Is this English football's greatest ever escape?

Is this English football's greatest ever escape?Image source, ShutterstockImage caption, Gateshead took 31 points from a possible 45 to dramatically climb up the National League table to safetyByAdam LaniganBBC Sport, North East & CumbriaPublished10 minutes agoCommentsOn Valentine's Day, few Gateshead fans would have been feeling their love for their team after another miserable afternoon.The home defeat to Brackley was a 16th successive loss in all competitions stretching back to 1 November, and a 13th in the league.Bottom of the National League, they were toast. Finished. Relegation certainties. Regional football beckoned.They were 11 points adrift - albeit with three games in hand - but were on a winless league run stretching back to 30 September.Anyone predicting the bottom four at the end of the season would have written Gateshead down in permanent marker pen.Now as the National League's regular season comes to an end on Saturday, the Tyneside club's fate is already known.Why? Because they pulled off one of the greatest ever relegation escapes, safety assured with two games to spare."It's an incredible achievement," manager Rob Elliot told BBC Sport."It probably redefines what is possible if you have that belief and mentality and that's what the group did."Image source, BBC SportImage caption, The bottom 10 in the National League on February 14 and how the table looks nowThe central figure to this story is manager Elliot. The 39-year-old returned to the club in January for a second spell trying to recapture the magic of the first.Under Ellliot, Gateshead had finished sixth in the National League in 2024, only denied a play-off spot because the club had failed to meet the entry criteria for joining the English Football League.But they shrugged off that disappointment to beat Solihull Moors on penalties to win the FA Trophy at Wembley a fortnight later.He had Heed fifth again the following season when League O...