Former Sunderland and Middlesbrough forward pens two-year deal at Gateshead

Former Sunderland forward Stephen Wearne has signed a new two-year deal with National League club Gateshead.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The 22-year-old forward joined The Heed last season on a free transfer following his release from League Two club Grimsby Town and went on to impress with a record of one goal and six assists in just 11 appearances for Mike Williamson’s side.

Former Sunderland youngster Stephen Wearne has made a fine start to his loan spell at Gateshead (photo Charles Waugh)Former Sunderland youngster Stephen Wearne has made a fine start to his loan spell at Gateshead (photo Charles Waugh)
Former Sunderland youngster Stephen Wearne has made a fine start to his loan spell at Gateshead (photo Charles Waugh)

He was ineligible to feature in last weekend’s FA Trophy Final defeat against FC Halifax Town but will now focus his attentions on helping Gateshead take the momentum they built up through the second half of last season into the new campaign. Speaking after signing a new deal, Wearne revealed he was never considering a move away from the International Stadium and set his sights on ‘repaying the faith’ shown in him by Williamson and assistant manager Ian Watson.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “It was an easy decision. After playing here towards the end of last season, there was only one place that I wanted to play my football. There were a couple of discussions before the end of the season and it was actually agreed a while ago, but I wanted to repay the faith that the staff have had in me since I first arrived. I was never really going to look anywhere else, it was always that I wanted to stay at Gateshead.”

The Heed will look to shake off the impact of their Wembley defeat and aim to improve on their impressive 14th place finish last season. Wearne’s arrival played a key part in a major upturn in form and helped his side move away from the relegation zone to secure a lower mid-table finish.

Now, as he prepares to get his first full season at the International Stadium underway, Wearne is hoping to push on and make the most of the ‘unique’ style of play implemented by Williamson and Watson.

He said: “There is a great group of lads here and there are great people around the club. With the way everything went last season, there was never going to be a reason for me to go anywhere else. We showed towards the back end of the season how good a team we can be, and if we take that into next season then who knows what can happen. We showed in our performances that we can give any team a game, and especially in this league we have a unique way of playing.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Wearne is not the first member of the Gateshead squad to commit his future to the club after youngster Connor Pani put pen-to-paper on a ‘long-term contract’ on Friday. The former Morpeth Town and Blyth Spartans loanee proved to be a useful outlet for Williamson last season with his versatility aiding the Heed boss as he battled against an ongoing injury crisis during the final months of the season.

The Echo also understands Gateshead are determined to move on from their Wembley defeat and have been working hard to add new faces to their squad over the last fortnight and their progress has not been hampered by their visit to the home of football. Discussions are ongoing with several targets as Williamson and Watson look to strengthen their ranks in a bid to build on the foundations they put in place during the Heed’s first season back in non-league’s top tier.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.