Elliot left proud as Gateshead set up Wembley date with Macclesfield win

An emotional Rob Elliot could not hide his pride after Gateshead saw off a dogged Macclesfield to reach the FA Trophy Final for a second successive season.

The Heed were always favourites to claim a home win against the Northern Premier League club but they were pushed to the limit as both sides struggled to cope with the blustery conditions that battered the International Stadium for large parts of the tie. It was Elliot’s men that made the more positive start as January signing Ben Worman fired them in front with just five minutes on the clock after good work from on-loan Derby County forward Dajaune Brown.

The Rams youngster was at the heart of the action once again on 25 minutes as his determined forward play allowed him to present a chance that Callum Whelan did not let pass. The two-goal lead was halved in the early stages of the second-half as Kane Drummond’s long-range effort skipped beyond Gateshead keeper James Montgomery and inside his far post - but that was as good as it got for the Silkmen as their hopes of a Wembley date came to an end on the south bank of the Tyne.

Securing another Wembley date has proven to be yet another remarkable chapter in what has been an eventful season for Gateshead after they moved on from losing manager Mike Williamson, assistant manager Ian Watson and coach Chris Bell to League Two club MK Dons before several players departed during the January transfer window. Former Newcastle United keeper Elliot, player assistant manager Louis Storey and coach Carl Magnay have steadied the ship and will now look forward to what Elliot believes will be a special moment as the Heed walk out at Wembley for the third time in their history.

“Anyone connected with this club can be proud of what we are achieving at the moment,’ he told The Echo.

“We need to carry it on because we are in such a great position in the Trophy and in the league and we just need to make sure, no matter what the outcomes are come the end of the season, we know we have done everything we possibly can to achieve exactly what we want to achieve here. It’s all the little things that make this such an emotional day for me. My little boy came and grabbed me at full-time and that was a lovely moment.

“It’s not just about sharing it with the lads and the special people at this football club, it was about sharing it with my little boy and everyone close to us. This is why I love this job, I get to see other people being so happy and enjoying these special moments. I want us all to enjoy these special moments and I want us to do everything we can to create even more for all of us and these supporters.”

Gateshead will face National League rivals Solihull Moors in the FA Trophy Final after they saw off a Bromley side managed by Elliot’s former Newcastle United goalkeeper coach Andy Woodman. However, their primary focus will be on Tuesday night’s home league game with Aldershot Town.