GATESHEAD will travel to York City tonight looking for an eighth successive victory.

The Heed are the Blue Square Bet Premier’s surprise in-form team with Ian Bogie looking a shoe-in for February’s Manager of the Month award after overseeing seven victories from seven matches with 22 goals scored and just three conceded.

That run has seen the North-East outfit transformed from relegation candidates to outside play-off contenders and, going into this evening’s match, they lie just three points behind the Minstermen with a game in hand.

Bogie’s men also have an FA Trophy semi-final meeting with neighbours Darlington to look forward to, having despatched another local rival – Blyth Spartans – in the competition on Saturday, following a 2-0 win.

Gateshead’s other victims during a fantastic February have been Eastbourne (3-0), Dartford (3-0), Rushden (2-0), Hayes (1-0), Wrexham (7-2) and Kettering (4-1).

The winning streak has also included five consecutive away triumphs and no side in non-League football’s upper echelon have now netted more times on the road than the Heed, who have rattled in 29 goals from their 16 trips.

Former Newcastle United midfielder Bogie is unlikely to make any changes to his side having fielded the same starting XI for the last six fixtures.

That means City old boys Phil Turnbull, Craig Nelthorpe and Jon Shaw will all feature.

Shaw, who spent a fruitless two-month spell at Bootham Crescent during the 2003/4 season, is the side’s leading marksman on 18 goals and has scored five in his last two league outings, bagging a brace at Kettering following a hat-trick haul in the walloping of Wrexham.

Other one-time Minstermen Andy Ferrell and Carl Jones have fallen out of favour but Ashley Winn is expected to make the bench.

Ferrell is on the transfer list at the International Stadium and is mulling over a loan move to Barrow.

Ex-Northampton striker Gary Mulligan and former Darlington left-back Paul Heckingbottom, meanwhile, are the only injury absentees, but on-loan full-backs James Tavernier and Michael Liddle, recruited from top-flight neighbours Newcastle and Sunderland respectively, continue to impress in an uncompromising back four.

Gateshead (probable): Deasy, Tavernier, Clark, Curtis, Liddle, Brittain, Turnbull, Gate, Nelthorpe, Shaw, Fisher.


Match facts

In 24 League visits to York, Gateshead have managed only three victories.

The first 23 of those trips were in the Football League (1929 to 1959) and City’s biggest win in the series was 5-1 in 1937/8.

Gateshead’s best victory here was by the same score in 1949/50 and their last success at Bootham Crescent was 2-1 in 1952/3.

This is Gateshead’s second visit in the Blue Square Premier, with City winning the corresponding game last term 1-0 thanks to a goal by Alex Lawless.

The line-up on November 24, 2009, was: Ingham, Parslow, McGurk, Graham, Meredith, Mackin, Lawless (Smith), Barrett (Ferrell), Carruthers, Rankine, Gash (Gall).

Players to have represented both clubs include Ian Winters, Kevin Dixon, Paddy Atkinson, Nicky Peverell, Steve Bowey, Darren Williams, Mark Robinson, Carl Jones, Phil Turnbull, Jon Shaw, Andy Ferrell and Craig Nelthorpe.


It happened on March 1

1930: A 4-4 draw at Tranmere Rovers with Wally Gardner, Tom Fenoughty, Willie Millar and Billy Bottrill on the scoresheet and City were sixth in Divison Three North.

1958: Mansfield Town were beaten 3-1 at Bootham Crescent with Billy Hughes, Norman Wilkinson and Peter Wragg on target and City were 20th in Division Three North. The attendance was 6,002.

1965: City were second in Division Four following a 5-1 home victory over Newport County. Scorers were Andy Provan (2), Norman Wilkinson, Paul Aimson and an opponent in an evening game played in heavy snow showers.

1971: Another snow-affected match ended with City beating Cambridge United 3-0 at Bootham Crescent with Kevin McMahon (2) and Paul Aimson the marksmen in front of 2,821.

1975: City went down 2-1 at Notts County conceding two late goals and were 16th in the Second Division (Championship). Jimmy Seal was the scorer.

1980: Peter Lorimer was sent off in a Fourth Division game at home to Tranmere Rovers in his last appearance for the club. The visitors won 1-0 watched by 2,327.

1986: Two own goals earned City a 2-0 home victory against Gillingham in the Third Division (League One).

1997: Neil Tolson scored in a 1-1 home draw against Luton Town watched by 3,788 and City were in the lower reaches of the Second Division (League One).

- Compiled by David Batters