Ex-Newcastle United youth ready to move on from his St James's Park exit with Gateshead

The former Magpies youngster was named on a lengthy list of academy players released during the summer as his time with his boyhood club came to a heartbreaking end.

Allan had lived the dream when he made a big impact on his senior debut in an FA Cup third round replay against Rochdale in January 2020.

After replacing Magpies captain Jamaal Lascelles just before the hour-mark, Allan burst down the right-hand side and set up Joelinton to tap home United’s final goal in a 4-1 win over the Dale.

Allan featured in another seven first-team matchday squads but failed to add to his 33 minutes of senior action prior to his departure from the club.

Loan spells at Accrington Stanley and Greenock Morton proved to be underwhelming and his final appearance in a black and white shirt came as the Magpies Under-23s fell to a 3-2 defeat against Blyth Spartans in last season’s Northumberland Senior Cup Final.

Allan sunk to the St James Park pitch in the aftermath of that defeat as the emotion of his departure truly hit home - but now he is back on his feet on the other side of the Tyne and is determined to make a name for himself with Gateshead.

“I’ve loved every minute since I’ve been here so far,” the Heed forward told The Echo.

“The big thing was the style of play and I heard they were a good group of lads here. They’ve made it so easy for me to settle in.

“It was great being at Newcastle but it’s in the past now,” he explained.

“I am a player here now, it’s about developing, playing as many senior games as I can and I don’t want to dwell on the past.

“It’s all about what lies ahead of me now and that’s doing what I can for Gateshead and making sure we progress,” he added.

Allan did not have to look far for advice during extensive talks with Gateshead player-manager and former Magpies defender Mike Williamson.

The Heed boss has several former United academy graduates as part this squad, including Allan’s former Under-23 team-mates Owen Bailey and Dan Ward.

Allan revealed he took advice from both players as he considered the next step in his career amid interest from several clubs in England and Scotland.

He said: “I spoke to Bails a lot before I came here, and I knew a few of the lads like Wardy so it made it an easy transition.

“When you have this many fans coming to games, you want to start performing for them, you want to show what you can do and that’s the goal for us all.

“We all want to do what we can to help the team and impress the fans,” he added.

Allan certainly impressed on Tuesday night when he scored his first goal for Gateshead in a hard-earned 1-1 draw against much-fancied Notts County.

Much of the pre-match talk surrounded former Heed duo Macaulay Langstaff and Cedwyn Scott’s return to the International Stadium following their summer moves to Meadow Lane.

But it was Allan that grabbed the limelight when he took advantage of a defensive error to open the scoring with a cool finish less than a minute into the second-half.

The 22-year-old put in a hardworking display before he was replaced by former Sunderland youngster Will Harris with just over 20 minutes left on the clock.

A late equaliser from the visitors robbed Gateshead of a first win since they were promoted back into the National League last season.

However, Williamson’s men do remain unbeaten this season after their point against County added to draws against two other former Football League clubs, Dagenham and Redbridge and Barnet.

A new test lies in wait this weekend when they make the long trip to Dorking Wanderers, who are also adjusting well to life amongst non-league’s elite after winning the National League South play-offs last season.

Ahead of the trip to Meadowbank, Allan revealed how he has adjusted to the demands of former United star Williamson and assistant Ian Watson and expressed his determination to continue improving as a first full season in the senior game develops.

“Confidence is a big thing that the manager is trying to install in me,” he said.

“It’s not about not caring if you miss a chance, it’s just about moving on and focusing on making sure you are in the best position to take the next chance when it comes your way.

“That’s something I am trying to work on at the moment and I will continue working hard on that because I just want to keep improving.

“I’ve had to buy into the mentality here because if you don’t, you aren’t going to be here very long.

“I think I probably showed something but, as a group of lads, everyone buys into what the managers and coaches want here.

“It’s worked for Mike and Busted (Ian Watson, assistant manager) so far and I am sure it will continue to work for them because you can see how far they have already taken the club during their time here,” he added.

He may no longer be a Magpie, but Tom Allan is still determined to make a name for himself on Tyneside.