Forest Green Rovers clash 'possibly a free hit' for improving Gateshead

Gateshead manager Rob Elliot believes Saturday’s home clash with National League rivals Forest Green Rovers is ‘possibly a free hit’ for his side.

The visitors were expected to be one of the frontrunners for automatic promotion into League Two this season - but a recent downturn in form has left Robbie Savage’s side sitting in sixth place in the table and they are now 21 points adrift of league leaders York City. A run of four defeats in their last five games has brought some criticism for the former Blackburn Rovers and Wales midfielder and he will hope his side can kickstart an improved run of form by heightening Gateshead’s relegation concerns with a win at the International Stadium.

The Heed have collected two wins and a draw from their last three games following their dramatic 4-4 draw with fellow strugglers Morecambe in midweek but still remain some distance from escaping the bottom four. Elliot has revealed he could ‘freshen up his squad’ after a testing run of fixtures and insisted there is no pressure going into their meeting with their big spending visitors.

He told The Echo: “It’s a huge test. Yes, they’re in bad form but Robbie Savage as a manager has been exceptional. Every manager goes through bad form, I can tell you through experience, but the signings he’s made, the way they play, I still think they create more chances than anyone. There could be a lot of goals but let’s hope we are putting them in the other end. We will have to freshen the squad up a little bit and it’s possibly a free hit for us because there isn’t that much pressure on the lads. The other games we’ve had, there has been pressure and expectation and I love that they stood up for it so we will try and enjoy Saturday.”

Stability

Elliot’s side will head into Saturday’s game looking to extend their unbeaten run to a fourth game and close the nine-point gap to the sides sitting just outside of the relegation zone. The former Newcastle United goalkeeper has admitted his side ‘aren’t going to be able to look at the table’ unless they can stretch their upturn in form over the coming weeks but stressed there are other important factors to consider.

He said: “The most important thing is we are getting to a stage where we are three unbeaten, we’ve taken seven points from three games and that’s massive. So we know we aren’t going to be able to look at the table for another five or six games if we can keep the run going - but I think it’s more important for the lads to know we have got that momentum, stability and understanding.”

Huge difference

The Heed are awaiting news on the severity of a shoulder injury suffered by striker Mark Beck during the midweek draw with Morecambe - although it seems likely the experience frontman will remain on the sidelines over the coming weeks and that could hand an opportunity to new signing Ash Boatswain.

Elliot is relishing the opportunity to work with the former Ipswich Town striker during his time on Tyneside and admitted he has ‘high hopes’ for what he and fellow newcomer Josh Anifowose can offer.

“We brought Ash in and he’s made a huge difference already,” explained the Heed boss. “He adds that physical profile, he is very mobile and I thought he was excellent. When him and Levi came on I thought they were excellent. That’s why we need the squad. The fact Ash has signed an 18-month deal is excellent for us because I have really high hopes for him and I think he and Josh look like very good players.”

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