I WILL,GET IT RIGHT SAYS UNDERFIRE BOSS ALLEN

AN emotional Martin Allen pleaded for his job after admitting Chesterfield’s pitiful capitulation had reduced him to a 500game low.

Former Spireite Scott Boden rubbed salt in already gaping wounds with a well-taken brace whilst the reckless second half dismissal of substitute Zavon Hines highlighted the home side’s self-destruct mode.

Any light at the end of Mad Dog’s dark tunnel after two successive draws only proved to be a quick flowing Northern train hurtling in the opposite direction.

Steve Watson’s men were as composed, organised and efficient as Chesterfield were poor and could have won by five or six.

Allen admitted: “There’s got to be questions asked about me. But they will be the same questions asked about the last manager, the one before that and the one before that.

“I am confident I will get it right – I always do.

“But that was a shocking, disappointing and hurtful performance.

“It was as bad a display as I’ve seen from a team of mine in more than 500 games as a manager.”

Boden calmly stroked Gateshead into a 19th minute lead from close range after good work by Robbie Tinkler and Tom White.

The visitors were over running Chesterfield in midfield and it came as little surprise when fellow striker Steven Rigg shrugged aside two challenges to lift the ball into the roof of the net in the 44th minute. Tom Denton, whose aerial threat was all Chesterfield had to offer, had the Spireites’ only on target effort saved from Kyel Reid’s free-kick just before the break. Allen’s double interval substitution made little difference as Gateshead comfortably maintained their lead until Hines, who had only been on the pitch for seven minutes, got a straight red for a wild challenge on Greg Olley in the 64th minute. Superb play by Tinkler quickly set up a third for Boden and it could have been more as Chesterfield heads dropped. Shwan Jalal made defiant saves from Rigg when clean through and from Olley who almost danced through the home defence. Watson said: “It was a proper professional performance, both on and off the ball. “We were clinical with our chances and got ourselves into good areas. “We expected a reaction from them after half time but we were dominant and would have seen the game through whether or not the player had been sent off. “I’m pleased for our strikers, particularly Scotty against his old team, and pleased we never took our foot off the gas.”