The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Heed see off the Whites for place in the last eight
LOUIS Storey hailed Gateshead’s young guns after they fired the Tynesiders into the last eight of the FA Trophy with a narrow win at Hereford.
The Heed made several changes from the side that started their midweek home draw with Eastleigh as the likes of Will Constantin, Jack Stott and Lirak Hasani were all named in the starting eleven and on-loan Derby County striker Dajaune Brown was handed a first start.
Rob Elliot’s men enjoyed the better of the first-half exchanges and came close to getting themselves in front when Connor Mcbride struck the woodwork just after the half-hour mark.
The second-half proved to be a more balanced affair but it was the Heed that claimed the win and a place in today’s quarter-final draw as substitute Marcus Dinanga scored within three minutes of his arrival into the game.
Speaking after full-time, Heed player-assistant manager Storey told The Chronicle: “It was an enjoyable day and we are really pleased with the performance that led to the result. There was a great atmosphere here and Hereford played well but the lads have taken the opportunity when they came in and really stood up to the challenge.
“They’ve played in a tough environment but they made sure they were sticking to our principles and we got the result we wanted.”
The win takes Gateshead within 180 minutes of claiming another visit to Wembley after they were beaten in last season’s Trophy Final by FC Halifax Town.
They will join the likes of Bromley, Barnet and Solihull Moors in today’s last eight draw and Storey has admitted the Heed squad are fully motivated to aim for success in the Trophy and the league.
He said: “We talked about the opportunity and the reward of the competition and a couple of lads gave an insight into past experiences at Wembley and what a firsttime appearance would mean to some players at the club.
“Things get serious now and we are looking forward to taking on the challenge and seeing if we can get there.
“The next game is always the important one and we are attacking the challenge of trying to progress in the Trophy and pushing for the play-offs with plenty of excitement and hope.”
Gateshead are back in National League action when they travel to Wealdstone at the weekend for the first of four away games in their next five fixtures.