Williamson praises Gateshead ‘courage’ after narrow defeat against Newcastle United

Gateshead manager Mike Williamson hailed his players for ‘showing a lot of courage’ in their pre-season friendly defeat against Newcastle United.

A Magpies side containing the likes of Kieran Trippier, Sean Longstaff and Allan Saint-Maximin kicked off their preparations for the new Premier League season with a short trip across the Tyne - but found themselves two goals down by the time the half-time whistle was blown at the International Stadium.

Heed striker Marcus Dinanga fired the National League side in front just before the quarter-hour mark before former Sunderland and Middlesbrough forward Stephen Wearne doubled their advantage just before half-time as he beat United keeper Karl Darlow at the second attempt.

Elliot Anderson and Saint-Maxmin both found the net before the hour-mark had been reached to get Eddie Howe’s men on level-terms and a late strike from Jay Turner-Cooke ensured the Magpies claimed an eventful win over their non-league neighbours.

Despite the defeat, Williamson believes the Heed were able to show supporters of both clubs what they are capable of and was full of praise for his players for displaying the standards expected of them throughout an impressive display.

He told The Echo: “I think it lived up to the spectacle we were hoping for on and off the field. There was even a bit of thunder and lightning to add into the mix.

“You can see what we are trying to do, what we are trying to achieve and how we are trying to play and to go toe-to-toe with a club like Newcastle was fantastic. The boys deserve a lot of credit because they showed a lot of courage.

“At half-time, we had a conversation about standards and I asked the lads if being two goals up was enough or can we keep pushing and driving. Fatigue played a part, the changes disrupted it, but overall it was a fantastic game and we got a lot from it and showed some fantastic spells of play.”

The fixture will swell the Gateshead coffers after over 7,400 supporters braved the stormy conditions to take in what proved to be an entertaining affair between two clubs four levels apart in the football pyramid.

With further income being created by the live streaming of the game, the Heed have received a significant financial boost after the Magpies hierarchy confirmed they would allow their neighbours to retain all proceeds from the game. Williamson described the gesture as ‘huge’ and was delighted to see his side give a significant test to his former club.

He said: “We want to give the best impression we can and we were very fortunate to have such a big club come over and create such a spectacle and create revenue, which is huge for us as a club. We wanted to test them as much as we could on the field and I think we have been able to do that with a very strong performance that showed what we are about and what we want.”

Gateshead are back in action on Friday night when they make the short trip to Northern Premier League East club Dunston UTS.