Telford 0 Gateshead 1 - Report and pictures

Just 657 were inside the New Bucks Head to watch their beleaguered team slip to a 1-0 loss.

And those that stayed away missed little in the way of quality football as the sides played out a dismal spectacle.

Manager Steve Kittrick made one change from the XI that started Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Woking.

Neill Byrne came back into central defence, having served a two-match ban for 10 bookings, in place of Rod McDonald, who suffered a broken nose.

Gateshead fielded an unchanged line-up from Saturday's 2-1 win over Macclesfield.

The North East side were still missing nine first-team regulars – eight through injury and one suspended – but there was little sign of fatigue from the visitors when they eased into a 1-0 lead after five minutes.

Bucks goalkeeper Freddy Hall got down low to save Carl Finnigan's near-post strike, but former Hereford United frontman Michael Rankine was on hand to calmly strike home the rebound.

Telford almost responded when Sean Clancy's fizzing strike was deflected just wide. Bucks skipper Ian Sharps then scuffed an effort over the bar from the resulting corner.

Midfielder Godfrey Poku then drew a solid save from Gateshead goalkeeper Adam Bartlett with a firm low drive which bobbled in the muddy goalmouth.

Gateshead's Finnigan saw his strong header blocked at the near post before Finnigan went close on the half-hour mark with a bouncing volley that drifted just over.

Sean Clancy showed plenty of desire to win the ball for Telford in midfield, before stinging the palms of Bartlett from distance.

Then Adam Farrell took too many touches after receiving the ball in space inside the box, allowing a defender to smother his eventual effort.

In the goalmouth scramble that ensued, Farrell emerged incensed while a handful of fans claiming he'd been bitten by defender James Curtis. The referee took no action, though.

The Bucks went close to a leveller when Ian Sharps saw a header blocked near the goal-line.

But ex-Shrewsbury Town defender Sharps had to be alert at the other end just before half-time to clear Rankine's header off the line, after Hall had mis-punched his attempted clearance.

Finnigan was only a few inches away from increasing the visitors' lead early in the second half when he slid in to meet a cross from the left inside the area.

He couldn't quite reach the bobbling ball but he caught Hall as the Bucks goalkeeper slid in to try to reach the cross, causing outrage among the home fans.

Telford had a couple of chances to level with Glenn Matthews blazing over from 25 yards and Bradley Reid deflecting a low cross past the near post approaching the midway point of the half.

Telford kept toiling away but Valentin Gjokal should have wrapped up the point for the visitors three minutes later but Hall did very well to get a hand to the goal-bound effort.

And he did even better to tip Rankine's thumping free-kick which was hit with real spite over the bar three minutes later.

Farrell was not far away from claiming an equaliser seven minutes from time but his flick, from Matthews cross, just drifted over the crossbar.

And Matthews did well to prevent Gateshead substitute Kevin Sainte-Luce getting his shot away following a driving run into the box late on.