Heed clinch title and promotion back to top tier
Point at Chorley means Gateshead bounce back to National League as champions
GATESHEAD are back in the Vanarama National League after they secured the point they needed to win the northern division on a memorable day in Lancashire.
Gateshead deservedly finished top of the pile after a magnificent season, full of goals and enterprising football and can now prepare for life back in the top tier of non-league football.
A party on Tyneside in Saturday’s final game at home to Hereford is guaranteed.
Cedwyn Scott’s set-up saw early efforts from Macaulay Langstaff and Owen Bailey blocked inside the area before Jacob Blyth looped a header over the bar at the other end.
Gateshead’s trademark passing game was absent in the opening quarter as both sides inevitably went long in a no-holds-barred contest.
A long diagonal enabled Andy Halls to cut inside past Greg Olley but his 22-yard drive was well wide of the far post.
Just as against Southport on Saturday Chorley scored with their first effort on target.
Not for the first time wide man Billy Whitehouse was afforded space on the right.
His delivery to the back post was meat and drink for much-travelled forward former Heed man Jacob Blyth who rose to head home at the back post.
Langstaff shot wide of the near post as Magpies keeper Matt Urwin remained untroubled.
His counterpart between the Heed posts, Filip Marschall, gave a nervy first-half display largely of his own doing.
Having got away with a foolish Cruyff-turn under pressure virtually on his goal-line the Aston Villa teenager almost pressed the self-destruct button again.
Not for the first time caught well off his line, almost on the edge of the box, Urwin’s long clearance bounced over his head and just wide of the post.
In the dying moments of the half playmaker Olley finally began to get on the ball.
In stoppage time the Heed captain threaded a ball into the left channel for Langstaff, but his first touch was a little on the heavy side and Urwin spread himself to save.
Gateshead were attacking the massed ranks of the Heed Army, many in fancy dress. In the second half, Matty Jacob replaced Taylor Charters at left-back and it took only three minutes for parity to be restored and pandemonium to break out among the 323 Gateshead fans in a crowd of 1,811.
Olley’s corner looped into the air off the head of Owen Bailey, and Gateshead-born defender Carl Magnay needed no second invitation to head into the far corner.
The Tynesiders should have been in front after another seven minutes as Scott sprung the offside trap from Olley’s incisive through ball.
Scott, in on goal, unselfishly and surprisingly, elected to square the ball for Dan Ward to tap home only for Adam Henley to make a superb goal-saving block.
Gateshead were now calling the shots and back to their imperious best, the second goal arriving midway through the half. A trainingground corner routine involving Langstaff and Olley saw the former’s cross half-cleared.
Olley’s low drive was then flicked home by Bailey a yard out at the back post. Langstaff passed up the chance to make it three and it proved to be costly.
An outplayed Chorley levelled on 78 minutes completely out of the blue when Willem Tomlinson’s swerving 30-yard drive nestled in the far top corner.
The Heed had been in complete control, and they now had to show the other side of their game as they dug in against a suddenly energised home side.
They successfully saw the game out without much alarm to spark a high-spirited pitch invasion as players and fans celebrated on the pitch in style.