GATESHEAD picked up back to back 0-0 draws as they were held by 10 men Halifax Town at the International Stadium.
Gateshead battled tirelessly to pick up a point in a tough match against a resolute Halifax defence.
Halifax finished the game with 10 men as Matty Kosylo was sent-off midway through the second-half, but the Heed couldn’t use it to their advantage, as they struggled to break down the well-drilled Shaymen.
Halifax came into the game on the back of back-to-back league victories while Gateshead looked to continue this season’s 100% home record.
The Heed did start brightly against the Town with Jordan Burrows and Richard Peniket causing a nuisance amongst the Shaymen’s defence.
Preston and McLaughlin were supplying some fine passes but the Heed’s front men struggled to make Halifax’s goalkeeper, Sam Johnson, work.
Halifax had started the game slowly but chances began to fall to the Shaymen, as the clocked ticked past the 13th minute mark.
A moment of brilliance from Matt Kosylo then provided a spark to the game. Kosylo’s mazy run and strike, from 20 yards, cannoned back off the post before Connor Oliver screwed a near-post shot wide of the goal.
Halifax then put the ball in the back of the net two minutes later as Denton nodded past James Montgomery, but it was flagged for offside.
The spark in the match then turned to a feistiness as ill-timed tackles started to fly in.
Yellow cards were shown to either side before the Heed were forced to into a substitution with Dan Hanford replacing ‘keeper Montgomery, after he was injured in a collision with Town’s Tom Denton
Substitute Hanford was immediately called into action as Adam Morgan lined up a free-kick from 25-yards. Morgan whipped the ball over the wall and watched on as it smashed against the crossbar, before Hanford smothered the loose ball.
Gateshead finished the first-half strongly however, creating a few chances. The most notable fell to Jordan Burrows with the chance of the half.
A searching cross picked out the unmarked Burrows, but his looping header was spectacularly saved by Sam Johnson to keep the score 0-0.
The Town did have a final chance however, to take the lead before half-time, but it was wasted by Scott MacManus.
McManus received a lofted ball over the Heed defence, presenting him with a one-on-one opportunity with Hanford. The Town’s winger first effort was palmed away but his second, with the goal gaping, McManus put wide of the goal.
The second-half began very much like the first with neither team quite able to get going.
When chances were created by the Heed, they were dealt with easily by Town’s defence.
It was no surprise that as the hour mark passed, the two sides, who have only conceded seven goals between them so far this season, kept the tie at 0-0.
The feisty nature of the game continued well into the second-half and it wasn’t long before a red card was produced by the referee, Mr Andrew Miller.
Matty Kosylo, who had looked dangerous for the Shaymen in the first-half, picked up two yellow cards in the space of 13 minutes and was subsequently given his marching orders by Mr Miller.
Even with only 10 men, Town looked dangerous and nearly took the lead in the 69th minute.
A strong run by Josh MacDonald down the right-wing opened space for a cross into the Gateshead box. MacDonald fizzed a low-ball across the box where it met the on-running Ben Tomlinson, who poked narrowly wide, after considerable pressure from the Heed’s defence.
Gateshead struggled to break down a resolute Halifax, even with an extra man, as the game headed into the final 10 minutes.
Chances did start to fall to Gateshead however, as the Shaymen started to tire.
Substitute Luke Hannant did well as he controlled a lofted ball before firing a long-range effort at the Town’s keeper Sam Johnson, who saved comfortably.
That was quickly followed by Burrow’s again who couldn’t keep his powerful effort down and watched it sail over the bar.
As the game headed into injury time, the Heed began to pepper the Shaymen with long-range efforts, these efforts however, came to no avail.
Gateshead (5-2-1-2): Montgomery (Hanford 23); Williams, Vassell, Byrne (c), Fyfield, Mellish (Hannant 46); McLaughlin, Penn; Preston (York 63); Burrow , Peniket.
Subs not used: Johnson, Tinkler
Goals: none
Bookings: Fyfield (26), Byrne (59), Penn (76), Vassell (88)
FC Halifax Town(4-4-2): Johnson; Moyo (MacDonald 35), Wilde, Brown (c), Oliver; Garner, Kosylo, Hotte, Denton, McManus, Morgan (Tomlinson 55).
Subs not used: Lynch, Nicholson, Charles
Goals: none
Bookings: Morgan (42), Wilde (90+1), Kosylo (54, 65)
Sendings off: Kosylo (65)
Referee: Andrew Miller
Attendance: 1,118 (232 Halifax)
MOTM: Vassell