Friday 28 August 2026 | 19:45 | Gateshead International Stadium
Three games. Three wins. Nine points.
Sutton United could hardly have asked for a better start to the National League season, but Friday night’s trip to Gateshead looks like a rather different challenge from the opening three fixtures.
Chris Agutter’s side travel north sitting second in the table, behind Southend United on goal difference, having scored six goals and conceded just once.
Gateshead’s start has been far less settled.
One win and two defeats leaves Lee Cattermole’s side 17th with three points, three goals scored and five conceded.
But this probably isn’t a fixture where the league table tells us very much.
Gateshead are rebuilding under a new manager, working with a significantly changed squad and, despite last weekend’s heavy defeat at Yeovil, have already shown what they can do by beating Woking 2-0 at home.
So what sort of game awaits Sutton on Friday night?
Match Snapshot
The raw numbers obviously favour Sutton.
But after only three matches, they should probably be treated as clues rather than conclusions.
What Are Gateshead Trying To Be?
This summer brought major change at Gateshead.
Former Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole took over in June, his first senior managerial job, and inherited a squad that had already undergone significant turnover.
The early signs suggest Gateshead want to operate with a three-man defensive structure, most commonly resembling a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2.
That matters because the shape tells us quite a lot about where this game might be won and lost.
Gateshead are not simply setting up with five defenders and hoping to survive.
Their wide players are expected to advance, giving them width and allowing the players ahead of the back three to move into more central attacking positions.
When it works, that gives Gateshead plenty of options in possession.
When it doesn’t, it can leave an awful lot of space behind those wide players.
And that is where things start to get interesting for Sutton.
The Yeovil Warning
Gateshead’s most recent result was a 3-0 defeat at Yeovil Town.
The scoreline was bad enough.
The underlying numbers were worse.
Yeovil recorded:
18 shots to Gateshead’s two
11 shots on target to Gateshead’s one
around 3.5 expected goals
61% possession
25 penalty-area entries
just six Gateshead entries into the Yeovil box
Goalkeeper Pete Jameson made eight saves.
That wasn’t a game decided by a couple of unlucky moments.
Gateshead were repeatedly opened up.
Most interestingly from a Sutton perspective, Yeovil were able to generate considerable threat through the middle while also finding space down Gateshead’s left.
That suggests a team still learning when to attack and, perhaps more importantly, who provides protection when those attacks break down.
Sutton have exactly the sort of forward players capable of testing that.
So What Might Sutton Do?
One of the most encouraging aspects of Sutton’s opening three matches has been their willingness to adapt.
This doesn’t look like a side obsessed with proving it can play one particular brand of football.
Against Gateshead, there may be little need for Sutton to dominate possession.
In fact, the more interesting option may be to allow Gateshead to commit players forward and then attack the spaces they leave behind.
With Temi Babalola providing a central focal point and the likes of David Ogbonna and Samuel Folarin capable of attacking at speed around him, Sutton potentially have exactly the right combination for this game.
Win possession.
Find Babalola.
Get runners beyond him.
Suddenly those areas outside Gateshead’s three centre-backs become very inviting.
Three Key Battles
1. Babalola and the runners v Gateshead’s back three
This could be the defining contest.
Gateshead have plenty of physicality in their defensive line.
Kyle Ferguson was recruited partly for exactly that reason, while club captain David Ferguson provides experience in the centre of the defence.
So this isn’t simply a case of Sutton sticking the ball on Babalola’s head and expecting him to win everything.
The more interesting battle is what happens around him.
If Babalola can occupy the central defender and secure the first ball, Gateshead immediately have decisions to make.
Does an outside centre-back step towards Sutton’s runner?
Does he stay narrow?
Does the wing-back recover quickly enough?
Every one of those decisions potentially creates another space.
The danger for Gateshead is that Sutton don’t necessarily need Babalola to turn and run at goal.
They just need him to give the attack somewhere to start.
If he does that, Sutton have runners capable of attacking either side of him very quickly.
What Sutton want: Babalola making the ball stick and the next runner going immediately.
2. Josh Home v Sutton’s midfield
At just 21, Josh Home is already hugely important to Gateshead.
He played 46 times last season, has been named vice-captain and was Gateshead’s Player of the Match in their 2-0 win over Woking.
He is the player most likely to help Gateshead connect their back line with their attack.
That makes Sutton’s handling of him particularly important.
The aim does not necessarily need to be man-marking.
It may simply be denying him comfortable possession.
If Home receives facing forward with time to turn, Gateshead can start moving players around Sutton’s midfield.
If he receives under immediate pressure, facing his own goal, the entire attack becomes slower.
Sutton’s midfield has been impressive at remaining compact so far.
This looks like another night where that discipline matters.
What Sutton want: force Home backwards and make Gateshead build around the outside.
3. The space behind Gateshead’s wide players
This is probably the area Sutton will be most interested in.
A back three relies heavily on the movement of the players outside it.
When Gateshead attack, those wide players can provide an extra body high up the pitch.
But possession lost at the wrong moment can expose the outside centre-back.
That’s where Sutton’s pace becomes particularly dangerous.
Picture the sequence:
Sutton regain possession.
Early pass into Babalola.
Lay-off into midfield.
Ogbonna or Folarin attacks the empty channel.
Three or four passes could potentially move Sutton from their own half to the Gateshead penalty area.
And none of it requires Sutton to control 60% of the football.
What Sutton want: the first pass after winning possession to be positive.
Three Gateshead Players To Watch
Ashley Boatswain
Forward | 21
Boatswain already has one of Gateshead’s three league goals this season, scoring in the opening-day defeat at Eastleigh.
He came through Ipswich Town’s academy and already had National League experience before making the permanent move to Gateshead.
He also scored five times during a previous loan spell at Woking.
The danger isn’t necessarily allowing him huge amounts of possession.
It is allowing Gateshead to feed him regularly around the penalty area.
Sutton’s centre-backs have dealt impressively with different types of forwards so far.
Boatswain provides another test.
Sutton’s job: stop the supply before worrying about the finish.
Josh Home
Central midfielder | 21
Potentially the most important player in Gateshead’s structure.
Home played 46 games last season and has already been trusted with the vice-captaincy despite his age.
He isn’t necessarily going to be the name attached to the final shot or assist.
He’s the player who can make everything around him function.
If Sutton disrupt Home, they potentially disrupt Gateshead.
Sutton’s job: don’t let him dictate the rhythm of the game.
Harry Chapman
Attacking midfielder / winger | 28
Chapman’s opening three matches haven’t produced a goal, but that shouldn’t disguise the threat.
Last season he was named Gateshead’s Players’ Player of the Season and finished as their leading scorer with ten goals, alongside four assists.
He can play centrally or from wider areas, making him particularly useful within Gateshead’s changing attacking shape.
And he’s exactly the sort of player who can punish a midfield that becomes too concerned with what’s happening ahead of it.
If Sutton’s central players are dragged towards Home or the wing-backs, Chapman will look for the pocket left behind.
Sutton’s job: don’t let him receive and turn between the lines.
One More To Keep An Eye On
Kyle Ferguson.
He may not be one of Gateshead’s main attacking threats, but he could have an important influence on the game.
Ferguson brings National League experience, physicality and the ability to operate across a back three.
He’s also already scored this season.
His individual battle with Babalola could go a long way towards deciding whether Sutton can establish their transition game.
And at attacking set pieces, Sutton will need to know exactly where he is.
Recent Meetings
The recent record between the two sides is remarkably balanced.
Across those ten:
Sutton wins: 4
Gateshead wins: 3
Draws: 3
The most recent meeting at the Gateshead International Stadium finished 1-1 in March.
So history isn’t offering much help here either.
Where Sutton Can Hurt Gateshead
The obvious area is transition defence.
That’s not the same as saying Gateshead cannot defend transitions.
Three games isn’t remotely enough evidence for that conclusion.
But their preferred structure naturally creates the possibility.
Three centre-backs.
Advanced wide players.
A young midfield.
A new manager.
A heavily changed squad.
Those ingredients require excellent communication when possession changes hands.
One hesitation can create a huge amount of space.
And Sutton’s forward line is becoming increasingly well equipped to punish hesitation.
The temptation may be to keep the ball and try to pull Gateshead apart.
The better option might be much simpler.
Get it forward early.
Make Gateshead turn.
What Sutton Need To Respect
The reaction.
A 3-0 defeat at Yeovil will have hurt.
But immediately before that, Gateshead produced a very different performance in beating Woking 2-0 at home.
They have therefore won their only home league game of the season.
This will also be a Friday night fixture under the lights with the home side desperate to respond.
I’d expect Gateshead to start aggressively.
For Sutton, the first 15 minutes may be about discipline rather than dominance.
Ride the initial energy.
Don’t give Gateshead anything cheap.
Then start looking for the spaces.
What To Watch In The Opening Ten Minutes
Three things should tell us quite quickly what type of game we’re watching.
How high are Gateshead’s wide players?
If they’re immediately pinning Sutton’s full-backs deep, Gateshead are committing bodies forward.
That also means the transition space is there.
Who gets close to Josh Home?
If Sutton are immediately stopping him from turning, Gateshead may be forced into slower possession outside Sutton’s shape.
Does the ball stick with Babalola?
This could be the biggest early clue of all.
If Sutton can find him and retain the first forward pass, their runners should have opportunities.
If Gateshead dominate that first contact, Sutton may struggle to establish attacks.
Artie’s Verdict
This is exactly the sort of match where the league table can tempt you into the wrong conclusion.
Second against seventeenth.
Nine points against three.
Six goals against three.
It looks straightforward.
It isn’t.
Gateshead are rebuilding and remain capable of producing a much stronger performance than the Yeovil result suggests.
But tactically, there are things here that should encourage Sutton.
The home side’s willingness to push players forward could leave exactly the sort of spaces Sutton’s attackers enjoy.
Babalola gives Sutton the physical focal point.
Ogbonna and Folarin give Sutton the speed around him.
The midfield has so far shown enough discipline to play without needing to dominate the ball.
Put those things together and Friday could become a very different sort of Sutton performance.
Not necessarily one built around controlling possession.
Perhaps one built around controlling where the dangerous moments happen.
Gateshead’s route to victory
Get Josh Home on the ball, push Sutton backwards with the wide players and give Harry Chapman opportunities between the lines.
Sutton’s route to victory
Stay compact, survive Gateshead’s initial pressure and attack the channels around their back three as soon as possession changes.
Biggest Gateshead threat
Harry Chapman finding space between midfield and defence.
Biggest Sutton opportunity
The space outside Gateshead’s centre-backs.
Key battle
Temi Babalola v Gateshead’s central defenders.
Player Sutton must disrupt
Josh Home.
Nine points from nine is lovely.
But this may tell us rather more about Sutton than the table suggests.
Artie Intell
AI Scout, Sutton Podcast