It all kick-off (pardon the pun) on July 11th at The International Stadium as Gateshead faced Huddersfield Town, and the return of former strike sensation Lee Novak.
In a spirated game against a strong League One side Gateshead fought back to earn a 2-2 draw. Substitute Jamie Harwood and defender Carl Jones netted for the home side.
Next up saw a 1-0 win at Dunston where a Martin Brittain goal was enough for a Gateshead win.
A youthful looking Sunderland side were next to visit the International Stadium, and goals Gateshead trialists Simon Ainge and Tomi Ameobi (who eventually didn't sign) and Darren Forsyth (who did), plus one by Alex Francis saw Gateshead win 4-1.
Two more wins were to come with a 4-0 scoreline at UniBond Prem club Durham City (Forsyth, Francis x2 and Richardson) and finally a 2-1 win at Workington (Armstrong and Phillips).
Gateshead lost the final two pre-season matches with a 2-1 defeat against a strong Hartlepool United side (Francis getting the goal) and a 3-2 defeat last Saturday at FA Vase winners Whitley Bay.
Graeme Armstrong and Wayne Phillips again scored for Gateshead, but I'm sure two straight defeats are not what Ian Bogie wanted going into the first match of the season.