Magnay has decisions to make as Gateshead start FA Trophy defence

Gateshead manager Carl Magnay has admitted he is facing a balancing act as his side get their FA Trophy defence underway on Saturday afternoon.

Almost seven months after club captain Greg Olley lifted the trophy at Wembley following a penalty shoot-out win against Solihull Moors, the Heed are back in action as they host National League North side Farsley Celtic at the International Stadium.

For Magnay, who was first-team coach at Gateshead last season, the memories of a historic triumph under the famous arch remain fresh in the memory and after returning to take charge of his hometown club following spells at MK Dons and Carlisle United, he is now keen to lead the Heed back to Wembley for a third consecutive season.

He told The Echo: “It is an opportunity to experience what we have already experienced in the last two years. The final in May was an unbelievable occasion for the club and the feeling of elation and the celebrations surrounding that were amazing. We want that again so it’s a game we will take very seriously because we want to progress in the competition.”

Magnay’s desire for progression is somewhat tampered by the fact he is facing up to going into the tie with a number of injury concerns. A midweek National League Cup win against Sunderland Under-21s saw the likes of Regan Booty, Luke Hannant and Ben Radcliffe all pressed into action. There was some positive news for Magnay as Dan Jones retuned to the starting eleven after missing last weekend’s draw at Braintree Town - but there are still a number of issues to the Heed boss to contend with ahead of Saturday’s tie.

He said: “It could be a case of changing the side around and we may need to bring players in. The squad has been trimmed with players heading out and we will need to manage the squad because we have some injuries. We are picking them up but we know this can be an opportunity for lads to get game-time that maybe haven’t had as much as they wanted.”