Gateshead Revisted For Ex-United Trio

31-year old Keen is in his second spell with "the Heed" at the moment having returned to the club in February 2007 from Horden Colliery Welfare after leaving Gateshead the previous summer. Keen made 66 appearances for United in a five-year period at Brunton Park before leaving to join Scarborough in October 2004 and is perhaps best remembered at Carlisle for scoring from a goal-kick in a 3-2 defeat at Blackpool.

McClen, now 28, played just five games for Carlisle in his six-month spell with the club in late 2005. Since leaving Brunton Park McClen has been the subject of the old "more clubs than Jack Nicklaus" line having turned out for Blyth Spartans, Shrewsbury Town, Kidderminster Harriers, Bedlington Terriers and Hamilton Academical. The Newcastle-born midfielder then linking up with Gateshead in August of this year.

Like McClen, Atkin spent a six-month period at Brunton Park before being released at the end of last season having not appeared for the United first-team. Former Newcastle centre-half Atkin, 21, had an unsuccessful trial at Queen of the South in the summer and has since been at Newcastle Blue Star and Blyth Spartans before joining Gateshead in mid-November.

All three have been involved in Gateshead's recent FA Trophy draw and susbsequent replay defeat against Farsley Celtic. The Heed, after a 1-1 stalemate at home on Saturday going down 4-1 last night at Farsley's Throstle Nest. The game yesterday evening seeing another former United man, in Chris Billy, getting on the Celtic scoresheet to register his first goal in a competitive match since Carlisle's play-off win over Aldershot in May 2005.