Gateshead grab crucial three points with 94th-minute winner over Braintree

Gateshead scored a 94th-minute winner to secure a crucial three points against relegation rivals Braintree Town on Wednesday.

In a poor game, Keaton Ward provided a moment of quality to score in the dying embers of the game.

Following the game, assistant manager Louis Storey told SportsByte: “We dug deep. It’s an emotionally charged game.

“You could tell from the off from both teams that it was a nervy affair and that’s what it is to be a human being and to be fighting and scrapping for something that you really care about and you’re passionate about in terms of the football club and where we were.

“From a performance point of view we probably didn’t hit our standards tonight.

“Ultimately you’ve got to take the point, coming into these games it’s not always going to be smooth. It’s not always going to look great because of the emotions that are attached to it.”

A defensive mistake from either side made it apparent in the opening 15 minutes that this was a game involving two of the sides threatened with relegation.

Four minutes in, Kenton Richardson’s pass-back was directed at John Akinde’s feet. However, new boy Adam Desbois spread himself well to deny the veteran striker.

Six minutes later, Ben Drake attempted to play the ball back to his goalkeeper but misjudged the bounce leading to his pass flying over Mason Terry’s head and rebounding off the post. With Ash Boatswain bearing down to convert the rebound, Terry dived to collect the ball. In doing so, he conceded a indirect free-kick in the box that Gateshead failed to capitalise on.

Debois was on hand again to excellently deny Braintree on 14 minutes. Sahid Kamara did well to get the other side of his marker and on to the end of a low cross delivered from the left but was left ruing his chance.

Gateshead continued to dominate the second half but with little to show for it.

Boatswain had two good chances; first, attempting to divert Chadwick’s shot goalwards but mistimed his touch and saw his effort go wide, before moments later, he got on the end of a brilliant cross but fluffed his header over the bar.

Braintree came close to nicking a goal on 78 minutes, when Richardson again played in their attacker, this time Lewis Walker but he put his attempt over the bar.

Following that, they sprang into life, Debois was once again needed as he pushed Chay Cooper’s effort round the post before flying across the goal to claim Aiden Francis-Clarke’s header.

Braintree certainly finished the game in the ascendancy as Debois once again denied them a goal, as Akande’s effort cannoned off his outstretched leg.

That was until a Gateshead corner was recycled to Ward. He took a touch to set himself before unleashing a stunning, curling effort that sailed into the top corner.

Gateshead’s man of the match was debutant Adam Desbois – and, after the game, Storey labelled boss Rob Elliot, an ‘elite recruiter’ for bringing the shot-stopper in.

He said: “We just felt as if we possibly needed additional competition in that position and you can see strength in terms of the distance of his strikes and being aggressive from crosses.

“He’s reall took the game by the scruff off the neck in terms of what he can bring and he’s really brought his personality and it’s paid off dividends.”

Gateshead: Desbois; Ward, Nicholson, Richardson, Storey (Home 69′), Chapman (Amantchi 69′), Grayson (Radcliffe 45′), Bowen, Gilsenan (Butterfield 79′), Chadwick (Anifowose 69′), Boatswain.

Unused Subs: Ferguson, John.

Braintree: Terry, Francis-Clarke, Langston, Drake, Clampin (Smith 73′), Vennings, Okonomo, Akanda (Cooper 66′), Walker, Akinde, Kamara.

Unused Subs: Hadi, Omrore, Dibley-Dias, Thorpe, Massiah-Edwards.