Gateshead star James Montgomery targets Wembley after FA Trophy quarter-final shoot-out heroics

Gateshead’s penalty shoot-out hero James Montgomery is hoping to make up for lost time after helping his side into the FA Trophy semi-final.

The former Forest Green Rovers goalkeeper made three important saves during a goalless 90 minutes in Saturday’s quarter-final clash with Farsley Celtic to ensure the tie would be settled on penalties. Montgomery produced further heroics to keep out two spot-kicks in the shoot-out and allowed on-loan Middlesbrough midfielder Kamil Conteh to clinch a place in Monday’s semi-final draw when he fired home the decisive penalty.

The win means Gateshead have progressed into the final four of the Trophy for the first time since 2018 when a 4-3 aggregate defeat against Bromley ended any hopes of a Wembley trip for Montgomery and his team-mates. But now, with a visit to the home of football potentially just 90 minutes away, the Heed stopper is looking to secure ‘a big day for the club’ this time around.

“I back myself on penalties, I’m quite confident with that stuff,” he explained.

“I was over the moon to be able to play a part in helping us to progress into the next round. Last time I was here, a few years ago, we got to the semis and it was a horrible day, probably one of the hard days I’ve had in football because you’re so close to getting to that big day for the club. We missed out there so this competition is something I really want to progress in and go one step further, or two steps further this time around.”

Gateshead will discover their semi-final opponents on Monday afternoon when they go into the hat alongside National League rivals Barnet, FC Halifax Town and Altrincham.

However, their main focus will be preserving their place in non-league’s top tier between now and the end of the season as they battle against relegation. Montgomery believes their progress in the Trophy can boost their league form as they look to progress on two different fronts.

He said: “I think the main thing with the Trophy is it breeds a habit of winning football matches and I say before every game it’s the best habit we can get into. Before the turn of the year, when we played Gloucester (in the FA Trophy), I think we went on a six or seven game unbeaten run from that. A couple of those games were in the Trophy but we just need to keep picking up the wins and picking up the confidence to help us on both fronts.”