FC Halifax Town came from behind to secure a convincing 4-1 victory over Gateshead at The Shay Stadium this afternoon, with goals from Raheem Conte, Connor Carty and Ben Tollitt helping Town take all three points.
The Shaymen got the game underway and controlled the opening stages, keeping possession and looking to break The Tynesiders down early.
Town almost took the lead in the fifth minute after Connor Carty made a run into Gateshead’s box. Ben Tollitt delivered the ball into the area, but Carty couldn’t get a clean shot away as goalkeeper Pete Jameson blocked his effort to keep the score level.
Gateshead saw more of the ball after the opening five minutes but struggled to make an impact, with The Shaymen’s defensive partnership of Shaun Hobson and Will Flint keeping The Tynesiders at bay.
Town had another chance in the 20th minute when Tollitt carried the ball forward and found Tommy McDermott in space inside the box. The winger fired towards goal, but Jameson pushed his effort away towards Carty, who couldn’t quite reach the rebound.
The Tynesiders took the lead in the 26th minute with a thunderous strike from outside the box. Freddie Issaka picked up the ball after Town lost possession, found space and struck it over True Grant into the top-right corner, scoring his first goal for Gateshead and their third of the season.
The first booking of the game followed a minute later, as Tayt Trusty received a yellow card for bringing down Alfie Calmont.
The Shaymen had another opportunity in the 30th minute when Gateshead’s goalkeeper gave the ball away to Tollitt, but his touch was too heavy to create a clear chance.
Town made the first change of the game in the 32nd minute, with Connor Douglas replacing McDermott.
The Shaymen continued to push for an equaliser, but Max Bardell sent his effort over the bar. The defender had made a daring run upfield after Hobson delivered a beautiful long ball into his path, but he couldn’t keep his effort down.
Town created a flurry of chances just before half-time but couldn’t find a way past Jameson.
Gateshead got the second half underway as The Shaymen looked to improve on their first-half performance.
Town started the second half with an attacking mindset and almost levelled the game in the 47th minute when Tollitt found space inside The Tynsiders’ box, but his effort struck the post.
The Shaymen finally got their goal in the 58th minute. Tollitt once again found himself in space near the box and, after some fancy footwork to beat two defenders, spotted Raheem Conte in space just outside the area. Tollitt laid the ball off and Conte fired first-time past Jameson to level the game, scoring his first goal for The Shaymen.
Town took the lead in the 64th minute through Carty. Douglas received the ball on the right-hand side after a long pass from Cody Johnson, danced past two defenders and delivered a cross into the box, where Carty guided the ball into the back of the net with his head.
The Shaymen made two more substitutions in the 65th minute, with Amari Morgan-Smith replacing Carty and David Kawa coming on for Cruz Allen.
Gateshead also made changes, with Luke Supyk replacing Issaka and former Shayman Billy Chadwick coming on for Sam Bowen in the 70th minute. Michael Spellman was replaced by Harry Chapman in the 78th minute, before Jordy Hiwula made way for David Eguaibor in the 83rd minute.
After taking the lead, The Shaymen controlled the game and limited The Tynsiders’ opportunities.
Town extended their lead in the 84th minute after Kawa won the ball in Gateshead’s half. With space to drive forward, he created a two-on-one situation before laying the ball off to Tollitt, who rifled his effort into the top-left corner past Jameson.
The Shaymen made further changes in the 90th minute, with Owen Bray replacing Tollitt and Will Hugill coming on for Trusty.
Town completed the scoring in the third minute of added time with a stunning strike from Conte. The defender collected the ball near the left corner flag with two men closing him down, beat both players and drove towards the box before shooting from an almost impossible angle. The ball curled into the top-right corner to seal an impressive 4-1 victory for The Shaymen.
Match Stats
FC Halifax Town
33 True Grant, 2 Max Bardell, 8 Will Flint, 5 Shaun Hobson, 3 Raheem Conte, 30 Cody Johnson © 20 Tayt Trusty(4 Will Hugill 90), 27 Cruz Allen (22 David Kawa 66), 24 Tommy McDermott ( 11 Connor Douglas 32), 17 Ben Tollitt( 7 Owen Bray 90), 9 Connor Carty (14 Amari Morgan Smith 66)
Subs: 1 Sam Johnson, 23 Dylan Crowe
Gateshead 12 Pete Jameson, 3 David Ferguson, 4 Josh Home, 5 Alex Lankshear ©, 7 Jordy Hiwula (27 David Eguaibor 82), 8 Sam Bowen (23 Billy Chadwick 70) , 20 Fenton John, 21 Michael Spellman (32 Harry Chapman 78), 25 Alfie McCalmont, 28 Harrison Holgate, 29 Freddie Issaka (19 Luke Supyk 70)
Subs: 13 Preston Leech, 2 Tommy Lavery, 6 Jack Robinson
Referee: Lewis Smith
Goals: Issaka 26, Conte 58,93, Carty 64, Tollitt 84
Yellow cards Trusty 27
Red cards
Attendance 1379 (124 away)
FC Halifax Town 4 Gateshead 1
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