A STREETWISE Gateshead side bustled their way to three points against a Town side, who hit the woodwork three times and had centre-half Tony Hallam sent off in the closing stages.

Town threw themselves into a difficult contest against promotion-seeking rivals but conceded possession too cheaply and struggled to impose themselves.

Gateshead came with a basic game-plan as they tried to find their front men with balls hit over the top, but the home defence coped well and neither side was able to produce a precision final pass.

A 23rd-minute penalty gave Gateshead the lead when Paul Byrne stuck out a leg and cleared a squared ball only for the Gateshead attacker's theatrical fall to persuade referee Mr Newell to point to the spot.

Two minutes earlier, he had waved aside another appeal when Dene Whittal-Williams challenged Graeme Armstrong - and perhaps that had a bearing on the second decision.

Full back Phil Cave slotted the penalty low to the right of keeper David Newnes, who got a hand to it but could not stop the ball creeping in the net.

Gateshead's quick breakaways looked ominous and after 31 minutes David Southern released Armstrong to go clean through, but he hit a laboured shot at Newnes.

One of the few incisive passing movements that Kendal put together came a minute later as Lee Mulvaney and Gareth Arnison worked a one-two before the blocked ball skewed across to Craig Hobson in space and he hammered his attempt against the keeper's legs Instead a second Gateshead goal came three minutes from the interval when Kendal lost possession after a throw-in and Armstrong sprinted clear on to the through pass, and drew the keeper before slipping the ball past him.

Town did better in the second half and at last threatened the Gateshead goal. Jon Forbes rattled the bar with his speculative deep cross from the right.

But it took an own goal to hand them them hope when centre-back James Curtis sent a mis-directed header past his own keeper in the 68th minute after a flawless display to that point Substitute Zach Clark scooped a teasing curler from inside the box on to the crossbar before his side was reduced to 10 men with the dismissal of captain Hallam for a second yellow card in the space of ten minutes.

Gateshead punished their opponents from the free kick and went 3-1 up as David Southern speared a low drive past the wall and inside the post.

In stoppage time Wright knocked Dyson's flick-on into the net, but was adjudged offside and there was still time for Kendal to hit the bar for the third time when the same striker's well-struck free kick was denied by the woodwork.

HOW THEY RATED: Newnes 7, Forbes 6, Byrne 7, Hallam 6, Whittal-Williams 8, Cole 6 (Dyson 70min, 6), Hobson 6, Warburton 7, Arnison 6 (Clark 70min, 7), Wright 7, Mulvaney 6 (Woods 83min). Att: 267.

L Star man: Paul Byrne put in another exemplary 100 per cent display up and down the line at full back and remained cool under fire.