The Pitmen produce an exceptional team display full of character and discipline this evening to beat Vanarama National League Gateshead in their fourth qualifying round replay at the International Stadium

Hednesford manager Steve King - who had bemoaned his team’s lack of cutting edge in Saturday’s 1-1 draw after seeing his players waste several good chances throughout the game - made just one change to his XI for tonight’s long trip up to Tyneside as Dom McHale was restored to the side in place of Dan Sparkes

Heed had appointed club great Carl Magnay as the new first-team manager earlier in the day, looking for an instant new manager bounce ahead of tonight’s replay to lift their players after a slightly disappointing afternoon at Keys Park. On the pitch, Gateshead made two changes to the side that had started the game at the weekend as Charlie Colkett and Jovan Malcolm came in ahead of Jacob Butterfield and Ben Radcliffe

Winger Jack Bearne looked to get goal side of the Gateshead defence in the very first minute of the game after good play down the left between Taylor and McHale played Bearne into space, only for an offside flag against him to pull the game back

It was to prove something of a cagey start to proceedings, with lots of misplaced passes from both sides in the first ten minutes. The hosts looked to play up to the physical Owen Oseni at every opportunity, who was already giving Josh Endall a tough evening workout with his movement and power. The Pitmen were happy to play on the counter through the likes of Sion Spence, Dan Trickett-Smith and McHale as they looked to pick out the likes of Bearne and Rob Stevenson in front of them

Gateshead's physical, direct start to the game handed them the game's first goal of the evening in the tenth minute; Regan Booty picked up the ball from Tyrelle Newton on the left and curled a cross into the six-yard box that Oseni got in ahead of Joel Taylor to turn the ball past Rose from close range with a close-range effort

Oseni went close to making it a quickfire double for the Heed just two minutes later as he was played clean through on goal by Ben Worman's pass, taking the ball past Rose but being forced wide by Elliott Johnson and turning his left-footed effort into the side-netting from twelve yards out

Spence picked up the game’s first yellow card on fourteen minutes as he shoulder-charged into Newton and sent the forward to ground with a firm challenge. Colkett’s deep, looping free-kick was aimed at Oseni but was headed away by Endall for a corner kick

Two minutes later, the dominant hosts were on the front foot again as Callum Whelan picked out Newton with a fine cross from the right-hand corner of the penalty area, only for Newton to poke the ball into the arms of Rose at the far post with a hurried first-time effort under pressure from Kory Roberts

Malcolm was the latest player to go straight through the Hednesford defence sixty seconds later, played in by a clever Adom pass but saw his turn and shot blocked by Endall as he looked to drive in a shot from fifteen yards out

On twenty minutes, Jack Rose made his first real contribution to the game as  he palmed away a twenty yards drive from Worman after Brandon Haustrup's long ball forward was knocked down to Worman by Oseni

The Pitmen had been a little light in the final third so far, briefly threatening the Gateshead defence a minute later as goalkeeper Harry Moss came out to meet a bouncing ball on the very edge of his box, just managed to do enough to deny McHale as he held it at the second attempt

The Pitmen’s first real chance of the evening saw them grab themselves a leveller midway through the first half as Taylor’s pass played Trickett Smith into acres of space in the Gateshead half, with the midfielder playing a lovely ball out to McHale on the right. The playmaker tricked his way onto his right boot and crossed low to the far post where Bearne was on hand to turn the ball home from close range. Game on

McHale was displaying the more positive side of this game after a couple of ineffective recent displays, creating an opening for himself on twenty-four minutes after winning the ball in midfield and charging towards the penalty area, only to get caught in two minds as to whether to shoot or pass to Bearne and lost the ball

Three minutes later, great defending from Endall saw the centre-back stretch out a long leg to clear Booty’s low cross from the right away from danger, denying Oseni a clear sight at goal as the striker looked to get in behind the lanky centre-back

 

Shortly before the half-hour mark, McHale went down inside the centre circle holding his back after a challenge on him from Whelan. After intensive work on him by therapist Adam Paget and despite the Pitmen seemingly warming up Manny Duku as his replacement, McHale gingerly returned to the pitch

Neat play from the hosts on thirty-two minutes saw Colkett create space with a good run before laying it off to Booty, whose powerfully struck effort from twenty-five yards out was deflected behind for a corner by the body of Johnson

A long throw from Bearne on thirty-five minutes - something not seen in any of the winger's previous appearances - was picked up by McHale inside the penalty area, turned well onto his left foot but saw his shot blocked by the covering Booty

A minute later, Luke Hannant's pass was played into the path of Worman, whose well-struck low effort at goal was tipped away by Rose to his right-hand side to push the ball away for a corner kick to Gateshead. From Colkett's resultant corner kick, Booty met the deep ball in at the far post but was stretching and could only head over Rose's crossbar

With six minutes of a competitive first half remaining, Colkett won a free-kick thirty yards from goal after a foul on him from Simeon Maye. The midfielder took the kick himself, finding Adom in acres of space to the right of the box as he looked to take it past Taylor. The left-back, however, was calm and collected as he forced the forward into over-running the ball out of play for a goal kick

Gateshead had become very frustrated with the Pitmen's solid defensive line as the half had worn on, limiting them to long-range efforts or poorly-judged passes. On forty-four minutes, Worman's intended pass through to Oseni was way off target and easily hacked clear by the covering Spence

Another long-range effort from Whelan in the final minute of the first half saw the midfielder try his luck from thirty yards out with a daisy cutter of a shot that Rose comfortably claimed low down to his left

With the final action of the half deep into three added minutes, Oseni looked to reach a long, rangy pass from Booty at the far post, getting in ahead of Endall but couldn’t reach the ball as it drifted over his head and out of play for a goal kick, much to the frustration of the home supporters

In very similar terms to Saturday’s first period, tonight’s first half had also been very evenly balanced, with Gateshead looking a threat with their quick one and two-touch football but struggling to break down an organised, disciplined Hednesford defence. The Pitmen had looked to play on the counter-attack through Trickett-Smith and Bearne but had also struggled with the final pass at times

As had been the case at Keys Park at the weekend, Gateshead looked to make a flying start to the second half as Malcolm struck a firm rising shot at goal from twenty yards out that Rose pushed away with a two-handed save just ninety seconds after the restart

Three minutes later, McHale took advantage of a slip from Haustrup as he picked up Endall’s pass out on the right flank and drove into the penalty area unchallenged. However, rather than look to pick out Stevenson or Bearne in the centre McHale elected to shoot from an angle, with Moss making an easy save at his near post

Some good Hednesford pressure on fifty-three minutes saw them force Gateshead back into their own third of the pitch as McHale's pace and trickery saw him win a corner after good approach play down the left. Trickett-Smith’s inswinging corner was met by Booty, who very nearly headed into his own net as he glanced the ball just wide of Moss's right-hand post for another corner

Stevenson was denied what looked to be a certain goal on fifty-five minutes as another great cross from Trickett-Smith from the left saw the striker bring the ball down well but was denied by a last-ditch sliding challenge from the recovering Booty

 

The resultant corner from Trickett-Smith was something off the training ground, as his low, driven cross towards the edge of the penalty area was brilliantly dummied by McHale and allowed to run into the path of Stevenson, who finished with aplomb with a confident drive past Moss from sixteen yards out

A brilliant run from McHale on fifty-eight minutes saw the playmaker beat two players as he drifted infield from the right before driving in a shot from twenty yards out that was straight into the midriff of Moss

On the hour mark, more excellent defending from Johnson saw the Hednesford skipper clear Adom's cross away from the lurking Oseni inside the six-yard box after Adom had sent over a low cross from the right towards the striker

Rose picked up the game's first yellow card of the evening on the hour mark as referee Mr Cooper booked the experienced stopper for a bout of time-wasting at a goal kick

An incredible evening for the visitors saw them put clear daylight between themselves and their step one hosts on sixty-one minutes as another run from the outstanding Trickett-Smith saw him cut in from the left flank and lay the ball off to Spence, who controlled it well on the edge of the box before curling a shot beyond the reach of Moss and into the far corner of the net. Unbelievable

Before play could restart, Heed made a triple substitution in response to going 3-1 down as Jean Belehouan came on for Haustrup at left-back, Butterfield replaced Whelan in the anchor role on midfield and Tom Allan replaced the hugely disappointing Adom on the right

Gateshead nearly found an immediate way back into contention on sixty-three minutes as Allan's deep cross was met by a fierce Oseni volley at the far post that was saved by the legs of Rose, clinging onto the loose ball and claiming it at the second attempt

A frustrated late tackle by Worman on McHale saw the Gateshead midfielder pick up a booking on sixty-five minutes. King took great exception at the treatment handed out to his most creative player on the touchline and was booked for his remonstrations by Mr Cooper

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Another attacking change was to follow for the hosts on sixty-eight minutes as the physical figure of Mark Beck came on to play as the target man as he replaced Colkett

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You were getting the feeling that it just wasn't going to be Gateshead's evening at this juncture as Oseni wasted another great chance presented to him on seventy-two minutes; Allan's flick-on fell nicely into the path of the striker, who fired over the crossbar from ten yards out as Roberts closed him down

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The Pitmen's first change of the evening finally came a minute later as Stevenson was given a well-earned rest after yet another tireless display up front, with Duku coming on in his place

 

Moss was called into action for Heed once more on seventy-six minutes as another Bearne long throw from the left cleared as far as McHale on the edge of the area. His well-controlled half volley at goal from eighteen yards out didn't have enough dip or swerve on it however, and was an easy save for the stopper on his line

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This was to prove to be McHale's final action of the evening, as the midfielder was taken off a minute later after an excellent display; Blaine Rowe came on in his place to play out on the right flank

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Time was now running out for the home side to grab themselves a lifeline, with their efforts on goal becoming erratic and ambitious as the Pitmen stood firm in front of them. On eighty-two minutes, a low long-range shot from Butterfield flew just wide of Rose’s right-hand post, although the goalkeeper appeared to have it covered

 

Before play could restart, Gateshead made their final change available to them this evening as Birmingham City loanee Josh Home came on in midfield in place of Worman

 

All of the play was now taking place inside the Hednesford third of the pitch as Gateshead desperately tried to find themselves a goal. Booty got on the end of a flowing move down the right on eighty-three minutes, crossing into the six-yard box but just too high for the incoming Beck to be able to get his head to

More desperate long-range shooting on eighty-five minutes saw the experienced Butterfield fire high and wide from fully thirty yards out after being afforded too much space in front of the Hednesford penalty area

A minute later, Hannant managed to get down the left flank and hang up a deep cross to the fear post that was met by the head of Beck, whose close-range from six yards out is pushed away by Rose at point-blank range. A superb last-ditch save from the stopper and one that essentially killed off any momentum from the hosts

 

In what appeared to be a deliberate tactical move on eighty-nine minutes, substitute Duku was brought off just sixteen minutes after coming on as Abdulrasaq Alamu-Tajudeen came on to add a body to the centre of midfield instead

 

With the game now drifting into added time, Oseni picked up a loose ball inside the Hednesford penalty area after some confusion in the ranks from the men in grey but saw his scuffed effort bobble wide of Rose's right-hand post

 

A truly bizarre moment in the first of six added minutes saw Mr Cooper approach the Hednesford bench and brandish a yellow card in the general direction of the Hednesford substitutes, presumably for something said to the match officials. Within seconds. Mr Cooper approached the bench again and reached for a red card, shown to substitute goalkeeper Ryan Brown

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Rose was once again on the end of another hopeful long-range effort from the hosts in added time, claiming Hannant's long-range effort at the second attempt after a highly ambitious effort from the defender from twenty-five yards out

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Backed by the small Hednesford contingent that had travelled up to the North East, the final whistle was greeted with elation by the Hednesford players and management team after a spectacular display to knock out their National League hosts. It was only what the Pitmen had deserved over the two games, having shown real character, strength and commitment to the cause to come back from behind in both games before taking tonight's game away from Gateshead with a wonderful attacking display. News had filtered through of another shock in the Gainsborough-Boston game, with step three Trinity hammering their step one hosts 4-0 to set up an all-Northern Premier League tie at Keys Park on November 2nd. Before this, the Pitmen face some tricky league games as they look to finally get their stuttering NPLW season going, firstly with a trip to top-of-the-table Widnes on Saturday before playing host to struggling Hanley Town next Tuesday night

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Gateshead: Moss, Hannant, Haustrup (Belehouan 62), Booty ©, Adom (Allan 62), Newton, Colkett (Beck 68), Worman ▆ (Home 82), Whelan (Butterfield 62), Malcolm, Oseni     Subs Unused: Basey, Carr

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Hednesford Town: Rose ▆, Roberts, Taylor, Maye, Johnson ©, Endall, Bearne ▆, Spence ▆, Stevenson (Duku 73 (Alamu-Tajudeen 89)), Trickett-Smith (Holness 84), McHale (Rowe 77)     Sub Unused: Sutherland, Brown ▆ (90), Gwilt, Holness

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