"Taken The Club As Far As We Can"

It's fairly rare that a football club owner will admit defeat in their aims, but at Gateshead realism seems to be plentiful.

Three years after taking over the club, husband and wife pair Richard and Julie Bennett have uttered the title words in their statement putting the club back up for sale. They bought the club from Graham Wood, who spent nine years at the helm before admitting that his age was against him in his plan to return the Heed to the Football League.

The original club had lost their place in the 92 in 1960, and had subsequently gone bust twice in quick succession before Wood's arrival established them as a fifth tier full time club. Wood planned not only further progress on the field, but also off it with an ambitious new stadium. Neither have been realised, with Wood abandoning plans to move ground a couple of years before his own departure.

The well proportioned, but unsuited to football, International Stadium gives a limited appeal to the traditional football supporter and attendances have barely moved since its appearance in the fifth tier. A 30% surge in attendances after a play-off final defeat in 2013/14 wasn't retained, and just nine more people watch the Heed on average than did so six seasons ago. Their average attendance being the second worst in the division and one of only four totaling less than 1000, and propped up only by a bumper Boxing Day gate against local rivals Hartlepool. Three of their gates since that 3,500 attendance haven't exceeded 500 and are around 30% down match-by-match on attendances 12 months ago.

In reality, there seems to be little further for Gateshead to go under current circumstances. Dwarfed massively by their near neighbours Newcastle United, the Heed are an unattractive destination. Despite offering one of the cheapest admission prices in the league, and even cheaper for Newcastle or Sunderland season ticket holders, the club has been unable to hold on to any supporters it has attracted through on-field success and the full time model will have to be reviewed if the current downward trend on gates continues.

On the pitch the club has been quietly losing ground on its rivals. From the Wembley play-off final defeat the club has been a dozen points shy of the play-offs in each season since. This term the gap is 18 points so far even if their place in the table has barely moved.

The Club Statement advising the club is up for sale notes the club is being offered debt free, but it appears that any new owner would need deep pockets just to stand still in the tide.