Blyth Spartans 0 Gateshead 2

Nov 13 2011 by Steve Brown, Sunday Sun

HAVEN’T we been here before?

In February, Gateshead negotiated their way through a potentially hazardous Trophy tie at Croft Park with a professional performance against a Blyth side offering too much respect from the outset, a gift of a first goal and a second-half rally, while ultimately a 2-0 scoreline exemplified the difference between part-time and full, Conference National and North, without rubbing it in.

Yesterday, only the competition was different.

Sort of.

So the Tynesiders trousered £18,000, and look forward to this afternoon’s second round draw with chairman Graham Wood on a hat-trick of correctly predicting their opponents.

Bradford Park Avenue, he reckons.

But the one notable difference from nine months ago is that, while scorelines stay the same, the gulf gets bigger.

Full-time status is really showing now for Gateshead, and if sixth in BSBP is not enough, the extent to which they dominated this encounter – more so than in the Trophy – should be.

For that, you can hardly blame Blyth, training for an hour or so a couple of times a week against an outfit going through their paces four or five times in the same period.

That they even compete, that they can restrict the Heed to just two goals, is to Spartans’ immense credit.

And being bottom of BSBN, with Vauxhall Motors and Hinckley United due at home, ought to remind any critic that Blyth face more important matters in the next few days.

Set against that, yesterday – with 2763 watching, just more than 1000 of them Heeding the Army – was always a bonus at best. And after a couple of early indicators – Neal Hooks’ free-kick, Jamie Mole’s charge on goal; free-kick, surely – that proceedings would be different to the last time, the visitors went about bossing them.

Phil Turnbull, nigh-on running the show, fired wide and after Ben Clark’s long-range effort was blocked, the same player volleyed the rebound well over.

So far, so innocuous.

On days such as these though, the underdog can ill-afford to present the favoured with what amounted to another head-start.

On 14 minutes Jon Shaw chased down his own flick, seemingly forlornly, given that Dan Groves appeared to have matters covered.

Shaw’s endeavour was rewarded, however. For while Groves – a right-back deputising centrally due to a chronic injury and suspension situation – should have simply launched it, he instead attempted to dribble round Shaw, who promptly dispossessed his opponent, rounded keeper David Knight and scored his 19th goal in 20 games.

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot, it was the last thing necessary given the odds already against Blyth.

Thereafter, a massacre looked possible. Knight saved well from Micky Cummins and Shaw, who then volleyed over acrobatically after a series of one-twos with the excellent Kris Gate.

Cummins, Martin Brittain and Shaw went close again, yet for all that possession and for all those openings, half-time arrived with only a goal in it.

Moments after the interval Blyth almost got back into it, Mole volleying onto the roof of the net.

Later, a more impressive second half might have seen Graeme Armstrong, Groves, Wayne Phillips or Glen Taylor fare better in front of goal.

Instead, the Heed sealed it just nine minutes after the break, Cummins drilling past Knight after Shaw laid off Chris Carruthers’ cross. History; it has a habit of repeating itself.

BLYTH SPARTANS KNIGHT, Slaughter, Groves, Pearson, Cave (Forster 72), Mason (Offiong 67), Hooks, Emms, Phillips, Mole, Armstrong (Taylor 78).

GATESHEAD Alnwick, Baxter (Henderson 80), Curtis, Clark, Carruthers, TURNBULL, Gate, Cummins (Nix 85), Brittain (Moore 69), Fisher, Shaw.