Trophy loss is Fylde under disappointing
GATESHEAD player-manager Mike Williamson was far from downhearted after his makeshift side fell at the first hurdle in the FA Trophy.
Emeka Obi’s towering 74th-minute header from a corner condemned the Heed to a narrow 1-0 defeat at National League North leaders AFC Fylde.
The Coasters have now inflicted two of the Heed’s three defeats this season, though there were mitigating circumstances this time.
With one eye on Friday’s big allticket FA Cup clash with Charlton, seven senior players were missing from Gateshead’s starting eleven.
They included Williamson, top scorer Macaulay Langstaff and influential captain Greg Olley for what was a low-key affair at Mill Farm.
A number of players were handed the chance to impress, including summer signing Luke Williams and teenager Connor Pani, who both made their first Heed start.
Williamson was pleased with those who came into the side and the performance - but not the result.
He said: “We have a really competitive squad and the lads who came in did brilliantly.
“Williams had not played in a while, Pani was fantastic and did really well and Paul Blackett got a good 75 minutes under his belt.
“Ryan Wombwell came in and stood up to the test and in terms of individuals there were some really good performances.
“It was just frustrating - that one set-piece was all that divided the two teams.”
Midfield prospect Pani, who recently turned 18, played his first competitive 90 minutes for Gateshead having featured briefly off the bench and did not look out of place.
The youngster was handed a twoyear contract in the summer and has time on his side.
He said: “It was nerve-wracking at the start but as soon as I stepped out on the pitch with the lads I felt the rush of energy come in.
“Hopefully I get more games during the season and the mindset now for everyone is to go again for a big game against Charlton.”
The Addicks lost for the first time in eight League One and FA Cup outings under caretaker-manager Johnnie Jackson when they went down 1-0 at Shrewsbury.
More than 2,400 home tickets have been sold so far for Friday night’s clash.