Gateshead 1 FC Halifax Town 4: Harvey signals intent to secure Halifax job

Darren Kelly was sacked as manager last week, with his assistant Harvey taking temporary charge for only Town’s third league win of the season.

The former Morecambe boss is interested in taking on the role permanently and was delighted with the response he got from his players.

He said: “It’s been a difficult week because I was close to Darren and for him to lose his job was very disappointing and hard to take. But we’ve had a terrific performance from the players. Where has that been?

“They were solid in all departments and after conceding so many goals recently they didn’t look like conceding at all.”

Halifax took the lead when Shaun Tuton touched the ball in on the line after from a Gateshead corner before goalkeeper Russell Griffiths was sent-off for fouling Ryan Bowman.

The Gateshead striker sent substitute goalkeeper Jordan Porter the wrong way from the spot, but Halifax regained the lead when Kingsley James blasted in a 25-yard shot after a Town free-kick wasn’t cleared.

Tuton made it 3-1 just before half-time with a close-range finish after Jordan Cranston’s tackle on Jordan Burrow teed up the ball for him following a rapid counter-attack.

A defensive slip allowed Tuton to latch on to Burrow’s flick-on before he rounded Sam Russell for his hat-trick.

Gateshead: Russell, Ramsden, Clark, Gibson (Shaw 63), Cranston (Buddle 50), Honeyman, Smith, Pattison, Phillips (Wrightson 56), Johnson, Bowman. Unused substitutes: Baxter, MacDonald.

FC Halifax Town: Griffiths (Porter 36), Roberts, Bolton, M Brown, O’Brien, McManus, Wroe, Bencherif, James, Tuton (Macdonald 87), Burrow (Sadlier 87). Unused substitutes: Hattersley, Walker.

Referee: Michael Salisbury (Preston).