The Glovers suffered their second defeat of the season with a 3-1 loss to Gateshead. Two early defensive errors and a late penalty proved costly as, despite Aaron Jarvis finding the net, the Glovers left the northeast empty-handed.

Mark Cooper made a couple of changes to the side that beat Ebbsfleet earlier in the week. Harvey Greenslade and Jordan Thomas were given starts, with Frank Nouble named on the bench. Dylan Morgan and Finn Cousin-Dawson also returned to the bench, replacing the injured Alex Whittle and Jordan Young, who did not travel due to personal reasons.

The Glovers set the tempo early on with their forward play and had a chance on goal in the 6th minute. Aaron Jarvis found himself in space 20 yards out and decided to have a go, but his effort was low and wide of the post.

Despite the early effort, it was Gateshead who took the lead in the 15th minute. After failing to clear the ball, it fell to Jacob Butterfield in the middle of the box, who drilled it towards the far corner, off the outstretched leg of Jordan Thomas, and into the net.

After falling behind, the Glovers looked to bounce back immediately and came close just a minute later. Michael Smith’s cross from the right was met by Aaron Jarvis, who headed towards goal, but Tiernan Brooks made the save.

Ollie Wright was called into action shortly afterwards, pulling off a fantastic save as the game ebbed and flowed. A pass from Morgan Williams was intercepted by Owen Oseni, who had only Wright to beat, but the towering keeper used his body to make a sprawling save.

Gateshead found their second on 22 minutes. Another poor error on the edge of the area, this time from Matt Worthington, gifted Brandon Haunstrup the opportunity to skip into the box and blast his effort past Ollie Wright to make it 2-0.

This was a wake-up call for the Glovers, who immediately responded with a dangerous attack. The ball dropped to Brett McGavin just minutes after the second goal, and he struck from range, but his effort was collected by Tiernan Brooks. Just one minute later, Matt Worthington had a huge chance to pull one back for the Glovers as he brought down Smith’s free kick, only to find Brooks at his feet making a great block.

The Glovers eventually found the net on 30 minutes. Another dangerous attack down the right saw Michael Smith whip in a cross that met the head of Aaron Jarvis, who timed his leap perfectly to produce a header that was too strong for Brooks to keep out.

Less than 60 seconds later, Jarvis almost turned the game on its head. Matt Worthington provided the cross from the right wing this time, which was met by a volley from Jarvis that flew agonisingly wide. The Glovers came even closer on 36 minutes when a driven corner from Brett McGavin found the head of Morgan Williams, who struck the post before the ball was scrambled off the line.

As Gateshead broke away from that chance, Matt Worthington received the first booking of the afternoon as he stopped a certain counter-attack. However, the resulting free kick into the box found Louis Storey, who flicked it on to Owen Oseni. He found the net, only to see the flag up for offside as he wheeled away in celebration. This turned out to be the last big chance of the half as Gateshead maintained their lead going into the break.

The second half saw an immediate change in attacking personnel for Mark Cooper’s men, with Aaron Jarvis replaced by Frank Nouble.

The second half featured more substitutions than chances, though both sides had a couple of major opportunities. For the Glovers, Harvey Greenslade managed to shrug off his marker and drive forward, only for his effort to be tipped onto the side netting by Brooks. For Gateshead, a quick counter-attack from Luke Hannant saw him cut the ball back to Jacob Butterfield, who forced Ollie Wright into a low save.

Meanwhile, on the touchline, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Dylan Morgan, Charlie Cooper, and Finn Cousin-Dawson came on as fresh legs as the Glovers continued to chase an equaliser.

The biggest chance for a goal came on the brink of injury time, this time in favour of the hosts when Finn Cousin-Dawson dragged Mark Beck to the floor inside the area. Luke Hannant took responsibility for the spot kick and, despite Ollie Wright guessing the right way, managed to find the bottom right corner to give Gateshead a 3-1 lead.

The six additional minutes flew by, with Gateshead’s third goal taking the wind out of the Glovers’ sails, causing them to lose momentum in their search for a way back into the game. Unfortunately, the 157 supporters who made the trip to Gateshead left without any points.