Gateshead 3 AFC Telford 0 - Match analysis

Despite having one of the lowest budgets in the Blue Square Bet Premier, AFC Telford United have the 10th highest travelling fanbase and ninth overall in the league.

The 76 hardy souls who made the 450-mile round trip to watch the season's curtain call at Gateshead, though, might as well have stayed at home.

It would have saved them time, money and effort – and the final of those three is the least you should expect from the players you have travelled to watch.

On Saturday there just was not enough of that on show from Andy Sinton's men.

Only Chris Sharp, Jon Brown and Ryan Young came out with pass marks, and the Bucks would have lost even more heavily had it not been for the goalkeeper's heroics.

He was called into action as early as the sixth minute when he made a fantastic save low down to his right to claw Paul Turnbull's shot onto the post.

It took another half-hour before the hosts threatened again but Sharp showed great desire to charge back and make a challenge as Josh Gillies looked to pull the trigger.

Soon after, Ryan Brooke and Gateshead's top scorer Jon Shaw were both booked for an off-the-ball confrontation.

But it was the hosts' other striker, Liam Hatch, who was causing all the problems and he put the home side in front less than two minutes into the second half.

Gateshead left-back Sam Rents was given the freedom of the right flank before laying the ball off to Shaw, who lofted a cross in that Hatch nodded past Young with with ease from seven yards out.

Suddenly, Ian Bogie's side seemed to have the bit between their teeth and Hatch turned provider for the hosts' second five minutes later.

The bulky striker effortlessly peeled away from Chris Blackburn and Daniel Preston and cushioned down Rents' cross for Gillies to sweep home.

Sinton threw on Kyle Perry and Steve Jones in an attempt to change the game, but it was still Gateshead who looked the more threatening of the two sides and they made the game safe with 20 minutes remaining.

It was a calamity of errors at the back as Blackburn volleyed the ball into Preston, knocking him flat.

That left the already under-pressure Bucks defence a man short, and Hatch once more rose highest to cushion another header down into the path of the on-rushing Kris Gate who lashed it home to make it 3-0.

It was no more than the hosts deserved, and Sinton now has a lot of thinking to do as he plots how to reshape his squad this summer.

On this evidence, it is going to be a long, hard summer for the Bucks boss.

Stuart Hodge