Watson hoping Heed can grab their chance to get back on track

GATESHEAD are playing for high stakes in their rescheduled Vanarama League clash against Solihull Moors tonight.

The Heed, beaten at home by lowly Maidenhead on Saturday, will go sixth if they beat the Moors at the International Stadium.

Solihull will go third if they triumph on Tyneside and Wrexham fail to win at in-form Bromley. It is all to play for with Gateshead having no game this weekend after they were knocked out of the FA Trophy.

Manager Steve Watson’s squad is again depleted, though two midfield men are added to the sixteen.

Tom White’s return after a threematch ban is a welcome one, while Lewis Maloney has returned from a loan spell at Whitby. Boro product Maloney has made just two appearances for the Heed after signing for the club during the summer.

White is a regular in the engine room and his return is a timely boost.

The new year has started inauspiciously with narrow defeats against Hartlepool and Maidenhead, and Watson is hoping it is a case of third time lucky.

He said: “This is our game in hand, and while Solihull are flying we need to go into it believing we can win.

“I’m sure everybody is hurting after Saturday, but that has gone.

“We learn the lessons from the first half and take the positives from the second and go again.

“Unfortunately it doesn’t look like we’ll get any of the injured players back as they’re a little bit worse than we originally thought.”