Gateshead 1 Woking 3
Vanarama National League
22nd October 2022

Woking returned to winning ways in the National League with a 3-1 victory against Gateshead at the Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday.

Reece Grego-Cox put the visitors in front before seeing his saved penalty finished off by Jermaine Anderson.

Luke Wilkinson made it three in the opening minutes of the second half before Dan Ward got a consolation late on.

The result means Woking go back into the top seven while Gateshead drop into the relegation zone.

Darren Sarll stuck to the same starting eleven that saw his side progress through to the FA Cup First Round the previous weekend.

The Cards didn't start perfectly, but still created opportunities. Kyran Lofthouse intercepted a ball high up the pitch just three minutes in before crossing it low into Anderson, whose effort squirmed wide from close range.

Gateshead's first opportunity came just a few minutes later when Greg Olley's cut back was swept wide by Dan Jarvis.

Woking were a threat from set-pieces all day. The first dangerous one came after nine minutes when an in-swinging Josh Casey corner could only be put wide by Padraig Amond at the back post.

There was a lengthy stoppage in the 17th minute as Owen Bailey was treated for a head injury. Bailey eventually ended up being substituted for Ward, but the stoppage allowed Sarll to talk to his players, and the message got across not long afterwards.

A ball was well-worked into Amond's feet deep inside the box in the 22nd minute. The Irishman's shot on the swivel was saved by goalkeeper Dan Langley, but Grego-Cox reacted to the loose ball to score from close range.

Grego-Cox continued to be involved in an ever-increasing Woking attacking threat. He held the ball up well in the 27th minute before laying it into Rohan Ince who controlled it into the box and struck it just wide of the left post.

Two minutes later, it was two. James Daly threaded a nice ball through to Amond who was tripped by Langley in his attempts to round the goalkeeper with his first touch. Grego-Cox stepped up to get his second but saw his penalty toward the right corner parried away. Fortunately for Woking, Anderson was the quickest to get to the rebound before tucking it away expertly into the bottom left corner.

Lofthouse had a very good chance in the dying seconds of the half when Amond swept a ball over the top for the number two to latch onto but his poke ahead of goalkeeper Langley went just wide of the right post.

Half-Time: Gateshead 0 Woking 2

The second half started exactly the way Woking would've wanted. Another set-piece came in dangerously in the 48th minute which was parried by Langley. The ball wasn't cleared far as it dropped to Wilkinson ten yards out who struck the ball home with his left foot and the unerring confidence of a striker.

This goal took a bit of the sting out of the game, with only a couple of half chances to speak of for the next 20 minutes or so. The closest Woking came was when Amond swept his attempt wide at the near post after a good run from Lofthouse down the right just shy of the hour mark.

The last 15 minutes saw Gateshead come back into it a little bit more. Adam Campbell was unlucky not to score when his curling effort from 20 yards out came off the base of the right post in the 75th minute.

Half-time substitute Rhys Browne had a good chance to get his first goal for the club a couple of minutes later when he latched onto a quickly taken Kellermann free-kick, but the number 14 dragged it wide of the left post via a deflection.

The hosts eventually got their goal through substitute Ward with just over 10 minutes to play. In the 79th minute, Greg Olley, who looked like Gateshead’s source of creativity all afternoon, played a very clever pass through to Ward who tucked the ball neatly under Ross in a one-on-one situation.

Gateshead went close once more before time was called when Campbell's deflected shot from distance in the 89th minute looked to be looping in over Ross, but the Woking goalkeeper got back expertly to tip over the bar.

Full-Time: Gateshead 1 Woking 3

Woking: 13 Craig Ross; 3 Josh Casey ©, 4 Scott Cuthbert, 6 Luke Wilkinson, 12 Dan Moss; 8 James Daly (29 Vokins 68’), 23 Jermaine Anderson, 24 Rohan Ince (17 Kellermann 60’), 2 Kyran Lofthouse; 9 Reece Grego-Cox (14 Rhys Browne 45’), 10 Padraig Amond

Unused subs: 5 Joe McNerney, 7 Ricky Korboa

Goals: Grego-Cox 22’, Anderson 29’, Wilkinson 48’

Gateshead: 1 Dan Langley; 20 Lirak Hasani, 32 Carl Magney, 41 Jevon Mills, 33 Luke Daley (15 Aaron Martin 71'), 42 Kamil Conteh, 8 Owen Bailey (12 Dan Ward 21’), 11 Adam Campbell, 10 Greg Olley ©, 4 Dan Jarvis (9 Paul Blackett 62'), 28 Owen Gallacher

Unused subs: 31 James Montgomery, 45 Adi Yussuf

Goals: Ward 79’

Bookings: Conteh 34', Daley 46', Mills 52', Olley 90+4'

Referee: Matt Corlett

Attendance: 1308 (124 away)

Man of the Match: Luke Wilkinson. Took his goal well and defended very well all afternoon.