Newcastle's best ever XI ... The left-back 🤛 | OneFootball

As football remains sidelined by the coronavirus, we’re reflecting on what Newcastle’s best ever XI would look like.

Today we’re picking the left-back.

Here are the nominees …

3rd – Frank Clark

For a club who walk out onto the field at St James’ Park to the strains of Local Hero, there’s something special about a player going from the Gallowgate to the field.

Clark is one of those examples as he clocked up 457 appearances during his time at the club in the ’60s and ’70s, putting him fourth in the club’s record books in that regard.

If there was one weakness, it was that he managed just one goal for all of those outings but his legend was cemented forever as he went from the old Second Division to Fairs Cup glory with the club he loved.

2nd – John Beresford

His spell at the club may not have been as long as others but if you watched Beresford starring for Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers outfit, you’ll know exactly why he features.

Tenacious and stylish, he was a lynchpin in one of the strongest Newcastle sides ever to take to the field and understandably given who his manager was, ‘Bez’ was as vital in the opposing half as he was in his own.

He went on to appear in almost 200 games for the Magpies but as anyone who saw him will remind you, he was an exceptional defender too.

And the winner is … Frank Hudspeth

Hudspeth beats out some very stiff competition for this position as his incredible body of work quite simply speaks for itself and made him a Toon icon.

He is second on the club’s all-time appearances list, having represented his local club for almost two decades, during which time he also scored 38 goals thanks to his accuracy from the penalty spot.

His ‘Old Surefoot’ nickname will give you an example of how dependable Hudspeth was for team-mates and fans alike.

Hudspeth was also captain of Newcastle sides which won both the league title and FA Cup.

Here’s how the team is looking so far …

GK: Shay Given RB: Bill McCracken LB: Frank Hudspeth

Check back tomorrow when we will be choosing the first centre-back.