Heroic failure for Peterborough Sports in the FA Trophy at Gateshead.

A header from Peterborough Sports' striker Michael Gash (centre) flies into the back of the Gateshead net. Photo Charles Waugh.

Sports looked set for a good hiding at higher level opposition when on-loan Derby County 18 year-old Dujane Brown completed a hat-trick in the first 22 minutes of the game.

But the city side dug in and shocked their hosts with two goals in two minutes from midfielder Josh McCammon and joint-manager Michael Gash who netted with a trademark header.

There were still 35 minutes to play after that double-strike, But Sports couldn’t find a third goal that would have taken the tie to penalties. A club record run to the last eight, which included wins against National League sides Dagenham & Redbridge and Kidderminster Harriers. therefore came to a valiant end.

Michael Gash is about to head home for Peterborough Sports at Gateshead. Photo Charles Waugh.

A third non-league big boy scalp looked impossible after Brown’s lethal start to the game. A first-time finish gave Gateshead a seventh-minute lead and a spectacular individual goal made it 2-0 in 18 minutes.

And when Brown converted a Lirak Hasani cross four minutes later for his first senior hat-trick a drubbing looked on the cards. Brown later hit a post in his man-of-the-match display.

Sports should have pulled a goal back on the half hour mark, but Dan Jarvis blasted a cross from Kaine Felix over the bar from close range. Centre-back Ryan Fryatt was then denied by a smart save on the stroke of half-time.

But McCammon scored from an acute angle on 54 minutes before Gash powered his header home from a Jarvis free kick 90 seconds later.

Josh McCammon (8) scores for Peterborough Sports at Gateshead. Photo Charles Waugh.

Gateshead were wobbling and Mark Jones was soon heading just over the bar from a High Alban-Jones cross. McCammon was then close to equalising after a goalkeeping error.

Gash and Fryatt sent headers narrowly off target and McCammon’s deflected effort four minutes from time shaved a post before Sports accepted defeat.

But it was a great effort after such a disastrous first quarter of the game and one that was appreciated by the 97 Sports fans who travelled to the North East.

Saturday results in the National League North went the way of Sports who remain eight points clear of the relegation places and they have games in hand against most of the teams below them. Sports, who are 15th, host 14th-placed Buxton at PIMS Park on Tuesday.

Sports: Crook, Ahui, Johnson, Fryatt, McAuley, Jarvis. Alban-Jones, McCammon, Felix, Gash, Jones (sub Fowkes, 88 mins). Unused subs: Elsom, Fox, Miles, Mayer, Periera, Steele.

Gateshead: Montgomery, Jobe, Tinkler, Richardson (sub Storey, 75 mins), Hasani, McBride (sub Allen, 68 mins), Stott, Booty, Warman, Evans (sub Dinanga, 65 mins), Brown.