Gateshead miss September pay as backer quits and slump deepens

Gateshead's players and staff have not been paid for September.

The National League club — the fifth tier of English football, one step below the Football League — confirmed the missed wages on 1 October, as off-field trouble deepened alongside a poor run of results BBC Sport.

The money problem follows a split at boardroom level. Mark Nellist has resigned from the board of directors and withdrawn his funding support. The club announced his departure on 29 September.

Graham Wood has stepped in as interim chairman. Nellist has agreed to make his shares available for a nominal sum, a small fee designed to make it easier for new investors to come in.

It leaves Gateshead searching for stability. Unpaid wages hit everyone at a club, not just the squad. Coaches, analysts, office staff and ground staff all feel it.

On the pitch, the picture is stark. Gateshead sit bottom of the league. They have lost their past five games. Across that run they have scored once and conceded 16 goals.

Lee Cattermole is in charge of the side. The former Middlesbrough and Sunderland midfielder took on a difficult job. It has just got harder.

Gateshead are at home next. They face Worthing on Saturday. Supporters will turn up hoping for a lift.

For fans, this means two battles at once. One is the fight for points. The other is the fight for the club's future.

What makes this stand out is the timing. A team already low on confidence must now cope with uncertainty off the pitch. That is a heavy mix. Young players especially need routine and reassurance.

Gateshead need new backing, and quickly. Until then, the players keep training, the staff keep working, and the fans keep showing up. That loyalty deserves answers.