Phillips Makes send message to Gateshead’s fans as he Return.

Following Rob Elliot’s resignation, the Heed legend will go on in an interim capacity.

Ben Clark, a Gateshead veteran, has said that he would not be seeking the position of new permanent manager at the International Stadium. However, he has stated that he will allow the Heed board sufficient time to select the best candidate.

It has been slightly more than five years since Clark resigned as Gateshead’s manager at the end of a difficult season that nearly saw the club fail under its previous owners.

The former Heed captain has, meanwhile, continued to be a well-liked and welcomed presence at the team as they have seen success while being managed by Mike Williamson and Rob Elliot, as well as a consortium led by supporters.

After Elliot left for League One team Crawley Town, Clark took over as temporary manager. He will be helped by head of recruitment Luke Clark, club captain Greg Olley, and seasoned midfielder Jacob Butterfield.

Their temporary rule has no time limit, and Clark has stated he will do everything in his power to help the team until they are ready to designate Elliot’s long-term replacement.

“It’s pretty much open until something happens and I said I would help out the club in any way I can,” he remarked to Chronicle Live.

“Butts (Jacob Butterfield) and Greg (Olley) and other current club staff will oversee the training during the week, and on matchdays, I’ll be a figurehead.

“They can rely on my experience since I’ve been there before, I understand the club’s culture, and it’s crucial to allow the club time to make the best choice when it comes to selecting the club’s future management group.

“We will prepare them between us; nothing will change; the style is front-foot, possession-based, and goal-scoring-focused.

“This is just me helping the club and giving Neil and the board time to make the right decision soon. I love my job with the foundation and have worked hard on it for the last four years.”

The National League Cup opened with a close victory at home over Middlesbrough Under-21s, marking the beginning of Clark’s rule.

Jovan Malcolm scored the first competitive goal for the Heed in a 1-0 triumph, which came despite a much-changed lineup from Saturday’s thrilling 3-1 victory at Southend.

Clark commended the young players from Boro for their effort at the International Stadium, emphasizing that Gateshead could also look back on a successful evening as a number of players had significant playing time during the victory.

“I thought Middlesbrough were excellent, they had more control of the game, especially in the second half,” he remarked. “But the boys have had a difficult week and you can tell they were trying to make an impression.”

We occasionally moved the ball swiftly, and it made us look good, but I wanted us to have more control, and we lacked it. Kudos to Middlesbrough; they are a respectable team in the Championship with young players who are there for a purpose. The night went well, and it was beneficial to spend some time in the legs.