Gateshead will try to halt a damaging run of form when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers' under-21 side to the International Stadium for a National League Cup group stage match on Tuesday. The fixture offers a brief respite from league struggles, with the Heed having lost their last five National League games.
The team sits 24th in the standings with just four points from 13 matches. Their most recent outing was a 4-1 defeat away to FC Halifax Town last Saturday, where Issaka scored a consolation goal assisted by McCalmont. That result extended a miserable sequence that includes home losses to Worthing and Altrincham, plus heavy away defeats at Wealdstone and Southend. The team's current form shows they have conceded an average of 2.8 goal minutes per game during this losing run.
The starting lineup from the Halifax defeat featured Jameson in goal, with a back four of Ferguson, Holgate, Lankshear and Home. The midfield trio was Bowen, McCalmont and Fenton, supporting forwards Spellman, Hiwula and Issaka.
Wolves U21 also enter the match off a loss, having been beaten 3-0 by FC Halifax Town in a Premier League Cup fixture last month. The young side will provide a different tactical challenge for a Gateshead squad in need of a positive result.
Attention will quickly return to the league, where the next assignment on the fixtures list is a home game against 18th-placed Tamworth on October 23. The club's current position, 31 points behind leaders Boreham Wood, underlines the scale of the task ahead in the National League. The immediate focus, however, is on securing a much-needed win under the lights on Tuesday to build some momentum.
