Braintree 1 Gateshead 0

Gateshead’s lingering play-off hopes continue to diminish, the Heed having lost 1-0 at Braintree Town on Saturday.

Gary Mills’ side are now 12 points adrift of the Vanarama Conference’s final play-off place after Kenny Davis’ second-half penalty proved to be the difference between the sides, after left-back Matty Pattison had tripped the Iron’s Bernard Mensah.

Mills admitted: “We need to go on an unbelievable run now, and we know that.

“We’ve got to play both Forest Green and Eastleigh, and that’s a bonus for us.

“That they’ve both won today makes it tougher for us, but it’s still not impossible.

“Let’s go and win the next 12 games – that’s the way we have to think.”

Gateshead now have back-to-back home games, first up being Welling United on Tuesday evening.

Gateshead: Bartlett, Baxter, Curtis, Gjokaj, Pattison, Chandler, Oster, Ramshaw (Sainte-Luce 71), Rodman, Gooch (Campbell 71), Finnigan (Shaw 71)