Newcastle United vs Gateshead pre-season date proposed as loan link-up eyed

The two clubs remain in talks over a potential date for a pre-season game which could be one of the first times new Gateshead boss Lee Cattermole sees his side in action.

Cattermole was unveiled as the Heed's new manager yesterday. He admitted he would be open to working with former clubs Sunderland and Middlesbrough to help develop their young players with loan spells at the International Stadium.

And Chronicle Live understands that Newcastle are believed to have expressed a desire to discuss non-league loans as part of their plans, with talks to continue as part of the plans for a pre-season game hosted by Gateshead, with a provisional date of July 25 initially proposed.

The two teams met in a behind-closed-doors fixture in 2022, which Newcastle won 5-1, before then locking horns at the International Stadium a year later, when two goals from Elliot Anderson rescued the Magpies in a 3-2 victory.

The most famous pre-season encounter, however, was back in 1995 when 11,500 fans crammed into the International Stadium to see the likes of David Ginola and Les Ferdinand make their debuts after a stunning summer of recruitment.

The Heed are hoping they can continue the relationship with their Premier League neighbours. They have forged a reputation as a club that can help turbo-charge the development of academy prospects in recent seasons after the likes of Derby County striker Dajaune Brown, Stockport County defender Ethan Pye and Cambridge United centre-back Mamadou Jobe have all shone during temporary stints at the International Stadium.

There is a need for Cattermole to boost the squad he inherited from former Newcastle United goalkeeper Rob Elliot after several members of the Heed ranks departed the club over the last month.

Talks are ongoing over new deals for captain Kenton Richardson and winger Harry Chapman - although Chronicle Live understands both players have interest from elsewhere.

Promising midfield duo Josh Home and Fenton John have committed their future to the club and the Heed have already triggered extensions in the contracts of goalkeeper Adam Desbois and defensive duo Brad Nicholson and David Ferguson.

However, there is a clear need to add to the 14 senior players currently at Cattermole’s disposal and Chronicle Live understands one defender with significant National League and League Two experience is keen to move to the International Stadium.

Cattermole, who spent a decade representing Sunderland during his playing career and coached within the academy setup at Middlesbrough after captaining his hometown club, is open to working with his former clubs and Newcastle on potential loan deals and believes he can offer the right guidance for young prospects to thrive at the International Stadium.

Cattermole said: “I think it’s down to so much stuff in terms of where these players are at. Who is available, who is not available. What the academy directors think, what the clubs think, what their agents think. I’d like to think they will trust us and know they will be in good hands.

“We will carry on whatever development plans they have for their players and we will communicate as much as we can. They would be coming into an environment where there is lots of care and lots of challenge.

“They’ll enjoy it because that challenge point is crucial for me as a manager. It’s about how can we challenge and support them at the right level on the right days. That excites me as a manager because they know it will be tough but they know why it will be tough.

"You shouldn’t rule anything out - but I’m not even 24 hours in so we will see.”