Opposition Overview: Gateshead FC

Eddie Turner • September 2, 2026

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Chris Millington’s Solihull Moors team are set to travel up north to the Gateshead International Stadium for their latest 2026/27 National League fixture against Lee Cattermole’s Gateshead side on Saturday afternoon. The Moors will be looking for their first three points in this game with a win against The Tynesiders. 


Gateshead’s most recent competitive game saw them face recently relegated Harrogate Town away from home. This contest at the Marcy Fitness Stadium saw them narrowly lose 2 – 1 to the hosts, but they did take the lead through Peter Jameson just after the half-time break. Harrogate did then win it by completing the comeback through a crucial goal from Josh Hmami as well as an own goal from Gateshead’s Ashley Boatswain in the last minute of the second half. 


As a club, Gateshead were originally founded back in 1930, when South Shields went out of business whilst playing in the old Third Division North. In the FA Cup, they were able to beat Liverpool in 1953 before losing to a Nat Lofthouse winning goal for the eventual finalists Bolton Wanderers in the end.


We now fast forward to 1977 when the current club were founded after Gateshead United, founded to replace South Shields, had been disbanded. Gateshead FC were then able to emerge as a phoenix club in the very same year. 

Incredibly, after replacing the aforementioned Gateshead United in the Northern Premier League season ahead of the 1977/78 campaign. Years later, they did go on to win the league title in 1982/83 after accumulating a total of 100 points whilst also finding the back of the net as many as 114 times in total as a team as well. 


After a two year stay in the Conference, they were relegated, but they were immediately promoted back up to the Conference after winning the league title yet again back in 1986. 


They were then relegated again, this time after a more extended period of 8 years in 1998, when they made their return to the Northern Premier League. Then, after financial troubles, they were further relegated down to the Northern Premier League First Division. 


Gateshead’s fate was sealed in 2006 when they were taken over by Graham Wood, a wealthy businessman born in the local area. They came in third place in the newly named UniBond Premier Division in 2008 whilst also being the joint top goalscorers in the top ten divisions of the English Football pyramid. 


They subsequently made it all the way to promotion to the Conference North before then winning the play-off final to secure themselves a place in the Conference Premier in front of a crowd of 4,000. They were able to secure safety on goal difference alone. 


In 2010, they became a full-time club and finished in 14th place as well as going all the way to the FA Trophy semi-final for the first time in the 2010/11 season. 


Fast forward to the 2016/17 campaign, they ultimately had a disappointing campaign in the end, being knocked out early on from the FA Cup and the FA Trophy by the start of 2017. 


The 2018/19 season came off the back of turmoil off the pitch. There had initially been a failed takeover, before a Hong Kong based businessman by the name of Dr Ranjan Varghese bought the club, with Michael Williams taking over as the club’s operations director. 

Following a points deduction, they ended up down in 18th place after being sat in 9th. Varghese’s time at the club was a short one, with a fan-led consortium that was led by Neil Pinkerton and Trevor Clark taking charge of the stewardship of the club. 


They were unfortunately still relegated to the National League North following what was a 10 year stay in the fifth tier. The 2020/21 campaign was voided thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Gateshead sat in 10th when the season was ended prematurely. 


Then the following 2021/22 campaign was a historic one for The Heed, who were able to go against the odds to win promotion to the National League after a stay of three years in the sixth tier of English Football. In the end, they were able to win the title with a total of 94 points, winning 18 of their 21 home games whilst also scoring an incredible number of 99 goals over the course of the campaign. 


In that season, Macaulay Langstaff was the top scorer with 28 goals in the league alone and was named the league’s player of the season, whilst two other Gateshead players at the time, Greg Olley and Cedwyn Scott, were both also in the team of the season. They lifted the title in front of a record league crowd of 4,129. 


In 2022/23, they were able to avoid relegation in 14th place, even after what was initially having a poor start to the season. In the closing weeks and months of the campaign, they were able to amass 42 points from the final 24 games. 

They did win the FA Trophy Semi-Final by beating Barnet on penalties in front of a 2,897 strong crowd at the Gateshead International Stadium, though they had been leading 3 – 0 in normal time. They were then narrowly beaten 1 – 0 in the Final at Wembley thanks to a closely fought 1 – 0 defeat in front of a 27,000-strong crowd against Halifax Town. 


In 2024, they were able to make up for this defeat when in that year’s FA Trophy Final they were able to beat Solihull Moors on penalties at Wembley. 

Last season, the 2025/26 campaign, Gateshead FC were able to finish in 18th place with as many as 50 points from 46 games, surviving relegation. 


In the opposition dugout – Lee Cattermole 

Lee Cattermole is the current First Team Head Coach of Gateshead Football Club, having been in charge since he was appointed by the North East-based club back on 16th June 2026 ahead of the start of the current 2026/27 campaign. This is his first role in senior club management. 

He began his coaching career by taking charge as the Lead Coach of Middlesbrough’s Under 18s side back in January 2022. After leaving Boro on 10th February 2023, he went on to become a coach at League One club Bristol Rovers, with his main focus on development and set pieces. 

Four days into his tenure, he became joint caretaker manager alongside David Horseman after the sacking of former boss Matt Taylor. He left following Inigo Calderon’s appointment on 26th December 2024. 

Cattermole had an extensive playing career, doing so as a midfielder, during which he spent most of his career with Sunderland. Most of his time with the Black Cats was in the Premier League, with him also spending a single season in both the Championship and League One during his ten year tenure at the club between 2009 and 2019. 

During his career, he also spent time with the likes of Middlesbrough (2005 - 2008), Wigan Athletic (2008 - 2009), and finally Dutch club VVV Venlo (2019 – 2020). He retired from the sport briefly after leaving the Eredivisie club. 


Key Player – David Ferguson 

David Ferguson is a highly experienced player who is Gateshead Captain and plays mainly as a left back. He joined the club back in 2025, and he has made 39 appearances for the club so far, as of the time of writing. 

Earlier in his career, he has also represented the likes of Darlington (2012 & 2017), Sunderland (2012 - 2015), Boston United (Loan, 2014), Blackpool (2015 - 2016), Shildon (2016 - 2017), York City (2017 - 2020), and Hartlepool United (2020 - 2025). He also has 3 caps for the England C side that he got back in 2017. 


Written by Adam Holt

 


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By Kate Willetts • October 8, 2026
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They had beaten Wimbledon in the fourth qualifying round. Worthing joined the Corinthian League in the 1948/49 season, though they had little joy in the competition, finishing bottom on four occasions. By the early 1960s, Worthing AFC found themselves in the Athenian League Premier Division, where they would spend three seasons before suffering two relegations in as many seasons, which saw them drop down to Division Two of the Athenian League system. Worthing recovered, and by the 1971/72 season, they were able to return to Division One as runners-up to Staines Town before then reaching the final of the Athenian League Cup the following season, where they would lose 2 – 0 to Amateur Cup Finalists Slough Town in extra time. In 1977, Worthing decided to leave the Athenian League, joining the Isthmian League Division Two. Former manager Barry Lloyd was appointed by the club back in 1981, and won the Division Two title in the 1981/82 season, with the prolific goal scorer Micky Edmonds leading their scoring charts with an astonishing 53 goals in all competitions. They were also able to reach the Second Round Proper of the FA Cup, losing 4 – 0 in the end to Oxford United. In the 1985/86 season, manager Lloyd left for Brighton & Hove Albion, and in the following season, 1986/87, Worthing were relegated down to Division One from the Premier Division. Then, four years later, they were to only finish bottom of Division One with just 10 points whilst also conceding as many as 157 goals overall. Gerry Armstrong, a former Northern Ireland international, was then appointed manager in the 1991/92 season. The following season, the 1992/93 campaign, they were able to win Division Two for a second time and were the first club to do so. Manager Armstrong decided to leave the club in the summer of 1994, with his successor, John Robson, then being appointed in his place. They regained their status in the Premier Division under Robson’s stewardship after being runners-up to Boreham Wood whilst also reaching the First Round Proper of the English FA Cup, losing 3 – 1 to Bournemouth after having initially taken the lead. Worthing finished bottom of the Premier Division the season after before Robson was then replaced by Brian Donnelly as manager at Christmas in 1996. After being in danger of relegation in 1996/97, they recovered to avoid relegation after winning all five of their remaining games. Then in November 2001, former boss Barry Lloyd made his return as manager for what was a second spell in charge. 2003/04 saw Worthing regain their place in the Premier Division following a second place finish whilst also reaching the Senior Cup Final and the last 32 of the FA Trophy, losing the latter to the eventual winners Hednesford Town. The 2009/10 campaign, the 125 th of Worthing’s history, was the first season for then boss Chris White, and they did win some silverware after defeating Horsham in order to lift the Brighton Charity Cup in what was the last match of the season. Fast forward to Christmas Day of 2013, which was when the current boss, Adam Hinshelwood, took charge of Worthing Association Football Club for the very first time following the departures of caretaker managers Mick Fogden and Jon Meeney. Fogden and Meeney took charge after the departure of joint-managers Lee Brace and Kieran Collins. A sixth place finish was achieved in the league in the 2014/15 season after the ups and downs of the season, as well as doubts over the club’s future. They were also one of only two teams to have beaten the runaway league champions that year, Burgess Hill Town. George Dowell, a former Worthing player, took over the club as owner at the end of the 2014/15 season. He immediately went about stabilising the club by wiping away the debts whilst also installing a new 3G pitch. The Rebel’s Tavern was also to go through a makeover as well, with it being converted into The 7HQ Sports Bar and Café whilst also continuing the improvements to Woodside Road. Once the 2015/16 season had come to an end, Worthing AFC had gotten themselves promoted to the Isthmian League Premier Division season having won the playoffs. They were now about to embark on what was to be their first season in step three in eight years. Worthing finished 14 th in that league in 2016/17. In February 2017, star striker Omar Buigel decided to leave the club for Forest Green Rovers, who were on their way to the English Football League, and they would do so by beating Tranmere Rovers in the National League Promotion Final at Wembley. It was on 9 th September 2018 when Hinshelwood made his return as manager of the club for what was his second spell in charge following the resignation of former manager Gary Elphick. 2018/19 saw Worthing challenge for promotion, with them occupying the playoff spots, only for them to fall away in the end, ending up in 9 th place by the end of April and having a poor run of form in their final five league games of the season. The 2019/20 season was interrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic that emerged mid-March of 2020. Their campaign was declared null and void, with the final standings in the table being decided on a points-per-game basis. They had been occupying a playoff spot, and they could have been champions, or at least compete for promotion via the playoffs. They were almost able to reach the Final of the Sussex Senior Cup, only being denied by a defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. Not long after that, their academy player, Fin Stevens, moved on to Championship club Brentford in July 2020, with the Bees now, of course, a firmly established Premier League side. In 2025/26, Worthing Association Football Club were able to secure themselves what was a historic promotion to the Enterprise National League after winning the National League South title after finishing with 84 points following 46 matches. Worthing will be looking to remain in the fifth tier, the first step of non-league football, in 2026/27, with them now competing for the playoffs in these early stages of the season. In the opposition dugout – Adam Hinshelwood Current boss Adam Hinshelwood is enjoying his third stint in charge of Worthing AFC, having been in charge since his return was confirmed back on 9 th October 2025. He had previously been in charge for two years between 2013 and 2015, and then for 7 years between 2017 and 2024. He helped guide them to their promotion to the National League from the National League South last term. Hinshelwood has also had managerial spells in charge of the likes of Selsey (2011 - 2013), Hastings United (2017), and York City (2024 - 2025). He has also had a playing career that spanned 8 years between 2002 and 2010, representing Brighton & Hove Albion (2002 - 2009), Lewes (Loan, 2008), Aldershot Town (2009 – 2010), and finally Wycombe Wanderers back in 2010. Adam Hinshelwood’s son, Jack Hinshelwood, stars in the Premier League for the aforementioned Brighton & Hove Albion, joining the club in 2012 before being part of the first team for the first time back in 2023. Key Player – Razzaq Coleman De Graft Razzaq Coleman De Graft is arguably Worthing’s key player, and he is their leading goal scorer with 5 goals so far this term, as of the time of writing. He is a prolific forward, scoring 13 goals and getting 9 assists to boot in the 2025/26 season. De Graft was previously in the academies of Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Charlton Athletic, as well as having a brief spell with Weymouth. He has also spent time with the likes of Tooting & Mitcham United, Hampton & Richmond Borough, and Lewes, with whom he had two spells. He joined his current club, Worthing, as one of the first signings in the summer ahead of the 2024/25 season. Opposition Overview written by Adam Holt
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