Gateshead came to London with the ambition to not leave with zero points and for a side that sit uncomfortably at the bottom, they gave a real testing for playoff hopefuls Barnet. A game that was there for the taking, but neither team were clinical enough to come out with all three points at The Hive London. 

The opener for the Heed came after 67 minutes, Danny Elliott picking up on a cross and slotting the ball past Laurie Walker who couldn't return to position quickly enough. 

They sustained a lot of the Bees' incoming pressure from then on but were pegged back with only two minutes of regular time remaining. This time the ball fell to Nicke Kabamba, and on his return to the starting 11, volleyed it past a helpless James Montgomery in between the sticks. 

  • Story of the match

Dean Brennan made one change after the draw in the derby against Boreham Wood, bringing in attacking midfielder Daniel Powell for new signing David Moyo. There were signs that despite bringing in a striker to accompany Kabamba, the 3-5-2 formation with Idris Kanu was still his preferred option. 

Mike Williamson's Gateshead were unchanged since their impressive duels against York City over the festive period, with Adam Campbell and Danny Elliott both in top form for the Heed. 

It took only three minutes for Elliott to pose a threat, beating Sam Beard to put himself one-on-one with Walker, only to be blocked by Beard with a spectacular diving recovery to prevent an early opener. 

The game had already turned very physical midway through the first half, Kanu getting the better of Ethan Pye on numerous occasions and being hacked down as the Tynesiders tried to prevent him from navigating himself through the sea of blue shirts. 

It was the man on loan from Boreham Wood who then had another great chance, bursting through on the right, his effort then tipped behind by Walker in superb fashion. 

Barnet dominated possession but Gateshead were getting the better of the chances, and with one minute to go, skipper Greg Olley just had Walker to beat, yet the 33-year-old prevailed again to keep his side level. 

It was evident Brennan had to switch tactics again, bringing on Moyo for Beard at the break to go more attacking. The Zimbabwean target man made an immediate impact, forcing Montgomery into an impressive double save after a melee in the box. 

The Bees really should have solidified their lead by now, Powell was the next to miss when he placed his shot from inside the box way over the bar. 

But Barnet were caught out, Adam Campbell sprinted down the wing and put his cross in beautifully for the first man to divert in. Instead, the first man missed the ball completely as did the Bees defender, and Elliott was there to nod it into an empty net. He wheeled away jubilantly to the corner while the 61 travelling Gateshead fans erupted, topping it off with a full-body slide on the wet pitch. 

With ten minutes left on the clock, the experienced Rob Hall was brought on to give the Tynesiders' tired legs some more running to do. And he executed his role to perfection, turning away from his man and distributing quickly. 

The equaliser should've come three minutes after he had arrived, sliding in Kabamba who smashed his shot just wide. There was a second chance for the number nine, the ball falling to him from the air and timing it to perfection to guide it into the back of the net. 

The game got nasty into injury time, and the Heed were agitated with letting the lead slip and could see it through the passing and tackling. Referee Jacob Miles somehow only showed one yellow card to a Gateshead player, despite Kanu being tackled on numerous occasions. 

Neither side could capitalise and find all three points and it ended all square at a rather cold and dark Hive Stadium. 

The Bees travel up to Solihull Moors next week in the Isuzu FA Trophy, who were beaten quite convincingly by Southend United this afternoon. As for Mike Williamson's men, they are hosts to Oldham Athletic as they look to make good progress in the tournament as well.