Lee Cattermole warned his Gateshead players against getting carried away by their impressive pre-season friendly draw with Premier League neighbours Newcastle United.
Strong display against Premier League opposition
The Magpies fielded a strong starting eleven consisting of the likes of Fabian Schar, Lewis Hall and summer signing Sean Steur - but Eddie Howe's men were frustrated by their National League opponents as they showed the discipline and concentration demanded by their manager.
Cattermole's side got their rewards as they took a lead into half-time thanks to New Zealand Under-20 international Luke Supyk as he fired beyond England international Nick Pope after a Billy Chadwick free-kick had been deflected into his path.
Newcastle fight back
Newcastle tried to up the tempo during the second-half - but struggled to make a meaningful impact on the Heed until the final quarter of an hour when Hall's cross was deflected into the net by home defender Ben Williams.
Cattermole expressed his pride over his side's defiant and controlled display against their Premier League opponents - but also called for a measured reaction to the performances.
The former Sunderland captain told Chronicle Live: 'I said to the boys we aren't going to get carried away because it's a pre-season game - but in terms of the three weeks of work we've done, we have got to be unbelievably proud of that performance from the lads with the buy-in and the fitness levels, the work-rate, the discipline, the shape, everything about the performance.'
'That's what we are trying to create, that's what we want to do and for me, as a coach and manager, you want these results just to keep the momentum going and keep the buy-in from the players. I was over the moon with them.'
Impressive individuals
There were several impressive performances in the Heed backline with goalkeeper Adam Desbois producing a solid display and summer signing Tommy Lavery showing exactly why Cattermole was so keen to secure his services following his release from Sunderland.
The Heed boss added: 'It was such a hard game in terms of the quality, the pace, the movement and for us, it was about the discipline, staying in shape, controlling the distances between each other and then impress when we can.'
'It only works if every one is at it and if one isn't at it, we get caught out, but they were brilliant.'
Another high point for Cattermole was recent addition Supyk as he continued to shine throughout preparations for the new National League season.
The former Wellington Phoenix forward has already shown he has a keen eye for goal over the last two weeks - and his neat finish showed why he has been handed a two-year deal at the International Stadium.
Cattermole was impressed with the youngster's display and believes he has already bought into the mentality he wants his players to show during the upcoming season.
'He's been different class,' he explained. 'He's three weeks in now and we couldn't be more pleased with him.'
'For us, we know how long the season is, we know what we want to try and create in terms of the group, the mentality to see us through a long season so we are just trying to create that and not get ahead of ourselves.'
