Gateshead Bolster Defence Ahead Of Playoff Clash

National League side Gateshead have announced the signing of defender Brandon Haunstrup from League One side Cambridge Utd, as confirmed via a statement on the club’s website.

The 27-year-old joins The Heed on a loan deal that sees him stay with the playoff contenders until the end of the season.

Haunstrup began his career at Portsmouth, breaking through the academy and making over 50 appearances for his boyhood club. During his time on the south coast, he spent a small amount of time on loan at Sutton United, before making a switch to Scottish side Kilmarnock, where he played 58 times across the period of two seasons before returning to England with League One side Cambridge United.

Haunstrup has spent nearly two seasons at Cambridge, but his time with the League One outfit has been hampered by injury, leading to the full-back struggling to string together a run of matches and establish himself in the side.

Haunstrup’s season by numbers.

Haunstrup has been deprived of minutes this season, but during his two appearances in the EFL Trophy, he has registered some stats that are good reading to Gateshead fans. The full-back has shown off his offensive ability, boasting a 100% dribble success rate on top of a 75% accurate pass rate in the opposition half. These stats show that Haunstrup is capable of playing Gateshead’s offensive style of football.

The 27-year-old left-back has also shown off his defensive abilities, having accumulated four ball recoveries per game, as well as making 2.5 clearances per game. Despite this, the stats show one area of improvement could be his duel success rate, as he has only managed a 33% success rate across the two games.

Can Haunstrup help Gateshead push for promotion? 

The addition of Haunstrup came as an unexpected loan deal for many, but if he can stay fit, he will be a strong asset for Gateshead. The full-back has played in the EFL and the higher levels of Scotland, but has been held back with injury issues. He should bring quality to a side who are on the hunt for promotion, whilst his signing will send a statement out to the other teams also looking to win the playoffs.