ANTH SMITH has agreed a new one-year deal as manager of Gateshead.
Smith had been the club’s youth and reserve team boss before taking over as first-team manager following the departure of Ian Bogie last December.
He successfully kept the Tynesiders in the Blue Square Bet Premier and has now been rewarded with an extension to his deal.
Speaking about the new one-year contract, Heed chairman Graham Wood said: “He has done a tremendous job, absolutely tremendous, in very difficult circumstances.
“I have had a meeting with him and we have outlined targets we want to bring to the club during the close season.
“I am confident that Anth is the man to take us forward. It is important we move forward next season after what has been the season from hell.
“He certainly deserved another chance. We were on a downward spiral when he took over and he has turned it around despite so many things being against him.
“He is on the right track and has a big future ahead of him and we will be looking to assemble a strong squad that will be pushing at the right end of the table.
“The joint objective is to get Gateshead back into the Football League and into a new stadium in the town and that remains very much the case.”