Newcastle United assistance – Ten of the best | OneFootball

It’s only in the modern day game, that the players who provide assists get the credit they rightfully deserve, when the media delve into looking at the goalscoring stats.

I’m going to choose my 10 favourite assists by Newcastle United players since I’ve been supporting the club.

I’m going to do this in chronological order and first up is a man who was more accustomed to being on the end of chances created.

It’s March 1974 and after a pitch invasion against Nottingham Forest in the 6th Round of the FA Cup, United have miraculously clawed themselves back into the game with ten men.

It’s 3-3 and John Tudor picks up the ball 30 yards out on the right, he then literally blasts a ‘shot come cross’ to the back of the Forest goal.

Instead of heading for goal, Malcolm Macdonald expertly cushioned a header to onrushing Toon skipper Bob Moncur to finish the move off. A truly fantastic assist by our famous No.9.

Supermac did a lot of unrecognised work for the team and had also been instrumental in our equalising goal minutes earlier (winning the ball on the halfway line and giving it to Terry Hibbitt, who carried the ball down the left wing before superbly crossing for John Tudor to score with a trademark diving header).

Terry Hibbitt was responsible for the greatest through ball I have ever seen, in the 1974 FA Cup semi-final against Burnley at Hillsborough.

Newcastle had taken a second half lead against a dogged Burnley side who kept coming forward.

With our rearguard under the cosh, the ball was headed out from the edge of the 18 yard box to little Terry who was slightly out on the left, still 30 yards inside his own half.

Without looking up, he hit a first time ball 50 yards that landed on a sixpence for his big mate Supermac, who did the rest.

Kevin Keegan famously hit the first four Newcastle goals in a 5-1 win against Rotherham at Millmoor in 1982. The ground was chocka with Geordies, and after a superb defence splitting pass by Terry McDermott, Kevin rounded the home keeper for his first.

It was a truly stunning goal but Terry Mac’s pass would be eclipsed in the second half.

With the Toon leading 3-0, Mick Martin was pulling the strings in midfield. When ‘Zico’ picked the ball up 35 yards from goal there seemed nothing on, until with a swish of his right boot he had wrongfooted and bamboozled the whole of the home defence, leaving Keegan to volley into the top corner.

It’s roughly 4.50pm at a tension filled and emotionally drained St James’ Park on an April day in 1992. The bloke next to me is sadly weeping as United seek inspiration from the heavens.

Tommy Wright passes the ball out to Ray Ranson, who then carries it forward before launching it diagonally 50 yards towards the edge of the Portsmouth defence.

After hanging in the air for what seemed like an eternity the ball finally dropped like a stone. Mick Quinn didn’t let it hit the deck and in one movement cushioned the ball and deftly hung it up for David Kelly to smash it home. Viva Mick.

A few months later Newcastle are top of the then First Division and head to Ayresome Park to play Premier League Boro in the League Cup.

Liam O’Brien sensationally puts United 2-1 up with a 25 yard guided missile ten minutes from time.

In the last minute of injury time, United rub salt into Boro’s wounds. In an instant Rob Lee has gathered the ball and sends Lee Clark away. After a lung bursting run Lee has carried it into the box, but instead of shooting, he casually and unselfishly rolls the ball to David Kelly to tap in his second of the night. This killer goal left the Holgate End speechless and Lee did a little jig of delight.

After a pre-match glass of wine, Faustino Asprilla came off the bench to make his United debut against Boro at the Riverside in 1996.

After bamboozling Boro fullback Neil Cox a couple of times with some outrageous skill, he then turned his attention to Paul Vickers down the left.

Tino turned Vickers inside out twice, before delivering a pinpoint cross that Steve Watson got on the end of with a bullet header.

Keith Gillespie was never one of my favourite Toon players. I even once went on record as saying that he couldn’t trap a bag of cement. But what he did have was tremendous pace.

This was no more in evidence than on an incredible night in 1997, when Newcastle defeated the mighty Barcelona at Gallowgate with a Tino hat-trick.

You can take your pick from the two crosses that Gillespie perfectly delivered for Tino to score from.

You have to accompany the next assist with the Benny Hill theme tune to thoroughly appreciate it.

Alexander Isak picks up the ball on the left touchline against Everton at Goodison in 2023.

He is surrounded by Everton players but they cannot get it off him, as he continually wriggles past blue shirts while still hugging the byline. After yet another shimmy by Alex, the ball finally ends up at the feet of Jacob Murphy who prods it home.

It’s nearing the end of the 2023/24 campaign and in the first 21 minutes at St James’ Park, Spurs are caught in an absolute blitzkrieg.

United bang in five in those opening 21 minutes but the pick of the lot is when Joe Willock receives the ball wide on the left and just inside his own half.

Little Joe doesn’t need time to look up or think, and dispatches a wonderful through ball with the outside of his right peg to Ice Cold Alex who does the rest.

And last but not least and without any argument is the most important assist in my living memory.

United are on top at Wembley against Liverpool and after Isak has a goal ruled out for offside we are back on the prowl.

Harvey Barnes picks the ball up and sends Tino Livramento away down the left. Tino shakes off his marker and sends a measured cross to the back stick, where who other than Jacob Murphy outjumps his man to set up Alexander the Great for the winning goal. I went Jacobs crackers in my living room.

I suppose this has been a bit of a long read by my usual standards. This is probably because I was typing in between overs during England’s magnificent victory over India at Headingley. I suppose any cricket lover can get carried away in those kind of circumstances.