Gateshead midfielder Owen Bailey has described reaching the FA Trophy final as an “unbelievable achievement” as his side prepare to face Halifax at Wembley on Sunday.
The Heed beat Barnet 4-1 on penalties after drawing 3-3 – the Bees fighting back from 3-0 down after 37 minutes – in a dramatic semi-final last month to reach their first-ever FA Trophy final.
Their cup run has come alongside a fantastic turnaround in the National League, which saw Gateshead lingering above the drop zone in February before recovering to finish 14th.
Relegation fears were eased during a 10-game unbeaten run in all competitions and Bailey praised a “monumental effort” after a resurgence in the second half of the season.
The 24-year-old told the PA news agency: “We brought a few lads in on loan, we had a few lads back from injury, we changed a bit of the shape and the way we played. We simplified everything and we went into so much detail, but we always do that.
“It wasn’t a real surprise to me, just for whatever reason it seemed to finally click and we’re on a really good run which has ultimately kept us in the league.
“It was a massive credit to the management and the players because we all came together and we weren’t going to accept getting relegated, so it was a monumental effort and it’s really positive for next year.”
Gateshead’s attention is now focused on Sunday’s final against a Halifax team who finished two points above them in the National League in 11th.
The Heed’s route to Wembley has been far from comfortable, requiring penalty shoot-outs in both the quarter and semi-finals, but Bailey believes the competition has been hugely beneficial for the team during the rough patches this season.
“The Trophy’s been something we’ve used for momentum to be honest,” he added.
“There’s been times where we’ve been so down, had bad results in the league, and when you’re in the bottom four and you can’t get out it’s so mentally draining because you think you’re doing everything you can to get out of there but nothing’s working.
“To have the Trophy alongside and totally focus on that game and have no bearing on the league, it’s really important to switch off from the league for a bit and it’s definitely helped along the way.
“It still is a thing for the lads who’ve been here from the start and aren’t cup-tied to have a lot of pride in, because there’s been times we’ve cobbled a team together and had to rely on the under-19s.”
“I know all the lads who are involved in it take a lot of pride in the fact that we might only have 13 or 14 players available, but we’ve got to the final and I think it’s an unbelievable achievement to be honest.”
View this post on Instagram
Gateshead were on the brink of extinction only a few years ago before being taken over by a fan-led consortium with Neil Pinkerton and Trevor Clark installed as owners.
The club were then promoted to the National League after winning the 2021/22 National League North title.
Reflecting on how far the club have come, former Newcastle U23s captain Bailey hopes fans will be able to enjoy a day out at Wembley.
“The club obviously nearly went under and the job that the staff have done has been unbelievable,” said Bailey, who joined Gateshead in the summer of 2021.
“I don’t think anyone will ever understand or appreciate how much they have done for the club – they’ve kept the club afloat and put it in the position it’s in now, which is a healthy National League team competing in a cup final.
“The turnaround’s been unbelievable, and the fans were the ones that saved the club financially, so for them I think it’s another bit of repayment to thank them for what they did.
“(I’m) sure they’ll have a great day out at Wembley and it’s what they deserve.”
Hurtig the hero after late goal sends Arsenal into Champions League quarters
Lina Hurtig's 89th minute winner ensured Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League after edging Juventus 1-0 on Thursday.
After being frustrated for large parts of the encounter, Hurtig bundled home from close range after Martina Lenzini's poor clearance to book the Gunners' place in the last eight.
Despite Arsenal dominating the early exchanges, it was Juventus who had the first sight of goal, though Eva Schatzer's effort was easy for Daphne van Domselaar to gather.
In a first half that saw just two shots on target, both coming from the visitors, Renee Slegers' substitutes proved to be the difference for Arsenal.
Slegers introduced Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius and Hurtig late on, with the latter somehow putting Kim Little's cross over the bar from five yards out.
However, the Swede would atone for her earlier error, combining with fellow substitute Blackstenius to net against her former club and send them out of the competition with two group games remaining.
Meanwhile, in Group D, Barcelona edged closer to the quarter-finals of the competition with a convincing 4-1 victory over St. Polten at the Generali Arena.
The reigning champions are still three points behind Manchester City following their 2-1 win over Hammarby, and know a win against the Swedes next month will see them progress.
Kika Nazareth opened the scoring in the 20th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Kamila Dubcova, notching her second nine minutes later from close range.
Barca found themselves three goals up at the break when Vicky Lopez netted her first goal in the competition to put the result beyond doubt.
There was also a landmark moment for Alexia Putellas, who netted her 200th goal for the club with a well-taken effort into the far corner.
Valentina Madl took some of the shine off an otherwise impressive display from the visitors, who have now taken their tally to 20 goals from their four matches in the competition.
Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City
Pep Guardiola will be Manchester City manager for at least two more seasons after 2024-25, after he signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.
There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.
Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.
“Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.
“That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.
“Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.
“Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.
That list includes their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the spin.
He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.
Shaw at the double as Man City progress in Champions League
Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City beat Hammarby 2-1 to seal their place in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals.
Gareth Taylor's team entered Thursday's game with a perfect record in Group D, and their fourth win in as many European matches ensured they finished in the top two.
Shaw—the leading scorer in the Women's Super League this season with eight goals—put them ahead in the 31st minute, driving into the area after taking in Yui Hasegawa's pass before seeing her shot deflect into the top corner.
Shaw was booked for celebrating in front of the home fans despite appearing to have objects thrown at her from the stands, and Hammarby should have levelled when Julia Blakstad fired wide 10 minutes later.
The hosts did draw level three minutes into the second half as Ellen Wangerheim tapped home while City's Laura Blindkilde Brown was down appealing for a free-kick.
That parity was short-lived, though, as Shaw blasted into the top corner from 25 yards out, taking her overall tally for this season to 12 goals in all competitions.
In Group C, meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost their perfect record as they played out a 1-1 draw with Valerenga, boosting Arsenal's hopes of topping the pile.
Jovana Damnjanovic came off the bench to put Bayern ahead 15 minutes from time in Norway, but Elise Thorsnes headed home following an 88th-minute corner to snatch a point for the hosts.
Arsenal could now move within a point of Bayern when they face Juventus in Group C's other match later on Thursday.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
