More to come from Gateshead as Elliot focuses on Woking challenge
Gateshead are looking for back-to-back wins when they face Woking on Saturday afternoon.
Gateshead manager Rob Elliot insisted there is a lot more to come from his side as they prepare for a long trip to Woking on Saturday.
The Heed kicked off their National League season in spectacular fashion last weekend as a hat-trick from captain Greg Olley and a goal apiece from midfielder Callum Whelan and summer signing Owen Oseni helped them to a 5-1 home win against Ebbsfleet United. Although the newly-promoted visitors were comfortably swept aside by a confident Heed display, Elliot stressed there were aspects of the game he felt his side can improve on as they set their sights on Saturday’s visit to Woking.
He told The Echo: “I think we played forward too quickly, I don’t think we recycled the ball enough, we didn’t move them across the pitch enough. We should have scored more goals, as ridiculous as that sounds and there are always things to improve on. That’s the way we have to get the lads to improve. The big thing for me is everything we have asked of the lads to take on, they’ve taken on. In the first game of the season, against a very good squad, a big club, with good resources, very big players, everything we asked of the lads they implemented really well and we are so pleased with the outcome going into four or five games in two weeks.”
Elliot is awaiting news on the severity of the injury suffered by defender Joe Grayson in the closing stages of last weekend’s win against Ebbsfleet after the former Barrow centre-back fell awkwardly as he attempted to block a cross. However, the Heed ranks were boosted by the permanent signing of former Portsmouth defender Brandon Haunstrup earlier this week after he initially joined the club on loan during the final month of last season. After penning a one-year deal, the 27-year-old is working his way towards full fitness and is relishing the opportunity to witness the ‘feel-good factor’ at the International Stadium once again.
He explained: “(I was) really keen to get back in. I had numerous conversations with Rob before my spell last season, and then in-between last season and this off-season, and it was something I was really keen to get over the line. Being in and around the boys and the staff last season, there was a real feel-good factor in and around the club, and it’s definitely something I wanted to be part of moving forward. Nothing has really changed from last season, the boys have been an absolutely credit to the place, the environment, the fans, the way they play, it remains the same. You’ve only got to look at where the boys finished last season to show the success it breeds.”