Little did we know in early teens we’d have to wait this long to witness Newcastle United win something | OneFootball

The wait for Newcastle United finally winning a trophy is over.

We all have our own stories about the day and about what got us here. This is mine:

Let me take you back to Wednesday 30th August 1995. Newcastle had got off to a flyer, with three wins from three. Eight goals scored, only one conceded and £14m pounds worth of new signings were in the line-up.

The 36,000 capacity revamp of SJP had just been completed but for 13 year old me, I had little to no chance of getting a ticket to watch the lads in action. A first ever Tyne-Tees derby against the Smoggies meant even less chance of getting to the game.

At the time I lived in the Midlands, although the vast majority of my family were Newcastle-born through and through. My Granny was born along the Scotswood Road and you ‘divvin’t’ get more Geordie than that.

Newcastle was in my blood. That summer I was staying at my Auntie Eileen’s in Benwell. I kept working on my older Cousin Iain, who was the only member of the family with a season ticket at the time, to let me go to the Boro game in his place. No such luck, although I did try.

But fear not, back then the old Odeon on Pilgrim Street used to have beam backs of the game. You needed at least one adult to accompany at least one child to go. I had other cousins who were around my age who were in the same position as me and couldn’t get tickets to get into the stadium. So we decided that going to the Odeon was the next best option.

All we needed was an adult to take us. That proved to be the most difficult part, until it was decided my cousin Lynsay would play the part of the adult. Being the eldest of the four of us at 14, made her the most likely to pass as an adult and she was the most responsible one. Both her siblings were even younger than me, so it kind of made sense at the time.

Anyway, off we went into town on the bus, back in the days when they were still yellow and ran by Newcastle Busways. An element of nervousness to match the excitement of watching the game. Feeling slightly out of place wearing my old Asics Blue Star shirt from the previous season, I hadn’t yet been given the upgraded Adidas Grandad Collar version my cousins had.

‘Howay Adam, let’s sit upstairs.’ Lynsay encouraged as the bus driver was trying to argue I was an adult and not getting on paying a child fare. The irony!

Once jobsworth bus driver had been navigated we took our seats upstairs where conversation went onto just how good Peter Beardsley was and how he was our favourite player.

Having taken our seats in the Odeon, the game soon got underway and surprisingly Boro were making life difficult for us. Apart from Neil Cox who was never quite the same after this game, having been run ragged by a swaggering David Ginola.

Then in the 67th minute, relief as Les Ferdinand headed home the winner from a left wing cross, with his celebration taking place with his arms caught up in the net. The game stayed 1-0 and we had taken 12 points from 12, surely this was going to be our year, a League Championship, or a Cup, but a trophy of some kind to end the domestic drought at 40 years.

‘You know cuz, we will have to meet up again and witness Newcastle winning a trophy someday.’ Lynsay suggested as we headed home.

In my mind that meant May 1996 and the Premier League title. Iain somehow ended up on our bus as we headed home and he had a programme for me from the game. Then it was straight in the house to watch Match of the Day with his older siblings, Barbara and Colin, as we rewatched Ginola tormenting Neil Cox.

Life at that moment was perfect. Being an exiled Geordie made it tough, growing up in a school full of Man United fans even worse. So being surrounded by family members who were not just black and white but were proper Geordies made it feel even more special.

The next day it was time to head back home and we all know how the end of that season played out. You think it was bad living on Tyneside in 1996 after we blew the title. Try going to a school where 90% of the kids were supporting our rivals for the title. It was unbearable.

A couple of years later we moved back North and I got to live in the greatest city this country has ever produced. Just a shame the team was no longer one good enough to match.

First Dalglish took us to a final in 1998 and well, that was a disaster, then we lost to Man United in 1999, and that was even more painful. Neither occasion saw Newcastle turn up.

The semi-final a year later against Chelsea under Bobby Robson, was in some ways worse, as we had played well and certainly hadn’t deserved to lose. Had we got to the final that year there was more than a chance we would have beaten a very average Aston Villa side.

‘Kieron Dyer will get several more chances in his career to win a trophy’ barked the commentator at the time. Really? How did that end up?

The years wore on. A trip to Marseille didn’t work out, then I went to Cardiff in 2005 where it would have been better if we hadn’t gone at all.

Then the Fat Cockney bought the club and any last vestige of hope of winning something was obliterated by his regime.

Fast forward to 2023. Things were exciting again. Another final, Man United again, argh! The Strawberry, mine and Lynsay’s choice of venue to watch our latest failure, was chaotic and too rammed to enjoy it. The game is not helping.

“We’ll be back and next time we will win it” everyone kept saying. Where have I heard that one before?

That brings us to 2025. Liverpool. The best team in the country right now, with Mo Salah in the form of his career. Why do we always end up playing the league champions when we get to a final? The likes of Swansea City played a fourth tier side in 2013 for crying out loud! Why?

This time we decided to keep it local and we went to The Denton along the West Road. Ideal choice as this felt more like home to me. Growing up, every school holiday was spent in Benwell or Denton Burn, this was my patch, this is where my family are from.

The game kicks off, 15 minutes in it feels different, we are playing well. Scratch that, we are the best team on the pitch. Liverpool have barely had a kick. It won’t last, it’s Newcastle, we will find a way to mess it up. Bang 1-0. ‘He’s From Blyth! You’ll Never Ever Beat Dan Burn!’

This doesn’t normally happen. Newcastle, leading at Wembley, in a Final?

Half time chat includes, ‘we better not sit back and let them come at us, keep doing what we did in that first half.’ And ‘I had an onion ring last night that was in the shape of an 8. I am telling ya, it’s a sign Tonali is going to score and we are going to win.’

Second half, bang 2-0. Or not. Flag goes up and after a VAR check it decides Bruno was blocking their goalie. What if that’s the turning point Liverpool needs? What if our heads drop? Bang 2-0, doesn’t matter. ‘Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, a striker from Sweden, he’s our number 14 and he plays in attack!’

The pub erupts, Shearer is going crazy on the TV, 2-0 come on! Not even we can screw this up, can we?

The head keeps telling you, don’t get carried away, this is Newcastle United, how many times has this happened. The heart is telling you something else, this is different, this time is our time.

The clock ticks on, Liverpool now have five strikers on the pitch, eight minutes stoppage time. Bang. Enrico Chiesa makes it a one goal game. Why is he even playing? Why would you leave Juventus to sit on Liverpool’s bench anyway? He did look canny in black and white though, maybe we can sign him in the next window. Focus man, more added time onto the original added time because of the VAR check.

We are so close now, we can just about reach out and touch the silverware. One mistake though and it will be extra time and we know Liverpool will come back and win it. But it doesn’t matter, full time whistle has gone.

Grown men are crying, strangers are hugging, bairns lifted into the air like trophies. We’ve done it.

Suddenly the years of disappointment flashes before you and one by one you feel them evaporate from your soul…

1996 Title Blown

1997 Keegan Leaving

1998 FA Cup Final Loss

1999 FA Cup Final Loss

2000 FA Cup Semi Final Loss

2003 Shearer Penalty Miss Costs Us Champions League Spot

2004 Souness Appointed Manager

2005 Lisbon and Cardiff Semi Final Losses in Same Week

2008 The Fat Man Destroys Newcastle

2009 Relegation

2016 Relegation

2023 League Cup Final Loss

It’s over. The Wait is Over. Newcastle United have won a trophy! In my lifetime! The big screen says ‘NEWCASTLE UNITED WIN CARABAO CUP’ It’s lying, it’s not real, it can’t be. But it is real and now we’re not quite sure how to react. We’re not used to winning.

I grab Lynsay, ‘we’ve done it.’ We scream simultaneously. Followed by a few expletives.

Little did we know when we were in our early teens we would have to wait this long to witness Newcastle United win something. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait as long for the next one.