JOHNGIBSON What a huge difference a season makes for Gateshead

UNEXPECTED PROMOTION MAY YET FOLLOW HEED’S WORST-EVER CAMPAIGN

GATESHEAD, bless them, have more bounce than a trampoline!

Having endured their worst season in history under hated owners Ranjan Varghese and Joe Cala which saw them suffer a forced relegation for misdemeanours, the Tynesiders have risen from the ashes of despair in a single campaign to find themselves with a clear path back to non-league’s top table.

A vote of all Vanarama National League clubs on how to wind up a season decimated by the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in Gateshead qualifying for the nowconfirmed National League North play-offs.

They sneaked into last place on the ‘unweighted points per game’ rule and a decision to go ahead with the make-or-break shoot -outs.

All that is required is FA Council approval which ought to be automatic and Gateshead’s acceptance of the invitation – not as easy as it would first appear with nonleague clubs having to fork out large sums of money to stage games behind closed doors without a penny of help from the Premier League, English Football League, National League or the FA.

It would be a natural reaction for the Heed to ask if there will be some sort of monitory assistance – or none as the case may be – before deciding on their next move.

The play-offs will start around July 19 when Gateshead are due to play at Brackley Town in the first of what would be a straight threematch blast to decide promotion.

I think they will somehow find a way of accepting the challenge.

To heighten expectation, the Heed could in the final face York City who are managed by their old boss and Newcastle United favourite Steve Watson.

Gateshead’s last income came on March 7 when they entertained King’s Lynn and they sacrificed four crucial home gates including lucrative fixtures against York and Darlington - both chasing promotion.

That could equate to as much as £80,000, a whopping loss for a non-league outfit.

In confronting the play-offs the Tynesiders have to take into consideration the considerable expense of corona testing, the difficulties of travel (all their potential three matches would be away), the size of squad available, training-ground accessibility etc.

Time is not on their side _ the players need to be recalled to training next week.

A Becher’s Brook of an obstacle all told, no question.

However, as Newcastle United resume battle to complete their Premier League campaign just across the Tyne a romantic story of triumph over adversity is unfolding - highlighted by Magpies’ stalwart Mike Williamson (below) contemplating the possibility of his first season in management ending in unexpected glory.

It is truly a remarkable achievement with the Heed having to battle against mighty odds – a total lack of time for pre-season preparation and consequently a slow start which saw them draw five of their first eight games to doggedly fight their way through a minefield. All this against a backdrop of fan rescue by chairman Neil Pinkerton and his consortium, who risked handing Williamson his first job as a player-manager.

Williamson, a steady and reliable central defensive partner to the more flamboyant Fabricio Colocinni, played 169 times for Newcastle between January 2010 and the end of 2015.

The Toon Army will be fully behind him and their Heed brethren as they shoot for redemption.

Pinkerton and his board have cleared off all debts amounting to £200,000 in a year, many of them hidden liabilities only discovered once in the building, and deserve the highest praise for their efforts.

Pinkerton said: “What we have achieved in making the play-offs is a testament to the hard work of all fans, directors, Mike and his backroom staff, our partners and all the players.”

The ramifications of the National League vote meant final league tables being compiled on an ‘unweighted points per game’ basis.

While the top end of the pyramid sees the usual ups and downs, there is no relegation from North and South which means no drop for Blyth Spartans despite finishing in the bottom two and no promotion in their place for South Shields, who were 12 points clear at the top of the BetVictor NPL Premier Division table when the virus struck.