Gateshead 2
Harriers 2

HARRIERS earned a handy point in the North East but couldn’t escape the feeling as they made the lengthy trip south that it could have been all three on Saturday.

On paper this looked like more than a handy draw from a testing trip to Gateshead but on the balance of play, Harriers could and perhaps should have returned celebrating victory.

Certainly, the performance on a hard pitch merited more than the draw they earned as they lost ground in their chase for the Blue Square Bet Premier play-off places.

Harriers have become past masters of the away day point with the draw at Gateshead their sixth of a fine campaign.

But the result might have been even better if not for the heroics of Heed keeper Tony Deasy, who made a hat-trick of saves, with one in particular against Tom Sharpe standing out.

Top scorer Chris McPhee also spurned the best chance to extend Harriers’ lead when they were 2-1 ahead which could have gone a long way to sealing the win.

The goal would have topped off an otherwise pivotal display by the nine-goal hitman, who proved to be the difference in the first half.

Gateshead had taken the lead in the 16th minute after a bright start when debutant Michael Liddle, on-loan from Sunderland, curled a fine right-footed effort with the outside of his boot past Danny Lewis.

The goal had been coming as Harriers’ back four looked nervous on a slippy surface, but their hesitance was topped by the home defence’s leaky display in the first half as two goals in two minutes fire the visitors ahead.

A Gateshead raid broke down and McPhee had the vision to slip the ball through a gaping hole in the home side’s defence and allow Blair to race through and then confidently lash a shot beyond Deasy from 15-yards out in the 22nd minute.

Two minute later McPhee, who turned down a move to Crawley in December, created the second as he evaded James Curtis on the left wing and whipped in a low cross which Nick Wright converted with ease at the near post.

Harriers continued to live on their nerves, with home hitman Kris Gate shooting wide in the 35th minute, but a chance to finally settle the visitors down and take a big step towards victory was squandered 51 seconds after half-time.

Blair sped down the left and swept the perfect low ball into McPhee, who had time to tee-up his shot and pick his spot, but instead saw his tame low effort saved by Deasy.

Reinvigorated by the miss, Gateshead seized the initiative, with Gate shooting over the bar from 10-yards out to signal their threat.

Striker Jon Shaw should have levelled up the scores in the 68th minute, shooting just wide after Faroe Islands international Joan Simum Edmundsson had sped past emergency right-back Tom Shaw, and tested Lewis’ reactions with a firm shot.

But the striker made up for his miss as Harriers paid the price for inviting pressure in the 73rd minute. Substitute James Marwood made an immediate impact when his dangerous cross from the right was headed into the back of the net from at the fat post by Shaw.

Harriers responded immediately, but a mix of poor finishing and fine keeping kept them at bay. First, substitute Jamille Matt, who had replaced the injured Wright, stabbed a poor effort at Deasy after captain Keith Briggs had won the ball off the lead-footed Alan White and set-up the hitman.

Briggs’ determination created another chance moments later when his edge of the box pile-driver deflected into the path of Tom Sharpe who saw his rising goalbound half-volley tipped over by the athletic Deasy.

Afterwards, assistant boss Gary Whild said a point was a fair result against Gateshead, who extended their winless run to nine games.

He was also pleased with the players’ response after the club had had five points deducted by the Football Conference after a breach of financial report regulations.

He said: “I think the turning point was just after half-time, we had a great chance there a couple minutes in and I think if we had scored that if would have given us some breathing space and momentum,” commented Whild.

“Without being too hard on our lads the effort was there and with what’s gone on this week we were determined not to get beat.”

Harriers: Lewis 7; Williams 7; Shaw 6; Briggs 7; McPhee 8; Byrne 6; Wright 6 (Matt, 55); Sharpe 7; Briscoe 6; Blair 7 (Hankin, 70); Gittings 6. Unused substitutes: Morris; Griffiths; Stevens.

Gateshead: Deasy; Curtis; Gate; Clark; Brittain (Marwood, 60); Turnbull; Shaw; Liddle; White (Mulligan, 76); Edmundsson; Tavernier. Unused substitutes: Baxter; Farman; Fisher.

Referee: Steven Rowntree (Scarborough). Attendance: 508 (62)