Gateshead Boss Watson Calls For Home Dominance

Gateshead boss Steve Watson wants his side to start dominating matches at home as they look to climb the Vanarama National League table.

The Heed can now concentrate on their league form after losing to League Two side Luton Town in the FA Cup second round last Sunday.

Watson’s side have lost just once in their previous six league fixtures and that includes taking points off the likes of Dover Athletic and Tranmere Rovers.

The Tynesiders are looking to make the International Stadium a fortress and the boss is hoping to see some more complete performances on home soil, starting with the visit of Woking this Saturday.

“We want to carry on our decent form in the league,” Watson said in the club’s pre-Woking press conference.

“We did well against Dover and had good spells against Tranmere but we haven’t dominated a game at home from start to finish yet.

“When I got here, the mood and confidence were pretty low so it can be difficult to play at home when you're like that.

“It’s the home form that can make or break teams and we’re all confident now that we can put some good performances together starting with Woking.

“Form can be very misleading in this league as it’s very up and down. The teams with consistency, like Lincoln last year, are the ones that do well. We’re focusing on putting a consistent December together.”

Watson also confirmed that defender Scott Barrow could be several weeks away from returning to action following the scary injury sustained during the Luton defeat.

Barrow collided with his own goalkeeper Dan Hanford and was knocked out for half an hour. He has since been given the all clear, however, and is recovering at home.

“Scott hasn’t got much memory of the game but he’s had the all clear from the X-rays and scans,” Watson said.

“There’s no lasting damage and it’s just about him recovering now from what was a very scary half an hour.

“When you’ve been knocked out for that amount of time, it’s difficult. We don’t have a timescale on his return and we’ll ease him back in.”


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