Owen Bailey believes his release from Newcastle United may have been the 'best thing' for him after a 'freak' triple setback derailed his career. The former under-23s skipper has found a 'fantastic' new home across the River Tyne at Gateshead FC, and has rediscovered his love for the game under the tutelage of former Magpies defender Mike Williamson.
Bailey's progress through the ranks with Newcastle was rewarded with a first-team debut under Steve Bruce in the summer of 2019. The boyhood fan had joined the squad on tour in China and made his senior breakthrough as a second-half substitute in a friendly defeat to Wolves.
This would prove to be the high point of Bailey's time with the Magpies as two long-term knee injuries and the Covid-19 suspension sidelined the midfielder for 538 days. The former captain marked his competitive comeback with a dramatic late winner in an under-23s fixture at Norwich City, but months later found himself searching for a new club.
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Bailey swapped life at a Premier League club for the National League North, and has shrugged off any lingering injury concerns to make 38 appearances for the Heed to date. It is not the journey that the central midfielder would have expected a year ago, but it is one that he is 'loving every minute of'.
Bailey told ChronicleLive: "A big thing about going to Gateshead is you come out of the Newcastle sort-of bubble, and everything is all focused around the city, the club, the first-team and everyone is focused on that. Once you come out of it, you open your mind and realise as much as I did love my time at Newcastle and I still love the club, there's more to life than Newcastle.
"I've learnt a lot about myself and football in general by going there, it's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me signing for Gateshead. I'm still learning every week and I'm only going to get better from here. I'm really happy, I'm in a good place with my football."
Bailey has previously admitted there were times during his lengthy time on the sidelines as to whether he would be able to restart his footballing career. The former centre-back had previously turned down loan moves in an attempt to impress with the Magpies, and the 23-year-old is now enjoying his first season of senior football later than expected.
He added: "I think you take for granted being able to play all of the games, but it's been one of the years where I've been available for almost every game. I've played just about every minute, I've loved getting back into the rhythm of playing week in, week out, enjoying football again.
"I think you do take for granted being able to play. I definitely don't now, hopefully I can continue being able to do this for a long time, and I don't see any reason why not. My knee feels fine, so hopefully that's in the past now and I can concentrate on kicking on on the pitch."
Williamson stuck with the Heed through the turmoil which saw the club come perilously close to extinction, and the player-manager is now leading the club's bid to return to the National League. Bailey has been a mainstay in the side under the player-manager, and has praised the former defender for the confidence he has given both on and off the pitch.
He said: "I think in terms of on the pitch, he's simplified a lot of my game and told me what he expects from me and what he wants me to do. I don't have to go above and beyond, and he instils a lot of confidence and gets me to look deeper into the mental side of the game.
"It's definitely something I've benefitted from, it's been relentless this season playing Saturday-Tuesday. He's big on making sure you're ready and getting the most out of every session and game, while zooming out and being the best person I can off the pitch.
"I've improved not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well. I owe a lot really on how I've developed as a player and a person as well."
Gateshead stormed to a 6-0 win at Guiseley on Saturday to go top and a point ahead of Brackley in the automatic promotion race with just five games remaining. The campaign can already be considered a success on a personal level for Bailey, but the former Magpies' youth skipper is now keen to help his new side move up the football pyramid.
Bailey said: "It's a real massive part of the season, almost make or break. Regardless of the outcome, it's definitely a season I'll look back on as one of my best and I couldn't really have asked for anything better.
"I'm really enjoying my time at the club, I want to progress through the leagues here. Hopefully we can get promoted this season and see what happens next year. I'm hoping to kick on and help put the club in a better place than when I first came. It's a really good place to be in."
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