Gateshead are ‘fully focused’ on FA Trophy semi-final clash with Barnet - captain Olley

Gateshead captain Greg Olley has admitted his side have put any thoughts of walking out at Wembley to the side and are ‘fully focused’ on Saturday’s FA Trophy semi-final with Barnet.

The Heed will take a break from their bid to preserve their National League status on Saturday afternoon when they face the in-form Bees at the International Stadium. Both sides have hit their stride in recent weeks at either end of the table, with the visitors arriving sat firmly in the play-off picture alongside the likes of Chesterfield and Woking.

Gateshead’s main aim for the season is to remain in non-league’s top tier but they have some respite from that pressure as they look to secure only a second visit to Wembley in the club’s history.

Ahead of Saturday’s game, Olley told The Echo: “It’s been passed in conversations, the temptation of talking about Wembley but there is only one game on our minds before we talk about it.

“It’s been on the back-burner over the last couple of weeks after the Farsley game and we’ve done well to put that aside with the performances and results we’ve had since then. We are fully focused on Barnet, it’s easier to concentrate on it and it’s something we are all looking forward to it. The cup competitions have always been good to us since I’ve been here. It’s usually been the FA Cup, but this year it just happens to be the FA Trophy and it’s helped us build some momentum in the league.”

After a season of having their squad decimated by injuries, player-manager Williamson is the latest to go down after suffering a knee injury in training on Monday afternoon. However, there is some good news for the Heed boss as key midfielder Owen Bailey rapidly approaches fitness and on-loan Middlesbrough youngster Kamil Conteh will return to contention after winning his fifth senior international cap for Sierra Leone.

The duo will return to a Heed squad brimming with confidence after a fine performance in their 3-0 home win against Dagenham and Redbridge on Tuesday night. Olley admitted they need to put on a similar display if they are to secure their place at Wembley this weekend.

“There have been injuries, there have been players that maybe didn’t fit the system and maybe there was a headache from last season, maybe we were still impacted by the success of last season and most of all, we are in a better league this season. It’s nice to put the performances in to back that up and the last few games have felt like Gateshead again. Mike and Busted really put in the same performance, a Gateshead performance again because what’s the point in what we are doing.”