Heed Boss Can Get By With A Little Help From His Friends

The new Gateshead boss is gearing up for the new National League North season and is in need of new recruits.

A former Premier League defender, Williamson will have no shortage of contacts to lean on if he needs help.

And in an interview with Chronicle Live, he joked about a possible move for a former Magpies teammate.

"He's next on my call list - I'll be making contact," he said, speaking about free-agent Hatem Ben Arfa.

"I've got a lot of previous managers and a lot of contacts to lean on and take advice from so I'm very fortunate in that respect so I'll be using them.

"I've spoken to quite a few people. Shola [Ameobi] I'm quite close to, and Rob Elliot.

I've spoken to a lot of staff behind the scenes who I have good relationships with so I'll be exhausting all avenues to try and get the best out of them."

The 35-year-old has already added Alex Nicholson and Connor Oliver to the Heed's ranks.

JJ O'Donnell, Elliot Forbes and Connor Thomson have also returned to the club for the new campaign.