Heed Hope Strong Summer Can Put Agony Behind Them

The Heed are trying to put last April’s heartache behind them and the FA Trophy winners look like they mean business.

On Tuesday night they dispatched Carlisle United with comfort, weeks after putting Championship Sunderland to the sword.

Victory against North Shields was sandwiched between two thumping seven-goal victories at Blyth Spartans and Hebburn Town, meaning the club have won every time they’ve played in July.

Elliot says things are heading in the right direction and he was thrilled with what he watched against the Cumbrians.

“We’re really really pleased, but you can’t get carried away,” he said.

“We can only control what we can control and play the games in front of us - we’ve played them really well throughout pre-season.

“Overall it has been positive, we’ve had a couple of niggles and a few of them are whacks.

“I was really pleased with the scoreline and the intensity with which we started with on Tuesday night.

“We were dealing with some incredible players, they’re going to be really strong this year in League Two. Our play was really clean and despite a few injuries we were able to adapt.”

Before beating Carlisle, Jacob Butterfield was announced as a Gateshead player.

“I think for us to get him is a huge coup, he’s been really loyal to Scunthorpe and I think he can offer a lot on and off the pitch,” the head coach said.

“He’s used to the environment and he will help the young lads a lot. It’s a really good signing and he is going to add a massive amount to the squad.”