Father’s Day arrived three months early – Wow! | OneFootball

Like so many other Newcastle United fans, this morning I have opened up my Father’s Day cards.

Also some presents to open.

Forgive me my children but Father’s Day has already been and gone.

Three months ago actually.

To be precise, it was a Sunday exactly 13 weeks ago.

On Sunday 16 March 2025 all my Father’s Days came at once.

What a day, what a night!

Yes, Newcastle United fans saw their team win a trophy and life was never going to be quite the same again.

I am somebody who has never really been that bothered about Newcastle United winning a trophy.

If one day we won something, great.

However, it was never something that overwhelmed me, not something where my life wouldn’t be complete without United winning something in my time supporting the club, home and away.

I always just wanted to see Newcastle United compete, as we did with Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson, where every match we went into you thought it was possible NUFC could win.

Born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, the Princess Mary Hospital to be precise, I just felt lucky to grow up in such a city/region, where you then automatically became a Newcastle United fan.

Pride in our city and football club are inextricably entwined.

Once city, one club. It does make it different.

Along with the fact that we are so geographically (and culturally?) cut off from the rest of the country. Only our near neighbour Mackems to keep us company up in the frozen north.

Newcastle United fans are like no other and I have always been so proud to be one. It doesn’t mean I like every single one of them and within every large group of people, you will always get wrong uns.

However, from those first days of going in the Leazes End in the 1970s, then travelling the country as part of a huge black and white army that turned up en masse at towns and cities near and far, so many great memories.

Yes, no doubt if we had all been doing this whilst at the same time winning a trophy every other season, I can’t deny it would have taken the whole experience to another level.

However, I feel so sorry for so many who chose to ‘support’ the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, who only see ‘supporting’ their clubs in terms of sitting at home and counting how many trophies they have won. The modern day seeing this argued out continually online between the ‘fans’ of Manchester United and Liverpool.

Not a single Newcastle United fan can be called a ‘gloryhunter’, maybe we will have them in the future, lets hope so! As of course that will mean that finally we will all be able to count trophies as well.

You have to start somewhere of course and that first trophy of most of our lifetimes supporting Newcastle United, arrived on Sunday 16 March 2025.

As I said earlier, whether Newcastle United won trophies or not, didn’t define me as a fan.

However, I can’t deny that now we have won silverware, it was pretty special.

My main reason for feeling so happy about the dominant performance over Liverpool that delivered the League Cup, was the happiness that I saw it brought so many people. So many people that I know, as well as so many other Newcastle United fans that I don’t know.

We have got the monkey off our back, it feels a massive moment in this era of Newcastle United. A moment now delivered that could, realistically, lead to other very special moments.

I have got it all now, a team that can compete and could potentially win any match they play, as well as now supporting a club that wins trophies.

On this Father’s Day, I thought of certain other fathers and how proud they will feel about their kids.

It came to mind just how proud a certain Mr Burn, father of BDB, must feel after what his son has achieved in recent times. Playing for England is remarkable after his journey BUT imagine if it was your son who met the ball with that towering header at Wembley?!!!

One of the most famous Newcastle United fathers is of course Bruno’s dad.

A well known figure watching his son home and away and part of Bruno’s extended family who are loving life on Tyneside.

His father wears his heart on his sleeve clearly 24 hours a day when it comes to his son Bruno.

However, seeing what he has done for Newcastle United fans and our club this past season in particular, leading us to glory, Wow! How must Bruno’s father have felt 13 weeks ago when his son won at Wembley?

I just checked and in Brazil, Father’s Day is actually celebrated on the second Sunday of August, which this year is Sunday 10 August 2025.

However, with Bruno Guimaraes having two Geordie sons born here, I have a feeling that Bruno’s family may well celebrate both Father’s Days. The Brazilian one and here in their second home on Tyneside.

Bruno’s kids are now natural born Newcastle United fans, they have no choice! They were born here and this is their home, hopefully for many years. However, even if they move away in the future, just like their dad (and grandfather), Bruno’s kids will now be Newcastle fans for the rest of their lives. Just like the rest of us.