-1 victory over Northbank Carlisle at the International Stadium.
A brace from Liam Butler and further goals from Alex Bruton, Matty Halliday and Jake McArdle led the Heed youngsters to a resounding victory against an in-form Carlisle outfit.
The win means Ben Clark’s side are now five points above the relegation zone with two games in hand and seven games remaining.
The former Gateshead captain said: “We were excellent from the very start of the game.
“We scored early on and dominated the match and played great stuff.
“That is very pleasing for the lads because they really embraced playing at the stadium. I
“It was a great day and everyone really enjoyed it.
“Alex was in a very good position to score the first goal early on.
“Liam ran across to finish for 2-0 but the third was the pick of the goals as Matty finished off a great move with a good header.
“Jake McArdle’s header made it 4-0 before Liam scored a scrappy goal.”
Clark added: “We were 4-0 up at half-time and playing great stuff.
“We set a challenge at halftime to keep going and win the second half as well.
“We drew the second half which was slightly disappointing with the way we came out after the break - but overall I cannot have any complaints because the lads were fantastic.
“We needed a win to help us stay in the league.
“It is a new league for us and a big step up, but the lads have adapted well.
“The team played with real confidence and if we played like that every week I think we would beat most teams in this league.
“It was one of those games where no-one really stood out because everyone was fantastic.
“It is great to see the hard work on the training pitch pay off on a Saturday and the lads are full of confidence after a win like that.
“Now we have seven games left so it is about finishing the season as well as we can.”