Gateshead produced a dominant display to secure a 3-1 victory over Yeovil Town at the Gateshead International Stadium, extending their unbeaten start to the season and sending them top of the National League. The Heed raced to a two-goal advantage inside the opening 21 minutes, capitalising on an early own goal and a clinical finish from Brandon Haunstrup.
The opener arrived in the 14th minute when Jordan Thomas, under pressure from the Gateshead attack, unfortunately diverted the ball into his own net. Gateshead doubled their lead just seven minutes later. A well-worked passing move dissected the Yeovil defence, culminating in Haunstrup finding space inside the penalty area to fire home. Yeovil responded quickly, however, and reduced the deficit in the 29th minute. Michael Smith delivered a precise pass to Aaron Jarvis, who slotted the ball past the Gateshead goalkeeper. The remainder of the first half remained a tense affair, with both sides creating opportunities but unable to convert.
The second half saw a flurry of substitutions as both teams sought to gain control of the match. Shortly after the hour mark, Yeovil Town made a quadruple substitution, signalling their intent to find an equaliser. Gateshead responded with their own changes, looking to solidify their defence and exploit Yeovil on the counter-attack. Despite Yeovil’s attacking ambition, it was Gateshead who delivered the decisive blow in the 91st minute. Luke Hannant calmly converted a penalty to seal the victory for the home side, extending their unbeaten run to four matches.
The match was played with considerable intensity, reflected in the three yellow cards issued – two to Gateshead players and one to a Yeovil player. The result leaves Yeovil, despite their promising early-season form, with two defeats from their opening four games. Gateshead now sit atop the National League table with 10 points, while Yeovil occupy 8th place with 6 points. This victory marks Gateshead’s second win in the three meetings between the two sides in recent seasons.