Fans were different class - Turnbull GATESHEAD midfielder Phil Turnbull paid tribute to the travelling Heed Army at the Hawthorns yesterday – who barely stopped singing despite seeing their side slip to a 7-0 defeat against West Bromwich Albion. Four goals from Saido Berahino helped the Baggies on their way to a resounding win, with Victor Anichebe, Chris Brunt and James Morrison also on the scoresheet for the Premier League outfit. The Tynesiders had kept the hosts at bay for over 40 minutes though, but were left with a mountain to climb after shipping two goals just before the break. Something of an Albion onslaught followed – but the Heed Army were not to be silenced, and afterwards, Turnbull lauded the away support. He said: “Without using a cliché, the fans were unbelievable. “Even when we were 5-0 down, they sang their hearts out. “When you look up at that as a player, you know you cannot beat it. “They knew we were grafting on the pitch, and they were realistic knowing there was that four-division gap between the two sides – and they just kept singing. “And for a player, that’s unbelievable. “To walk over and get that ovation at the end – for them to give that kind of praise, when their team has just lost 7-0 – is frightening. “They were different class today.” The Tynesiders had their chances to take a shock lead at the Hawthorns – with John Oster and Alex Rodman both going close midway through the first-half. But Berahino found the net with a stylish finish three minutes before the break, before teeing up Anichebe to fire home with the last action of the half. And Berahino – linked with a £23M move to Liverpool in midweek – struck just 30 seconds after the interval to all but end the game as a contest. Turnbull was frustrated as the Heed imploded after that, wounded to end up on the wrong end of a heavy scoreline after making such a positive start to the Third Round tie. He said: “I think no matter who we were playing against, to get beat 7-0 is a disaster – there’s no other way of looking at it. “To be honest, for the first 40 minutes, I thought we were very comfortable – I couldn’t see them breaking us down, and the crowd were getting on their backs. “We conceded a goal that probably went against the run of play, but the second goal just before half-time killed it for us. “It’s difficult enough coming back against teams in our league, but when you’re up against a Premier League outfit away from home, coming back from two goals down is a big ask. “We went out and played suicide stuff, really – it was a bit of a nightmare. “To begin with, we kept our shape well – we wanted to sit off and make them break us down – but when you go 2-0 down you can’t do that anymore. “You might as well go for it a bit after that, as you’re going to get beat if you don’t, and unfortunately they cut us open – that’s what can happen against teams at this level.” In spite of the result, yesterday was a historic occasion for Gateshead – with the Tynesiders making their first appearance in the last 64 of the competition for exactly 60 years, courtesy of victories over Gainsborough Trinity, Norton United and Warrington Town. But the Heed now turn their attention to Wednesday’s crucial Vanarama Conference game against Woking at the International Stadium. An FA Trophy tie at Grimsby Town follows on Saturday, as the Tynesiders hit the Wembley trail once more. Turnbull, however, hopes that this season’s Cup run is remembered for the right reasons – and is determined for the Heed to bounce back against the high-flying Cardinals. He said: “It’s a disappointing end, but to get to the Third Round and play against a Premier League club is a big achievement for Gateshead. “I can remember first signing for the club and going to places like Prescot Cables. “It’s back to the bread and butter now – our main focus has to be to get promoted. “As the gaffer told us at the beginning of the season, we have three objectives – get to the Third Round of the FA Cup, win the FA Trophy, and get promoted out of the league. “We’ve achieved one of them, so we’ve got two more to go – and hopefully, we can do them.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 16:38:12 +0000
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