Gateshead lose 1–0 at Aldershot as takeover is in doubt, according to Flacks Group

Sunday 1 November 2026 · By Duncan Hesketh

Gateshead lost 1–0 at Aldershot Town on Saturday, their ninth straight Enterprise National League defeat, while the club’s proposed takeover by Flacks Group is in doubt. They are bottom of the table on four points from 15 games.

Brody Peart scored for Aldershot in the fifth minute. The attendance was 1,618, according to the Farnham Herald. The BBC says Gateshead’s Ben Williams headed against a post just before half-time and that Jordy Hiwula hit the woodwork late on. The nine straight defeats are counted from the BBC’s results. No Gateshead report of the game has been found.

The takeover is the bigger story. Flacks Group published an open letter on the club’s website dated 29 October. It says that during due diligence it found that Shoreline Sports Limited had signed an earlier agreement to buy the club on 26 March 2025. According to the letter, Shoreline served a notice “purporting to terminate” that agreement and began court proceedings on 28 July 2025, asking the court to confirm the agreement was “null and void” and seeking an order that shareholders pay certain sums. The letter says the proceedings are against the shareholders and not the club.

Flacks says it asked Shoreline to confirm in writing that it would give up any ownership claim and that Shoreline “has refused”. It also says Shoreline is seeking to buy another English Football League club, which the letter does not name, and that the EFL and the Independent Football Regulator have been made aware. Flacks wrote that “unless common-sense prevails”, it would “reluctantly have to withdraw from the purchase”, and added: “This is NOT something we wish to do.” It says it stands ready to fund creditors and the next wages, and that September wages were paid late and funded by Flacks.

These are Flacks Group’s claims, set out in its own letter. Shoreline has not commented publicly, according to Chronicle Live, and the takeover has not been completed. The Independent Football Regulator told Chronicle Live: “We understand this is an uncertain time for the fans, staff and players of Gateshead FC. We remain in close contact with the club and all parties.”

The players issued a statement on 30 October, saying: “We are disappointed to hear that there are issues with Flacks Group finalising their deal.” They added: “We urge the club’s previous shareholders and Shoreline to settle their dispute for the benefit of Gateshead Football Club and the wider region.”

On the pitch, Gateshead have one win and one draw from 15 league games, with 13 defeats, nine goals scored and 34 conceded. They are six points behind 23rd-placed Scunthorpe United and 11 behind 21st-placed Hartlepool United, who have 15. They are 24 points behind seventh-placed Altrincham, who have 28. Only the clubs from 21st to 24th are in the relegation places, and the season is far from over. Lee Cattermole left the club on 4 October, according to the BBC’s manager tracker, and Ben Clark is in caretaker charge.

The home game with Tamworth on Saturday 7 November has been postponed again, with the club’s notice citing “two large events being staged at Gateshead International Stadium on the same day”. No new date has been set. Gateshead host Barrow on Saturday 14 November at 3pm, host Hartlepool on Saturday 21 November at 3pm, visit Scunthorpe on Tuesday 24 November at 7.45pm and visit Boreham Wood on Saturday 28 November at 3pm.

Gateshead International Stadium

Not a formal seating plan. Colours mark the four stands; the pitch sits north–south inside the running track.

Gateshead Football Club play at Gateshead International Stadium on Neilson Road, Felling, NE10 0EF. It is a council-owned multi-purpose bowl built in 1955 and later rebuilt around an international athletics track. Capacity is about 11,800 all-seated, though football crowds are far smaller and only the two side stands are normally open. Expect a decent view and good facilities, but also a running track between you and the touchline.

Visiting supporters are usually placed in the East Stand, opposite the covered Tyne & Wear (West) Stand used by home fans. The East Stand holds around 4,000 in theory and about 3,160 in practice for football, after the front rows are often closed. A canopy went on in 2010 and came off again from 2019; the structure was later dismantled, so treat the stand as uncovered and dress for Tyneside weather. There are no pillars. North and South terraces sit behind the goals and are rarely used for National League matches unless a large following arrives.

Typical access for away fans is Gate 21 on Neilson Road. You cross the all-weather pitches and climb a stone staircase beside the East Stand. Accessibility routes exist via main reception and a lift to a balcony area; ask stewards on arrival. Tickets are commonly sold online in advance (email or phone barcode) and at the gate by cash or card. Prices change by fixture; recent away guides have listed adults around the high teens, with concessions for over-65s, Blue Light and armed forces, plus cheaper young-adult and youth rates. Always check the home club’s latest note before you travel.

Food is sold on the East Stand concourse — pies, pasties, sausage rolls, burgers, hot dogs and drinks at fairly modest prices. Alcohol is often not served to away fans here because the servery sits in view of the pitch; the Stadium Bar in the main stand is generally home-only. Flags are usually allowed if hung as stewards direct. Drums and other instruments are not. The ground is no smoking and no vaping, with no designated points; if you leave you will normally have to pay again to re-enter.

Free first-come parking sits in the stadium car parks, with extra public spaces signposted nearby. Coaches often drop at Gate 21, then park on Tyne Main Road. By public transport the easiest option is Gateshead Stadium Metro, about a five- to ten-minute walk: leave the station, continue to the main road and cross to the complex. Newcastle Central is the nearest mainline station; change to Metro towards South Shields. The 93/94 East Gateshead Loop bus also stops close by.

Pre-match drink is better found off-site. The old Schooner, now often listed as Fog on the Tyne, sits down towards the river on South Shore Road and has long been the nearest proper pub. Town-centre options include The Tilley Stone (Wetherspoons), Ye Olde Fleece and The William IV. Local pubs are not usually segregated. After the whistle, allow extra time if you are walking back to the Metro with a crowd; the track and the distance from seat to exit make this a stadium that empties a little slowly, but it is straightforward once you know the gate.