Town get play-off bid back on track with away win
FC Halifax Town got their play-off push back on track with an impressive 2-0 win at Gateshead.
A goal in each half from Kane Thomson-Sommers and Milli Alli did the damage for Town, who produced a textbook away performance.
The match immediately followed the same pattern as the previous meeting in August, with Town conceding territory and possession, sitting back and trying to stop Gateshead playing.
It meant a lot of work without the ball and The Shaymen seeing precious little of it themselves. The only shot in a quiet first 20 minutes was Regan Booty's that was blocked by Jamie Stott.
Townbuilttheoddpromisingattackmidwaythroughthe half but were let down by poor deliveries from Max Wright and Tylor Golden.
RyanGalvinthenproduced a terrific ball across the sixyard box but Aaron Cosgrave couldn't reach it.
It was at least better from Town,whoweremakingmore of an impression in the Gateshead half.
NotquiteasmuchasGateshead were in theirs though as the home side strung together a lovely move half-an-hour in that ended with ex-Town man Billy Chadwick firing straight at Sam Johnson from just inside the box.
Thomson-Sommers then produced a delightful curling shot from just outside the box which arced into the far corner after he was given too much time to take aim.
Only some desperate defending by Town prevented a Gateshead equaliser less than five minutes later when Booty'sshotwasblockedbyAdam Senior.
A mistake at the back let in National League player of the month for November Stephen Wearne, but Jordan Keane made a crucial block.
Central midfielder Ed Francis was the hoop through which all Gateshead's attacks were threaded, but he was often met with a dearth of options ahead of him thanks to a very well-organised Shaymen side.
When the hosts did get the ball into advanced areas, they played some smooth, slick football, but couldn't bypass theleague'sbestdefence,even when it was stretched.
Gateshead continued to control the game after the restart,andfelttheyshouldhave had a penalty for a shirt pull by Galvin on Kyran Lofthouse.
There were long spells of possession from Gateshead punctuated by moments of danger, like when Wearne was played in down the left and his cutback found Callum Whelan, but Keane blocked his shot.
Gateshead weren't converting their possession into chances. They were pinning Town inside their own half but not doing enough to carve them open.
Halifax, to their credit, weremakingitdifficultforthe hosts, remaining tight, compact and disciplined.
They just weren't helping themselves by falling into the old habit of squandering possession seconds after regaining it.
But they hit Gateshead on the break to seal the win as Alli ran down the inside left channel, collecting the ball inside his own half, before firing a low shot across goal and into the corner.
Gateshead hit the bar late onthroughsubLukeHannant, but Town had already sealed the win by then.