Full of excitement like, in the past, Gateshead (4)
I believe the answer is:
agog
'full of excitement' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'in the past gateshead' is the wordplay.
'in the past' becomes 'ago' (synonyms).
'gateshead' becomes 'g' (head letter of 'gates').
'ago'+'g'='AGOG'
'like' is the link.
(Other definitions for agog that I've seen before include "Very far from indifferent" , "Very eager (to hear/see)" , "Eager, avid" , "Looking amazed" , "Wide-eyed in anticipation" .)