I had lost my heart to Newcastle United | OneFootball

One for sorrow, Two for Joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret never to be told, Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss, Eleven for health, Twelve for wealth, Thirteen beware it’s the devil himself.

Where do you start when you embark on a series called Geordie Favourites?

If you were to ask a hundred Geordies to list their top twenty Newcastle United players and mark them one to twenty in order of merit, the chances are very few of the hundred lists would be exactly the same.

Ask the same hundred Geordies to list their top twenty magic Newcastle United memories in order and I bet no two lists would be the same.

The choice is very personal and can change over time. As we are all different, these Geordie Favourites are in fact this Geordie’s Favourites and are in no particular order.

For this week’s Geordie Favourite, I would like to tell you about the first time I fell head over heels in love!

I was ten years old at the time, my family and I had just celebrated Christmas and New Year.

It was the 2nd of January 1960, I can vividly remember getting off the bus at Worswick Street Bus Station with my Dad. As we walked through the streets of Newcastle the people seemed to multiply, all of them seemingly walking in the same direction, before long we were caught in a mass of excited people, with each step the excitement seemed to go up another notch.

Before long this river of people had become a sea, then before my eyes, the sea of people seemed to spread out. In front of me stood two huge open iron gates, beyond the gates and to the left was a long car park with a few parked cars scattered in the marked parking bays, as the car park stretched its way up the hill the density of parked cars made it impossible to park at the top of the vast tarmac area. To the right of the car park was the back of the main stand which to a ten year old looked like a huge hay barn with a few scattered windows in it.

My eyes were drawn to a door with a sign above it which said ‘Players & Officials, the door seemed to open magically as two well dressed figures walked towards it, no it can’t be, yes it was, the unmistakable figures of the balding Jimmy Scoular alongside Len White (pictured below).

As I nudged my Dad, I remember his smile, it was as wide as the Town Moor. Reet lad this way, as we about turned and headed back down the hill, we stopped at the back of a small queue being faced by a short fellow, I remember his distinctive flat cap. He was selling what looked like small paperback books. Dad gave the chap a threepence piece (it was still more than 11 years before decimalisation hit us) and he handed me the magazine.

My first ever Toon programme.

Then we found the end of the long snake like double file of people taking their turns to get through one of the turnstiles to gain entry to the Gallowgate End of St James; Park, home of Newcastle United FC.

By now, the grey winter Newcastle day was turning to night. Then as if by magic, as I walked through the turnstile, the floodlights erupted into the brightest light I had ever experienced. As the turnstiles segregated men from boys (the signs did really say ‘Men & Boys’, no discrimination then, mind you not many females attended games and those that did didn’t argue and took their place among the men and boys, it didn’t seem to be an issue).

We climbed the steps to the back of the Gallowgate, the chanting from the fans getting louder and louder as each step was taken. Then it happened, at the top of the stairs I looked out onto the brightest football pitch I had ever seen. Even though the goalmouths were muddy, the centre circle was bare and grooves were etched where linesmen had pounded their beat. I was smitten, I had lost my heart, the world would never be the same again. Never did I imagine that in my lifetime the game would be played on surfaces akin to a Crown Bowling Green than that St James’ Park pitch that I first clapped my eyes on back in 1960. Little did I realise that this would become a passion, a passion that would engulf my very being, getting stronger and stronger as each year passed.

And now to the game!

Newcastle United v Manchester United

Our Team:-

Our manager Charlie Mitten had decided that Ronnie Simpson, our Cup winning goalkeeper from 1955, was over the hill and replaced him with Brian Harvey, later in 1960 Ronnie signed for Hibs, by 1967 he was in the Celtic team that won The European Cup. Mitten was a fine judge!

Our full-backs were both Northern Ireland Internationals, Dick Keith at right back won 20 international caps, while left-back Alf McMichael donned the Northern Ireland shirt in 40 internationals. Dick left us to play for Bournemouth, he later played for Weymouth. While still a Weymouth player he was involved in an accident at a builders yard, an automatic garage door that he was dismantling fell on top of him, he was only 33 when he died. Dick’s full-back partner McMichael was a no nonsense tough tackling defender, the story was that the great Stanley Matthews made limited appearances at St James’ Park because he didn’t relish being marked by Alf. Arguably one of our all time greatest left=backs he played in the 1952 cup final win against Arsenal but missed the 1955 triumph against Manchester City.

This game was played prior to the centre-back era, in those days a team’s strength often depended on its half-back line. Right half Jimmy Scoular, centre-half Jackie Bell, left-half and captain Bobby Stokoe. It was said that if The Magpies had been able to turn out this half-back line more often, success would have been certain, but injuries, illnesses and age curtailed this.

Jimmy Scoular (pictured above) was famous for his combative style, which married to his precision passing, made him a formidable opponent. After he had won the top English division with Portsmouth, we paid the then princely sum of £26,000 for his services. A nine times Scottish International, Jimmy captained us in the 1955 cup final. This game was to be one of Scoular’s last games for us before he was transferred to Bradford North Avenue. In the middle of this half-back line was one of The Toon’s finest locally produced footballers of all time, born in Evenwood, Jackie Bell would have been one of the greatest English central defenders of all time if it hadn’t been for his chronic diabetes. Advances in modern medicine now offers control of this illness, back then things were very different. While at school Jackie distinguished himself by representing England Schoolboys. As he progressed he was chosen for the England under 23 squad but bouts of his condition became more and more regular.

Big Frank Brennan had retired in 1956 and even though Bobby Stokoe had performed admirably at centre half in the 1955 FA Cup Final it’s safe to say no one had really made the position their own till the stylish Jackie Bell came along. Unfortunately, being a diabetic cost Jackie what would, no doubt, have been a glittering career and even though he went on to play for Norwich and Colchester, by the time he was twenty eight his days as a footballer were finished.

As Jimmy Scoular’s days on Tyneside were drawing to a close, the captaincy had been passed to our former centre-half Bob Stokoe, this born leader had been moved to left-half to accommodate the talented Jackie Bell. Bob played for both Newcastle and Sunderland, he managed Sunderland in their last FA Cup Final win against Leeds United. It must be added that Bobby Stokoe is one of a handful of players to be hero worshipped by both the Black and White Army and the Wearsiders too.

Our two wingers for the game were Gordon Hughes and George Luke.

On the right, Gordon Hughes was still working down the pit and had just finished a shift when he turned out for this game. Gordon, who was born in Washington, was known as the “Fatfield Flyer”, he played one hundred and forty three times for the magpies before being transferred to Derby County. During his time at Derby he gained an Engineering Degree while working for Rolls Royce. Our normal left winger for many years, including three FA Cups, was Bobby Mitchell, or “Bobby Dazzler” as our supporters called him, however, his place for this game was taken by George Luke. George was still serving his apprenticeship as a plumber when he signed for us in 1950, after failing to make the first team he moved on to Hartlepool in 1953. Geordie returned to Gallowgate in 1959 for a fee of £4,000 after an upturn in form. This upturn didn’t last long and after just over a year, four goals and twenty seven appearances later, he was on his travels again this time to Darlington, where he lasted a couple of seasons before retiring.

In 1957 the great “Wor Jackie” Jackie Milburn had moved to Ireland to become a legend for the second time in his career, this time with Linfield. Before Jackie left, he had been playing on the wing or as an inside forward, his famous number nine shirt having been taken over by my favourite ever Toon player Len White, this game was living proof that Len deserves a place in history as one of our greatest centre forwards.

The inside forward positions in any good team at the time were filled by ball playing wizards, our number eight and number ten were no exception to this rule.

At number eight we had a player who would change the course of the game both on and off the pitch. George Eastham OBE was later a member of the 1966 England winning World Cup squad. We had little idea of what was to transpire between this game and the 1966 triumph. Born in Blackpool, George joined Newcastle United in 1956 , at the end of season 1959-60 Eastham asked for a transfer and our Board of Directors said no. The rules then were loaded on the side of the club making it impossible for a player to move if his club wanted to retain him. Ernie Clay, a Yorkshire businessman and later chairman of Fulham Football Club, promised financial backing if George mounted a legal challenge, the case went to court, the outcome was a resounding judgement in favour of George Eastham (pictured below) stating that the Football League’s transfer regulations were unlawful.

This was the forerunner of The European Court of Justice passing what has become known as The Bosman Ruling.

After the dispute had become public, George went on strike until the club decided to sell him to Arsenal. During the season in which this game was played, this mercurial Englishman played all 42 games and scored 18 times, his transfer cost Arsenal £47,500 in the October of 1960. George Eastham would have played in the 1966 World Cup winning team if Alf Ramsey had not decided to use Bobby Charlton as a deep lying centre forward, or in modern terms, a False Number Nine. After leaving Arsenal this artisan of great renown served Stoke City, eventually he became Stoke Manager until he was given the elbow in 1977.

At number ten was a player given the title of The Welsh Wizard. Ivor Allchurch (pictured above), The Golden Boy of Welsh Football, began his rise to fame at Swansea Town before they became a City. Swansea had many offers for the services of Ivor but they managed to hang on to him for over 10 years, at the age of 28 Ivor exchanged one goal field for another and joined Newcastle United for a fee of £28,000, he had played for us a couple of years by the time of this game, later becoming our captain till 1962 when he joined Cardiff City, he ended his career where it began at Swansea, becoming their all time top scorer. Ivor was awarded the MBE for his service to football with 68 Welsh International Caps scoring 23 times for his country. While playing 154 times for us he scored 51 times, making him the 34th top Newcastle United goalscorer of all time.

The match

The game kicked off and it didn’t take long for the scoring to start as Gordon Hughes, fresh from a shift down the pit, scored after seven minutes. Len White added a second less than ten minutes later. Dawson got the Red Devils back into the game scoring after 27 minutes. Len White got his second to make the score 3-1 to the lads at half-time.

Not long into the second half Len White completed his hat-trick to make it 4-1. Quixall gave Manchester United a little hope when he made it 4-2. Man of the match George Eastham crowned a fine performance after 66 minutes to make it 5-2. Centre-half Jackie Bell put our supporters onto cloud nine when he scored our 6th for 6-2. Quixall got his second for the Old Trafford team to make it 6-3. A fine historic victory was sealed when Ivor Allchurch completed the scoring to make it 7-3 four minutes from the end.

What a game, what memories, definitely one of this Geordie’s Favourites.

As we were leaving the ground my Dad put it into perspective when he said “don’t expect it to be like this every time”, it wasn’t, but I had lost my heart.