Welling United 1-1 Gateshead
DEBUTANT Carl Finnigan came off the bench to earn Gateshead a share of the spoils at Welling United’s Park View Road.
The forward – given his international clearance just in time to take part in the fixture – took less than five minutes to notch his first goal for the club, after entering the fray as a half-time substitute.
Up until that point, however, the high-flying Tynesiders had toiled against the lowly Wings, with Jamie Day’s men enjoying by far the better of the opening exchanges.
A 2-0 home victory over Lincoln City in midweek looked to have instilled a new sense of confidence in the home side, and they drew first blood with only six minutes on the clock.
Following a quick throw-in on the right, forward Tyrone Marsh back-heeled the ball into the path of midfielder Harry Beautyman, who beat Adam Bartlett at his near post with a rasping first-time strike from 18 yards.
Conversely, the Heed – on the road for the second time in five days – looked sluggish early on.
They could have fallen further behind on 17 minutes, as the Wings’ Chris Bush failed to capitalise on some lackadaisical Gateshead defending.
Bush – a former Tynesider himself – advanced unchallenged into the visitors’ half, exchanged a quick one-two with Malacki Hudson, but could only muster a tame shot at Bartlett with time to pick his spot.
The Heed goalkeeper was called into action once more on 29 minutes, producing a point-blank save to deny the unmarked Jon Nouble, following a Beautyman corner.
The away side appeared to finally stir as the game headed towards the interval.
Alex Rodman nodded James Brown’s cross narrowly over the crossbar shortly after the half-hour mark, before the returning Ben Clark fired wide of the post after connecting with John Oster’s low corner.
But, after a largely dour first-half, Gary Mills looked to shake things up ahead of the restart.
Jamie Chandler was withdrawn to make way for Finnigan, and the decision was to pay dividends for the Heed boss within minutes.
Oster and JJ O’Donnell combined on the left, before the latter fired an inviting cross into the hosts’ danger area.
The new recruit rose above his marker, and planted a powerful header into the roof of the net to ensure parity was restored.
Buoyed by their leveller, Gateshead began to turn the screw, and went on to dominate the remainder of the game.
They were inches from taking the lead on 56 minutes.
Oster and Phil Turnbull spread the ball across the midfield, bringing Rodman into play on the left flank.
The winger checked inside, and unleashed a superb curving effort that flew agonisingly wide of Jonathan Henly’s left-hand post, with the Welling stopper in no-man’s land.
Gateshead should undoubtedly have got their noses in front with 20 minutes of the game remaining.
Rodman sent Finnigan down the left-hand side, and the goalscorer looked to pick out Brown at the back post.
The former Hartlepool United man had ample time to judge the flight of the ball, but in the end, he miscued horribly, slicing badly wide of the target.
Welling looked to be tiring, camped inside their own half as the visitors continued to press for a winner.
Michael Rankine took to the pitch as a replacement for Danny Wright, before Rodman and Oster both cleared Henly’s crossbar with efforts from range.
The Heed almost snatched the three points at the death.
Midway through the five minutes of added time, the ball dropped kindly for Oster 20 yards out.
The midfielder’s strike looked goalbound, only to deflect a couple of inches wide of the far post.
James Curtis headed Oster’s resultant corner over the crossbar, as the visitors were forced to settle for their second-straight draw away from the International Stadium.
Welling United: Henly, Jefford, Bush, Fyfield, Williams, Beautyman, Gallagher, Corne (Bassele, 76), Hudson (Fazackerley, 69), Marsh, Nouble (Healy, 58).
Goalscorer: Beautyman, 6.
Gateshead: Bartlett, Jones, Curtis, Clark, O'Donnell, Chandler (Finnigan, 46), Turnbull, Oster, Brown, Wright (Rankine, 85), Rodman.
Goalscorer: Finnigan, 49.
Referee: Daniel Cook
Attendance: 536