The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Competition key to Heed push for double – Whelan
CALLUM Whelan has revealed competition for places is firing Gateshead’s push for double success between now and the end of the season.
Whelan and his team-mates are currently preparing for tomorrow’s FA Trophy semi-final against Northern Premier League club Macclesfield at the International Stadium as the Heed look to reach the final of the competition for a second successive season.
However, another visit to the Wembley arch is far from the only target for the remainder of the campaign as Rob Elliot’s men are firmly in the mix for a play-off place in the National League.
Elliot has dipped into the transfer market to boost his squad in a bid to cope with what will be an increasingly hectic final month of the season – and Whelan has admitted that the new additions and players returning from injury are keeping everyone in the Heed ranks on their toes.
“Last year, we finished really well, so this year we knew we could give more,” he told The Chronicle.
“We’ve got a lot of injured boys back now so the squad is big and it’s full of quality, so whatever 11 players go out, I’m not really bothered.
“You can play well for two or three games – but then you’ve got Greg
Olley sniffing at your heels. Wormo (Ben Worman) has come in and he has been brilliant. “There a lot of players in the squad and we all want our chance to impress the management so it keeps you on your toes – but we trust everyone in the squad to do the job and we all have a part to play in a big push towards the end of the season. “The players that have signed at this club and the staff we have are just good people in general. People leaving, they were good people too and we wish them all of the best but the lads that have come in have just added to the group.”
Heed manager Elliot has a number of big calls to make ahead of the game as he looks to manage his squad through their latest test in what will be a hectic end to the season.
The postponement of Monday’s trip to AFC Fylde has given Elliot some breathing space for this weekend’s Trophy tie and he will now assess his squad before finalising his plans for his starting XI.
Perhaps the biggest decision comes at the top end of the pitch as Elliot considers whether to retain inform Derby County youngster Dajaune Brown or hand a recall to top goalscorer Marcus Dinanga.
We all want our chance to impress the management so it keeps you on your toes
Callum Whelan