Tag: NUFC Fans

Victory over Benfica with a little help from Wor Flags, Joe Harvey and Nick Pope.

Once again Wor Flags managed to get it just right last night. On another big European night at St. James’ Park they remembered the biggest with an inspirational display dedicated to the Fairs Cup heroes of 1969.

I was born a few years after that Fairs Cup win and spent my formative years thinking that another success was probably just around the corner. It wasn’t. And so Joe Harvey’s boys became the stuff of legend to me. A group of players that any Newcastle side would need to live up to.

At half time last night, the words of Joe Harvey in Budapest drifted through my mind. Two nil down at half time in the second leg of the final all those years ago, Harvey told his players not to worry. “Get a goal and they’ll fold like a pack of cards.”

It was apt last night too, I thought. We were 1-0 up, but in need of a goal. With the game ticking over the hour mark, Benfica were having a lot of possession and it felt like we needed to weather the storm. If we could get a goal though, they’d fold.

Ten minutes later, Nick Pope collected a corner and went looking for options. Still in his own box, Harvey Barnes was one of a few players who started running as Pope carried the ball forward. And then it happened – Pope channelled his inner Tom Brady and launched a Hail Mary up field and into the path of Barnes who had sprinted into Benfica’s half. The covering defender couldn’t quite get there and Barnes was in, although a little wide. The rest is history.

Pope gets some stick for his distribution and rightly so at times. However, he was a hero last night with that throw as well as the customary crucial saves that we’ve come to expect!

In the shadow of the great Joe Harvey, Eddie Howe’s Mags made it another fantastic European night with a resounding 3-0 win. Here’s to another European adventure. Howay the lads!

Gallowgate Cult Heroes; Number 18 Paul Goddard

Every once in a while, we make a signing that almost goes under the radar and then creates a pleasant surprise when it comes to how good the player actually turns out to be. One of the best examples of this that I can think of in recent memory would be someone like Yohan Cabaye, who was quite a low profile arrival but went on to have a big impact on the team.

Paul Goddard was also a good example of this particular phenomenon. With almost 250 appearances and 77 goals for QPR and West Ham, he’d seemed settled where he was and was actually quite reluctant to move north. This was the 80s and a time when moving north from London might have felt like moving to the Arctic Circle! And in fact it was this feeling of being unsettled that would plague him during his time on Tyneside and eventually lead to him moving on. But in the two years that he spent here he managed to become a very popular member of what started off as very much a failing side and grew into something far better.

It was October 1986 when Goddard joined the Toon. We were struggling and Goddard came in and gave the side a real boost. He took a little bit of time to find his feet in the team and didn’t score until his fifth game; a 1-1 draw away at Charlton. Bur Sarge, as he was known, had undeniable quality. Despite being relatively small, he was strong and his hold up play was excellent, allowing others to come into play. He was a good finisher too and someone who seemed to play more on instinct than anything else, reading the game well and knowing when to risk a flick or play the tricky pass. His movement was excellent too. Despite his presence though, as 1987 approached Newcastle remained near the bottom of the league and indeed hit rock bottom after a 4-1 away defeat at Old Trafford on New Year’s Day 1987. Goddard had still only scored one goal.

More defeats followed and it wasn’t until February that Paul grabbed his second goal. Newcastle were stuck at the bottom of the league.

And then, as April approached things took a turn for the better. Goddard would go on a scoring streak, notching in the next 7 games as we won 5. Newcastle were up to 17th where we would finish the campaign. Sarge was a huge reason for us staying up.

For season ’87/’88 Goddard was joined by Mirandinha playing up front. The Brazilian would prove to be a constant source of frustration to Sarge though who time after time would take up a position in space awaiting a pass only to see Mira invariably shoot, regardless of the angle. I seem to remember a few stand up rows taking place in the middle of the pitch as Goddard pleaded for a pass! Even then, Paul managed to score ten times in all as we finished 8th in the old Division 1. The team featured Goddard, a Brazilian international in Mira, Peter Jackson and Glenn Roeder at the back and a host of exciting young players like Darren Jackson, Brian Tinnion, Michael O’Neill and of course the one and only Paul Gascoigne. As a Newcastle fan this was a time when you could help but feel a bit of optimism. Also as a Newcastle fan though, our hopes were about to be shattered.

Goddard had been unsettled in Newcastle from more or less the moment he’d arrived. And now he decided that he wanted to leave in order to head back to London. Add to this the devastating departure of Gazza to Spurs and suddenly everything wasn’t so rosy in the Gallowgate garden.

Bizarrely, Goddard would then move on to Derby – not exactly famous for being near London – where he would score 15 goals, staying for just over a year. Later moves would take him to Millwall and then Ipswich where he finished his career.

Had he stayed at Newcastle I think Godard would have really made a name for himself and perhaps been able to help develop players like Michael O’Neill who never really fulfilled his potential. However, for the time he was at the club Goddard did more than enough to be thought of by many who remember him as a bit of a cult hero.

Where are they now? An update on some of our released academy players.

At the end of every season our list of released players is published and without fail there are a lot of academy players on it. For some, it’s the end of a promising career with Newcastle while for others, it must have seemed inevitable for a long while.

What has always struck me about our released players is the likelihood that they will disappear from the professional game altogether. It’s always felt like a rarity to see any of them picked up by a league club and then go on to have a successful career. James Tavernier, once of this parish, has gone on to become a Rangers legend, Jamie Sterry is still playing at Doncaster Rovers and Dan Burn, released when he was 11 seems to be having a decent career nowadays too!

Recently, I got to thinking about our released players from last season. A little bit of digging revealed…not much. Players have mainly been picked up by local non league sides. Only a couple stood out as paying at a slightly higher level.

Jay Turner Cooke was brought into the NUFC academy from Sunderland in 2021 after a family issue saw him leave the club. He was highly thought of at the Academy of Light and it looked like a bit of a coup. However, despite much promise and even a couple of first team appearances in friendlies, he never quite bridged the gap to the first team and was released in summer.

Turner-Cooke subsequently signed for FC Halifax Town of the National League in August. Since then he’s made 12 appearances, scoring 2 goals from midfield and with Town currently sitting 6th in the league and on a 5 game winning streak, he might just find himself back in league football next year. It seems he’s settled well into first team life and hopefully can have a successful season and start to fulfil the promise he showed in our academy.

A while up the road Jamie Miley continues to do well at Hartlepool, also of the National League. In fact, having only been at ‘Pools since January of this year, he’s already signed a contract extension to keep him there until 2027.

Miley, the elder brother of Lewis, spent almost a decade in our academy and appeared in a few pre-season friendlies for Newcastle, but his time was blighted by injuries. Now, he finds himself in the National League playing alongside other former Toon academy graduates like Adam Campbell, Jack Hunter and Luke Charman. So far, Jamie has made 30 appearances for Hartlepool, with 14 of them coming this season where he has managed to grab two assists from a defensive midfield position where he’s been described as “pivotal”. Sounds like he’s doing well in a side that hasn’t really lived up to early season promise and recently sacked manager Simon Grayson. Best of luck for the rest of the season, Jamie!

Of other recently released academy players, forward Josh Donaldson is also at Hartlepool, but currently on loan at Dunston UTS. Slightly further south, midfielder Ellis Stanton is in the National League North with Darlington and has made 9 appearances this season, grabbing 2 assists in a struggling side. Finally, brothers Rory and Harry Powell are both at Ashington AFC.

Great to see some of the young lads fixed up with clubs and carrying on with their careers!

A little bit of appreciation for Nick Pope.

It’s easy to miss things these days as a Newcastle fan. Where for many seasons in the past we’ve had one or two stand out players capable of running a game or producing a moment that might change one, nowadays the squad is chock full of matchwinners and favourites. Tonali, Bruno, Big Joe, Anthony Gordon, defenders like Burn, Thiaw or Botman and of course Big Nick Woltemade. But it’s another Big Nick I’d like to pay a little bit of a tribute to.

Nick Pope has been excellent so far this season. In a defence that’s been miserly, conceding only 8 goals in 10 games, Pope has bailed us out on more than a few occasions making big, big saves when it’s mattered. He’s also displayed a renewed confidence when commanding his box too.

In terms of statistics, Pope has saved 19 of the 24 shots he’s faced in the league – a 79% save percentage. He’s also only conceded a goal for every 210 minutes played, which is an admirable record so far.

There have still been errors such as the Arsenal winner when you could argue that he should have just stayed on his line, but let’s face it, if he had and the header had still found the net we’d have all been asking why he didn’t come for the cross. And his kicking and distribution will always be under the microscope simply because it is a genuine weakness in his game. Sometimes keepers can’t win.

In the league, Pope has made 19 saves so far this season. A fair few have been pretty vital such as the one down low to his left from Eze against Arsenal, a game in which he made a few crucial saves. There were important saves in our most recent win against Forest, too. With 5 clean sheets in 7 league games it’s clear that Pope is reacting well to the challenge of Arron Ramsdale’s arrival. A player who has not always been universally popular on Tyneside, Pope is now proving to be a superb member of the team, as he has on many occasions in the past, to be fair.

Now in his fourth season on Tyneside it’s clearer than ever that Nick Pope is a top keeper and an asset to the team.

Newcastle v Barcelona; can we talk about last night?

So, after the hype and the weeks long build up, some will say that Newcastle United came crashing back down to Earth following the latest Champions League tie. Going into it with memories of the 4-1 mauling of PSG, Mbappe et al, you could have been forgiven for getting carried away. We had a formula, right? Not quite.

Despite the result, for me there’s a number of positives to be taken from the Barcelona game. I mean, we don’t have to play them away for starters! And while we’re being just a little bit daft, there’s no shame in losing to a side who we all witnessed are just so, so good.

Personally, I didn’t think that there was a great deal wrong with our performance. We started well and with a little bit of luck and admittedly better finishing we would have at least taken the lead. And then it becomes a whole different game. If Barnes or Gordon put away one of those chances maybe the team and the crowd become just a bit too much for Barca and we end up with another PSG style performance. But maybes don’t win football matches.

So…positives. It would be remiss of me to mention positives and not start with Wor Flags and in turn, the atmosphere. What I love about Wor Flags is their ability to come up with something different and creative on a regular basis. The tributes to players, the poignant quotes and the cultural references all give St. James’ Park that little bit something different. Last night’s AC/DC themed effort was stunning and can’t have failed to inspire players and fans alike. Keep them coming lads and lasses!

As expected, the atmosphere was raucous and intimidating; a wall of noise that inspired the quick start made by the team. An early breakthrough might well have ramped that up a notch and then who knows what we’d all be talking about this morning.

I thought there were a number of players that did well. Tino Livramento put in his usual shift against the excellent Raphina as well as covering across the backline when we’d over committed. Sandro Tonali more than held his own in midfield with some clever touches and the usual ridiculous amount of ground covered. Anthony Elanga looked sharp and at times provided Barcelona with a real worry. His searing pace cut Barca open on a couple of occasions and he provided crosses that deserved far better than the end products. A player that, if we can get right, will prove to be a genuine threat this season. Not many will think that he should have been subbed. And I though Malick Thiaw looked superb when he came on. Pace, power and enough class to take time on the ball when others might have panicked. With an ageing back line it’s good to see that the future looks good.

The fact that we created genuine chances last night is of course another positive. There are winnable games to come, our defence is doing well and so if we continue to create chances we should start to put them away. Nick Woltemade will gain fitness and appear more, Yoane Wissa will be available…someone, hopefully can start finishing those chances!

With 6 more games to go it’s reasonably certain that we won’t see a challenge as big as Barcelona until that last game at PSG. Everything in between now and then becomes hugely important. Yes, we need wins, points and better performances, but there’s plenty more time to make that happen. Howay the lads!

Magpie Moments Episode 3.

Whatever your era or age as a Newcastle United supporter, you’ll have rarely experienced a dull moment. Unless of course you still remember almost every deadline day under the stewardship of Mike Ashley. However, in the third episode of the Magpie Moments series I think I can bring you a few moments that might just raise a smile.

Who the f*** is Micky Quinn? Micky Quinn can be safely referred to as a legendary number nine at Newcastle. But when he signed it was a bit of a different matter for some fans. At the time there was a bitter battle between fans and board and some fans were boycotting the first game of the 1989/’90 season. I remember it well. My cousin Shaun was standing on the ‘picket line’ and almost persuaded me to join him as I walked up towards the Gallowgate, but thankfully I went in. Quinny himself remembers it well too and wrote about seeing a banner that read ‘Who the f*** is Micky Quinn?’ as he walked up to the stadium in his excellent autobiography ‘Who Ate All The Pies?’! Thankfully, most Geordies knew exactly who he was by the end of that 90 minutes, Quinny scoring four as we beat promotion favourites Leeds United 5-2! The first was a penalty at the Gallowgate end and what I remember most about it was Quinn’s technique of standing outside the box with his back to to the keeper before his run up. The hat-trick goal was a hooked right foot volley from close in at the Leazes end and then the fourth was a one on one with Quinny looking exhausted as he ran through and just finishing with a shot from outside of the box before he got caught by the chasing defenders! Some amazing moments at the start of a season that would promise much but fail to deliver in the most spectacular style.

The away kit at home, under the lights and Alex Mathie! Monday 13th September 1993 saw a Newcastle game almost called off because of the opposition’s kit! Sheffield Wednesday rocked up at St. James’ Park in our first season in the newly formed English Premiership (now the Premier League) with a specially commissioned one off kit for the televised match. The only problem was that the kit was white and featured a black stripe. Until Newcastle offered to wear their all blue away kit, the fixture was in danger of being called off! As for the game, well first of all I remember that it was just too weird to watch us play in blue at home. And it seemed so for the players as well as Sheff Wed gradually took control and went 1-2 up as we looked like a side who’d never played together before. In the meantime Wednesday had chance after chance after chance. Toon substitute Alex Mathie – recently signed from Morton – changed the game. Firstly he provided the cross that eventually fell to Andy Cole to equalise and then he scored a beauty. Mathie was around the edge of Wednesday’s box when a ball was played forward from the right. He allowed it to come over his shoulder before volleying it over the keeper and into the net without breaking stride. Ultimately, Mathie didn’t make it at Newcastle, but he gave us a hell of a moment with that goal.

Shola’s new identity. Not particularly a ‘moment’ this one, but just a quick story that always makes me smile. It was well known that Sir Bobby Robson wasn’t always the best with names and could be quite forgetful when it came to his players identities. One of the best examples of this came up when Shola Ameobi was asked about nicknames in an interview. At first he said he didn’t have one, so the reporter asked, ‘what does Bobby Robson call you then?’ to which Shola replied, ‘Carl Cort’! Always makes me laugh!

Isak and the agent: If you can’t say anything nice, you shouldn’t say anything at all.

So Alexander Isak’s agent, Vlado Lemic, has issued a statement about his client’s move to LiVARpool. A short, barbed sentence that I guess is meant to make reference to the so-called promises that were made and the fact that Newcastle/PIF were less than enthusiastic about letting Isak leave.

Lemic’s statement was simple, as I guess you’d expect. It said,

“It’s nice when you have someone to be with, but it’s even nicer when you know who you’ll never be with again.”

So, there’s a bit to unpick there really, but I’ll try to keep this relatively short as I’m actually quite keen to move on from our former number 14.

Firstly, never forget that your client always had someone to ‘be with’ and to suggest it’s nicer to know you’ll never be with them again is quite the insult.

Isak had team mates who loved playing with him, some who would become friends, who even after his antics have issued statements of their own, wishing him the best of luck. He had people like Jacob Murphy who supplied him through balls and crosses that meant that a great deal of the hard work had already been done. On top of this he had Eddie Howe and his coaching team, as well as all of the analysts and performance staff. All dedicated to one thing; squeezing every last bit of potential out of that squad and in particular people like Isak. Remember, he hadn’t exactly set the footballing world alight before Eddie Howe and Newcastle United got involved. Newcastle plucked him from relative obscurity, albeit at great cost, and turned him into one of the best strikers on the planet.

And while we’re on the subject of Eddie, maybe ask yourself what kind of person falls out with someone as dedicated, hard working and frankly brilliant as Eddie Howe?

If the statement is aimed at our owners, then it’s still pretty misguided, given the healthy wage that Isak was on at Newcastle. Maybe just be grateful for what you had rather than not acknowledging the privileged position a person is in when they’re earning well over a hundred grand a week in a region like ours, where it’s fair to say we’ve not always been the most prosperous in terms of wages, job security etc. Read the room, mate.

Alexander Isak also had an enormous amount of love and support from Newcastle fans, both in the stadium, the city and around the world. Put simply, he was idolised at Newcastle. It would be churlish of me to not mention that this idolisation was only right as well. Newcastle fans love a goalscorer, always have. So in part, it was a two way street. But for Lemic to issue a statement that in some interpretations, snubs our fans is at least very much lacking in class. But then again, are we really that surprised?

From enormous flag displays, a packed stadium chanting his name every week and thousands having his name on the back of their Toon shirts right the way through to kids mimicking his celebration in the playgrounds and football fields of the region; Alexander Isak was treated like a god on Tyneside.

Mr. Lemic, your client had plenty of people who backed him to the hilt during his time at Newcastle. You and he should thank your lucky stars that you were able to sample that because I’m sure that it felt a lot more than just ‘nice’. As for it being even nicer to never be with people again, well I think the feeling’s mutual.

Isak was lionised, idolised and adored by everyone associated with Newcastle United. And then the two of you came up with a despicable plan that took from hero to zero in no time at all. As many have said before me, good riddance!

Gallowgate Cult Heroes Number 17; Pavel Srnicek.

Football fans tend to fall in love with certain kinds of players. Goalscorers, obviously. Wingers or maverick attacking midfielders (now christened number 10s by the FIFA generation), anyone with flair or maybe even the player that’s all guts and glory, throwing himself into tackles that have the rest of us wincing. Goalkeepers? Not so much. But you’d have to be a hard hearted soul to not have had even a little bit of love for Pavel Srincek.

If my memory serves me rightly – and it frequently doesn’t – Pavel arrived on trial on Tyneside before being signed on a permanent deal by Jim Smith in 1991 from Czech side Banik Ostrava. He cost a mere £350,000 and would go on to make over 150 appearances, becoming a bit of a legend in the process.

The first Czech player to ever play for the club and the first foreign goalkeeper that I remember us having, the first thing that struck teenage me about Pav was his hair. If ever there was an eastern block haircut it was Pavel’s. Part mullet, part Cossack hat, it seemed to spawn out of the middle of his head and just journey outwards, ending in a fringe that almost covered his eyes. In his later years he’d grown it out, parted it and wore a little headband, looking pretty darned cool, but in 1991 he looked more like he should be in a bad death metal band.

Growing up in communist Czechoslovakia, Pavel only spoke Russian and initially struggled with the language barrier. This and what seemed like a natural instinct to come for every cross that entered the box saw him make a shaky start. Smith, the manager who’d signed him, had also been sacked and so Srincek made his debut in new boss Ossie Ardiles’s notoriously shaky side. He conceded 32 goals in his first 15 games (6 in one game against Tranmere…let that sink in, youngsters) and was subsequently dropped by Ardiles. But there was definitely something about this droopy haired Czech.

Pavel was a great shot stopper and of course would grow into a fine goalkeeper in his time on Tyneside. He became an important part of the squad under Kevin Keegan and in many ways was a pioneer with his willingness to take the ball with his feet and play out from the back. He grew braver as he got used to the league and was always capable of a spectacular save. And I think part of what endeared him to us Geordies was the guts he showed during hard times. Yes, he struggled to settle and adapt to the more physical side of the English game, but he never gave up and never gave anything less than 100% in terms of effort.

Pavel embraced life on Tyneside and revelled in the old terrace chant that told him ‘Pavel is a Geordie’. So when someone had a t-shirt with that very legend printed on the front for him at the end of the promotion season of 1993, he wore it with pride on the lap of honour after we’d hammered Leicester 7-1. Those of us who were there can no doubt close our eyes and see it now.

Pavel returned briefly to Ostrava in 1998, before joining Sheffield Wednesday later that same year. His career would later take him to Italy, with Brescia and Cosenza, before he headed back to the UK for short spells with Portsmouth and West Ham. From there he headed to Portugal, joining Beira Mar and making almost 100 appearances. And then, something truly special happened.

In 2006 Pavel came back to Newcastle as manager Glenn Roeder signed him as cover for Shay Given and Steve Harper. He would only actually make two appearances in his second spell, but the first would illustrate what a hero he was to our fans and would give me one of my favourite Pavel memories. With Shay Given pulling up injured late in the game vs Spurs at home, Pavel was thrust into action. He didn’t have a lot to do as there were literally three or four minutes left in the game and Newcastle led 3-1. But the noise from the standing ovation as he took to the field was spine tingling.

After a 17 year career with almost 350 appearances and 49 caps for Czech Republic, Pavel went into coaching, becoming the goalkeeping coach for Sparta Prague in 2012.

Sadly, as we all know, Pavel died aged only 47 in 2015 having suffered a cardiac arrest while out running in his homeland. A tragic loss, a cult hero and a proud adopted Geordie.

Gallowgate Cult Heroes; Number 16 – Peter Jackson.

As a football fan you sometimes spot players and wonder what it would be like if your team signed them. A bit of imaginary scouting, I suppose. I’ve done it loads over the years and then winced as said players have more often than not signed for other clubs. Peter Jackson was probably the first that I noticed who actually went on to sign for Newcastle.

I was 14 years old when he signed in October of 1986. Costing £250,000 from Bradford, Jacko was a no nonsense centre half that I’d probably seen on the telly and admired, wondering if there was any way we might go out and sign him because he looked, to my young eyes, a great fit for Newcastle and the kind of players that would be appreciated by our fans. Jackson was Bradford’s youngest ever captain and skippered them to the third division title in 1985, the same year as the Bradford Fire disaster.

He could play a little bit and was obviously a bit of a leader, but the best thing about him was the fact that he just got stuck in. He would fly into tackles and blocks and launch himself at headers; one of a dying breed who would stick their head in where plenty others would just shy away and say no thanks.

As someone who has always coveted wingers and strikers it was rare that I loved watching a defender as a kid. But Jacko changed that. When he wasn’t snarling at opposition centre forwards, he did actually play with a smile on his face and from day one it was abundantly evident that Peter felt privileged to play for Newcastle United.

Jacko played in some decent Toon sides that included the likes of Beardsley, Gazza, Roeder, Goddard and Mirandinha; sides that should have achieved more than they did. Mind you, he also played alongside Tony Cunningham, Frank Pingel and Ray Ranson, so maybe he never really stood a chance!

Making 72 appearances and scoring 3 goals, my abiding memory of Jackson was watching him emerge from the midst of a brawl against Portsmouth at home with two of their players – one might have been the loathsome mackem Kevin Dillon – in headlocks. Heroic stuff to a kid in their teens. If my memory serves me rightly he was inevitably sent off at a time when we were struggling in the league, but still, chinning two opposition players? Legend.

Leaving the Toon to return to Bradford in 1988, Jackson would go on to play for Huddersfield and Halifax, while later managing both Bradford and Huddersfield with relative success. He’s still spoken about in glowing terms by Bantams fans that I know and remains one of my favourite players from my formative years as a Newcastle fan to this day.

Magpie Moments Episode 2.

From limbs all over the terraces celebrating the latest goal to watching on helplessly as a much loved favourite is sold, as we found out last time, there are many types of moments as a football supporter. So, here’s some more Magpie Moments for you!

Fabian Schar’s thousand yard chip. Ok, so it wasn’t that far out and it was only last season, but I thought this one was well worth a revisit. Last season’s away game at Leicester was an excellent all round Toon performance. Three goals, a clean sheet and we can even throw in a cracking interview with Jacob Murphy on Sky afterwards. But none were the moment of the match. That came in the 11th minute of the game. Newcastle were already 1-0 up and cruising thanks to a Jacob Murphy tap in. Step forward Fabian Schar. Moving forward with the ball and still inside his own half, our Swiss genius looked up and decided that a chip at goal from 55 yards out was well and truly on. I mean, find me another centre half who thinks like this! Leicester’s defenders are up near the halfway line and their keeper has decided to go on the wander and is a good 30 yards from goal. Schar looks up and goes for goal and as the ball sails over the keeper’s head it’s odds on that Schar is joining Murphy on the scoresheet. The commentary team are giving it big ‘Ooooohs’ and we’re told ‘This could be something extraordinary’. But no, with a resounding ‘smack’ the ball hits the bar and despite his best efforts to shin it out for a goal kick, Murph is there to bundle it home. But imagine if Schar’s attempt had hit the net!

A Budgie saves the day! Hands up if you’ve ever watched a football match in an ice jockey rink. Aye, there won’t be many of us! But one of my personal favourite memories of watching Newcastle happened in Whitley Bay Ice Rink. Despite wagging school and queuing up outside St. James’ from very early, we couldn’t get tickets for the away leg of the now infamous Play Off semi final against Sunderland at Roker Park. But our disappointment was tempered when someone told us of a beamback at Whitley Bay Ice Rink of all places and so we bought tickets that same morning. So, on a Sunday morning in May 1990 we found ourselves sat high up in the ice rink as a big screen beamed back grainy images from Joker Park. Strangely, we’d managed to arm ourselves with a cut out of Uri Geller’s hand in the hope that the legendary spoonbender might bring us some luck. It was a scrappy game with very little goalmouth action until a penalty was given to sunderland in the final minute. There was nothing else for it but to place all available hands on Uri’s! Then, we started to try and channel his superpowers, chanting ‘We Three Are One’, something we still do to this day. Safe to say that it was a bit of an unusual sight as Paul Hardyman ran forward to take the kick. It felt like there was going to be nothing we could do to avoid taking a defeat into the second leg at St. James’ Park. But as their left back placed his penalty to the left hand side of the goal, our keeper John Burridge sprung over and dived onto the ball. Cue absolute bedlam, which got worse as we watched the penalty taker go on to kick Burridge while he lay on the floor. At least one of us toppled down the seats of the ice rink, drinks were spilled, beanie hats thrown and Uri Geller’s photocopied hand was lost forever. But we’d had our moment and surely the second leg at home was to be a formality. Sadly not though and the rest is history. However, the Budgie moment will live with me and my mates forever!

Hibbitt’s pass, Supermac’s goal! I wasn’t there as I was only actually two years old, buy I’ve heard all about this one as well as having watched it time and time again over the years. What a goal and what a moment! In between telling me all about Tony Green and Malcolm MacDonald, my dad is happy to wax lyrical about Terry Hibbitt’s pass for the second goal and I used to think that he’d romanticised it, having been at Hillsborough that day. He hadn’t. This was the FA Cup semi final from 1974, played at Hillsborough and having been under intense pressure from Burnley for much of the match Newcastle had scored on the break in the 65th minute. Our number 9 Malcolm MacDonald had scored after chasing a long ball from Terry Hibbitt having been almost wrestled to the ground by the Burnley centre half. But the moment of the match came ten minutes later, again on the break. Burnley launch a high ball into the box and Bob Moncur heads it out. It drops to John Tudor who hooks it clear out towards our left where Hibbitt is running on to it. Hibbitt lets it bounce once and then hits the sweetest left foot, first time through ball over the Burnley centre half and into Supermac’s path. Supermac seems to use his bollocks for the first touch, knocking the ball into his path and then finishing with a bobbling shot through the keeper’s legs. Cue bedlam! If you’ve never seen it, get on YouTube and search it out. If you were there, feel free to let us know how it felt!

And there we have it. Three more Magpie Moments and a fair few more to come! Howay the Lads!