CLARK SO PROUD OF HIS HEED’S HEROICS

NEW boss Ben Clark lavished praise on his Gateshead players after celebrating his first ever game in senior management with a gutsy point at title-chasing Salford City.

The Ammies looked set to bounce back on top of the table once Danny Lloyd slotted home a 28th-minute penalty but the Heed hit back and deservedly levelled through Scott Boden a minute before the break.

“It was excellent, I really enjoyed it,” said club legend Clark, who took over from Steve Watson this week. “It’s a bit stressful on the sidelines but my players were magnificent.

“First half, we were really brave and got on the ball, which is what I want from them.

“We went 1-0 down but didn’t lose our way and second half it was complete opposite, a real gritty, defensive display.

Every single one of them were outstanding for us today.”

Play-off chasing Gateshead started the brighter but struggled to break through a resolute Salford back line.

A surging run forward from Steven Rigg drew a crucial block before Robbie Tinkler fired an effort over.

Midfielder Tom White was perhaps their most potent threat and he showed a fine piece of individual skill in playing an inviting ball through to Boden, but he again failed to hit the target.

But despite their pressure it was Salford who took the lead on 28 minutes. Rory Gaffney played a ball over the top to Matt Green, who was brought down by Gateshead’s goalkeeper Aynsley Pears for a penalty and Lloyd stepped up to comfortably convert into the bottom-left corner. Undeterred, however, Gateshead continued to pressurise the Salford goal with Lewis Maloney testing keeper Chris Neal for the first time with a stinging effort. Then, just before the half- time whistle, they got the breakthrough they deserved. White played through Tinkler, who delivered a first-time cross into the area where Boden was waiting to place the ball past Neal and into the net. As Clark alluded to, the Heed were forced on the back foot in the second half as Salford dominated possession. But despite the attacking threat the Ammies possess, they failed to further trouble Pears’ goal. Indeed, the closest they came to restoring the lead was from Gaffney, whose driving shot flashed across the goalmouth and out for goal-kick. Frustrated manager Graham Alexander rued two points dropped in the title race, adding: “The team have dropped too many points this season in games which we should have won. “We took our foot off the pedal after we took the lead.”

STAR MAN: Tom White (Gateshead) ATT: 2,055 ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★ REFEREE: Peter Gibbons 6/10