Armstrong wants local support as Gateshead handed Walsall tie in FA Cup second round
Gateshead have been handed a home tie against League Two leaders Walsall in the FA Cup second round draw.
Gateshead manager Alun Armstrong wants his side to take inspiration from their FA Cup heroics at the weekend after they were handed a tough-looking second round home tie against League Two leaders Walsall.
The Heed caused one of the biggest upsets of the first round as they dumped League One promotion contenders AFC Wimbledon out of the competition with a stunning performance at the Cherry Red Records Stadium. A first-half goal from top scorer Kain Adom and a cool finish from former Middlesbrough academy midfielder Fenton John helped Armstrong’s men upset the odds against the Dons and secure a place in the second round of the competition for the first time in four years.
Their reward will be a home tie against Walsall next month and it would be safe to suggest Gateshead will be outsiders once again as they host a Saddlers side that are currently sitting at the top of the League One table. Armstrong admitted his side’s win against Wimbledon showed they are capable of causing another upset in a tie he believes can inspire the local community to get fully behind their club.
He told The Echo: “It’s going to have to be done the hard way if we want to get to that third round - but it is doable.
“I am not saying it’s not and we have shown what we can do in these circumstances. We come up against an excellent Wimbledon side and put in a fantastic performance. This will have to be the same level of performance because Walsall are flying - but we are more than capable if we perform to the levels that we can reach.
“Part of the problem at home is that crowds aren’t great because of what’s gone on in the past and that’s understandable - but you hope this little FA Cup run can unite the town and pull the town together. It’s needed, it’s needed massively for financial reasons and the FA Cup always pulls the town together and if we can do that, you just never know but hopefully this is the game that can do that.”
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