WEARNE IS DIFFERENCE FOR HEED
GATESHEAD staged another Boundary Park comeback to return to winning ways at the expense of Micky Mellon’s Oldham Athletic.
After securing a late 2-2 draw last season, the Heed had to do things the hard way again after James Norwood put the hosts in front.
But a goal apiece for impressive substitute Stephen Wearne and interim assistant player-manager Louis Storey saw Rob Elliot’s side return to the north-east with all three points.
Mellon, who is yet to win at home in the league since taking charge of Latics, was left perplexed.
“It’s all well and good us saying we’re facing a talented side and we’re doing the right things, but you have to start taking some responsibility for how we played in the second half,” he said.
“We need to get better, we need to respond and we have to stop making things tricky for ourselves.”
Gateshead looked dangerous from the start as first Billy Chadwick, then Callum Whelan on his return to Boundary Park, had shots blocked well by a resolute Oldham defence before Ed Francis rattled the crossbar with a rasping effort from 25 yards.
That determined defending paid dividends for Oldham as they drove forward with intent up to dangerman Norwood and the former Ipswich and Barnsley striker was able to slot home on the turn – the ball dribbling just out of Heed keeper Archie Mair’s reach for his eighth goal in ten games.
After the break, though, Gateshead got a deserved equaliser as Wearne, left on the bench by Elliot, made an almost immediate impact, bundling in from close range past Matt Hudson for his tenth goal of the campaign.
Then, 11 minutes later, the 150 travelling fans were celebrating again as Storey prodded home a saved free-kick to give his side a deserved lead and leave the home supporters stunned.
Aside from an immediate response for Oldham midfielder Nathan Sheron being saved well by Mair, many inside Boundary Park would have been forgiven for thinking it was Gateshead chasing the game.
Having been largely untroubled for the last quarter, the Heed might have extended their lead as a clever free-kick routine in the 80th minute caught Oldham napping. A tame shot was saved by Hudson before Whelan almost completed a dream return to his former club with a dipping volley which went just over.
“It’s always disappointing when you lose games but the goals we gave away today are really poor, we’ve got to defend far better,” Mellon continued.
“We had a problem in the first half where we looked too comfortable sitting back, but we sorted that out and took the lead. But after the break we didn’t do well enough and lost two cheap goals, it’s difficult to understand.”