GATESHEAD are resigned to missing out on promotion to the Football League after a display manager Gary Mills described as the worst of the season.

The Heed, who also had defender Ben Clark sent off with 20 minutes remaining, were comfortably beaten 3-0 at Woking, who gave their own play-off hopes a real boost.

Josh Payne gave Woking an early lead when he powered in a long range strike after seven minutes and then Scott Rendell added a second 13 minutes later.

Gateshead, who are eight points adrift of the play-off zone, wasted a chance to pull themselves back in to it when Alex Rodman missed a penalty following a handball from Joe McNerney.

And Woking’s Payne showed Rodman exactly how it should be done in the 67th minute when he converted from the spot after Clark had conceded it for a foul in the area which earned him the red card.

Gateshead boss Mills told the club’s website: “It’s hard for me to put in to words what that performance was like today. It was nowhere near good enough.

“For me, it was worse than the performance against Nuneaton at home. Why has it gone wrong? Because we have allowed it to go wrong.

“We started the game very poorly – you could say that the first goal was a wonder goal but he shouldn’t be given the opportunity to hit it. The second goal was a shambles. It was the poorest we have been this season and we looked drained in the end.”

Gateshead: Dixon; Baxter, Shaw, Chandler, Pattison, Curtis, Ramshaw, Gillies (Clark 46), Sainte-Luce (Allan 64), Rankine, Rodman (Finnigan 51). Subs: Bartlett, Orrell.