In post match interviews Bromley manager Andy Woodman often speaks of fine margins deciding games and it was certainly the case on Saturday when deep into injury time Gateshead hit the bar and within seconds Bromley had raced up the other end of the pitch and scored a third goal.
The Ravens went into the game making one change with Josh Passley coming in for the suspended Jude Arthurs at wing back, keeping the 5-3-2 formation.
The match began with Gateshead pressing, but it was Bromley who had the first chances when Archie Mair saved from Michael Cheek with his feet and Corey Whitely shot narrowly wide.
With the visitors still pushing forward Regan Booty fired over and Grant Smith made a save from Luke Hannant. Stephen Wearne became the first of eight bookings in the game for licking the ball away, in a very fussy display from match official Mr Durkin.
There was a long delay when Besart Topalloj and Kyran Lofthouse clashed heads when challenging for a ball at the far post and the Bromley left wing back had to go off.
With The Heed still pressing Stephen Wearne had a shot saved at the near post and the dangerous Marcus Dinanga had three shots well saved by Smith, with Callum Reynolds also making a superb saving tackle to thwart the Gateshead striker.
Following a quiet spell, going into the half the visitors pressed again Greg Olley firing over twice from range.
The second half saw Woodman introduce Bim Pepple up front and the Luton loanee gave Bromley a vital outlet at the top of the pitch.
Ben Krauhaus played in Pepple who was denied by Mair when one on one and after Gateshead had a goal rules out for offside The Ravens toon the lead. Kenton Richardson gifting the ball to Cheek out on the left and the Bromley top scorer cut in to the box and coolly placed the ball past Mair into the far corner of the net for 1-0 on 55 minutes.
The game was wide open from there, with both teams having good spells and it was Gateshead who made their chance count on 69minutes when Dinanga latched on to a long ball and beat the home defence for pace before calmly finishing past Smith to make it 1-1.
Parity only lasted four minutes though, Pepple won a corner and from the Lewis Leigh set piece Byron Webster powered a header home to put The Ravens back in front. Gateshead rallied again, Wearne headed over and they pressed around the area, but Bromley held out.
Lewis hit the bar from a corner for Bromley, before the Preston loanee was sent off for a second yellow when leading into a header with an elbow.
Deep into injury time Robbie Tinkler struck the bar from 30yards out and as The Ravens scrambled the ball clear Cheek picked it up just inside his own half before racing clear and sealing the win with a classy finish past Mair to make it 3-1 on 98 minutes.
Bromley move up to fourth in the National League table with this win, unbeaten in eleven matches ahead of their trip to leaders Chesterfield on Tuesday night.
Bromley: Smith, Reynolds, Webster, Okoli, Topalloj (Vennings 14), Passley, Leigh, Whitely, Krauhaus, Cheek, Taylor-Hart ( Pepple 45, Kpekawa 96). Subs not Used: Miller, Sharman-Lowe.
Gateshead: Mair, Richardson, Tinkler, Booty (Rutledge 85), Lofthouse (Hunter 41), Grayson, Hannant, Francis, Olley (McBride 65), Wearne, Dinanga.Subs Not Used: Storey, Chadwick.
Goals; BFC – Cheek 55 & 98mins Webster 74mins GFC – Dinanga 70mins.
HT 0-0 FT 3-1
Ref: James Durkin
Att: 2,417