Family, focus and future: Former Newcastle United star ready for first Wembley visit with Gateshead

Just over 13 years have passed since Mike Williamson first moved to the North East when he was persuaded to join a Premier League-bound Newcastle United by then-Magpies manager Chris Hughton.

Within months of his arrival, the former Wycombe Wanderers centre-back had played a part in helping his new side secure the Championship title before going on to enjoy some memorable moments during the following five years at St James Park.

Williamson featured alongside the likes of Yohan Cabaye, Demba Ba and Fabricio Coloccini as Hughton’s successor Alan Pardew led United to a fifth place finish in the Premier League before they reached the quarter-final of the Europa League less than a year later. But Williamson has racked up a notable career first on the opposite side of the Tyne as he prepares to lead Gateshead into their maiden FA Trophy Final against FC Halifax Town at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.

The trip to the home of football is another incredible step for the National League club as they prepare to walk out at the home of football for only the second time in their history - just four years after coming close to going out of business. Williamson described his side’s progress as ‘an incredible journey’ - but explained it is one that has more to come as he looked at what lies ahead and his attempts to build on the foundations put in place during his time at the International Stadium.

When asked if it was a surprise his first game at Wembley has come as Gateshead manager, he told The Echo: “I think you come to expect the unexpected when you’ve played for many years. The beauty of football is the unpredictably and I guess it would be boring if we always knew what was in front of us.

“It’s been an incredible journey for myself and for us as a club. There is so much more to grow and to improve and that is what excites me about what lies ahead for us all. It’s mad but anyone that has been in the game will know that as soon as you finish something you just move on and look forwards. There are things we want to get done, they are things we want to implement next season and things we want to work on. It’s all about improvement and that process never stops.”

Williamson’s time in the North East appeared over when he left Newcastle to join Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2016 - but after a short spell with Oxford United, the love of the region persuaded the former Magpies centre-back and his family to return.

Without a club at the time, Williamson joined Gateshead as a player before moving into a player-manager role just 12 months later. Now it is the club, as well as the region, that has captured the love of his family, who have backed him all of the way during his career.

“Maybe they are proud of me, that’s a question for them but I am so proud of them for what they have done for me,” he explained.

“The boys have suddenly become football-mad. They want to watch it everyday and play it everyday. They support Mbappe, Neymar, Messi, players like that, they just love the names but to be honest if you asked them, they’d say Gateshead was their club.

“They love coming down here, they always ask to come to games because they love the place. It’s not so fun for the wife trying to contain them but they all came on the last day, they enjoyed it. These boys (the Gateshead players) sacrifice a lot in their life to become footballers and they can only do it with the support of their family and they all deserve a lot of credit for what they have done for them.”

Wembley will mark a new high point in Williamson’s promising managerial career.

After initially stepping into the dugout just under four years ago, the Heed boss has led the club to a National League North title win, the FA Cup ‘proper’ rounds on three separate occasions, a successful battle against relegation from the National League and now their first ever FA Trophy Final. But walking out under the famous arch and experiencing managing at the home of football is not providing the inspiration ahead of Sunday’s final - his focus is purely on enjoying his players and witnessing the special memories they will create over the coming days.

He said: “I know it’s a cliche but this is the beauty for me (working with his players). Not that the final means nothing but this is the bulk of it. I love the boys and if we do pick it up (the FA Trophy) I will be buzzing for the boys, and if we don’t, I’ll be gutted for the boys.

“My enjoyment is sitting back and watching them. Obviously it’s nice when you work on something and you see it come off but it’s not really about the trophy itself, it’s about the growth in these boys and it was the same when we won the league. I took more pleasure in seeing them experience that, seeing them achieve something and watching them enjoy those moments with their families.”