FOOTBALL CLUB WORLD

Huddersfield Town
v
Newcastle United
7th May 1984
Football League Division 2
(score 2-2)

I would like to take you back to May 1984 when United clinched promotion at Huddersfield Town's Leeds Road,one of the first grounds to be replaced by a modern stadium.

Newcasle clinched promotion after a six year absence back to Division 1,these were the days of course before The Premiership and SKY TV,when it was good old fashioned Divisions 1,2,3 and 4.It was also a time long before squad numbers and rotation,instead it was tight shorts,curly perms with matching moustaches and standing on the terraces(you got called a puff if you went in the seats!)where you sang about 20 different songs at the match and not the same 3 or 4 that you hear nowadays.

This was the first coming of the "Geordie Messiah King Kev"whose experience on the field led us to promotion with flowing attacking football with a trio of forwards in Chrissy Waddle,the legend Peter Beardsley along side the curly haired one himself.When Keegan arrived at Newcastle we were described as a "Sleeping Giant" compare that to now where "We are the 7th Biggest Club in Europe" (Freddie Shepherds words,not mine!)

This was the era long before the Toon Army,this was a band of supporters who travelled up and down the country with the Newcastle United Supporters Club [RIP,sadly missed :-( ]we were 'The Sarnie Squad' my most memorable time following NUFC,booking up at the shop in the Haymarket,making sure you got your membership book stamped,so you could show off how many away matches you had been to,and travelling with the fleet of Armstrong Galley coaches,Happy Days!

So the last away match of the season at Huddersfield,Newcastle needed a point to secure promotion,we were virtually up anyway due to a superior goal difference but not according to the League table on Football Focus and Grandstand cause that what really counts.Out talisman Special K was injured and missed his only game that season,but we knew we would be ok,Keegan was retiring and we had to start getting use to not having him in the side.

22years have gone by since this game,and it's hard thinking back so long ago especially with the amount of alchohol that has entered my bloodstream in that time,your memory goes a bit when you hit your forties,so here's a list of my recollections of the day-;

-Being 2-0 down after half an hour and the bloke next to me saying "We're shite without Keegan,we're a one man team"

-Fans climbing the floodlight pylons for a better view of the game (see pic)

-Scuffles breaking out in the paddock terrace between rival fans (naughty,but it was normal in those days)

-Two pieces of Beardsley magic,first a crackin shot from outside the box for the first goal,and then setting up David Mills for the equaliser.

-The fans invading the pitch on the final whistle and carrying the players off

-The players doing a lap of honour after the game and another appearance of the 'Kenny Wharton Pride Of Blakelaw' banner.

So it was goodbye to the 2nd Division and a welcome return to the top flight,and even now I can remember my first thought on achieving promotion was not seeing the best teams and players in the country but lots of new grounds to go to!I haven't changed that much,well apart from the 'tache.

(Click on thumbnails for larger image)

Many thanks to my old mucker John Moody

for supplying the photos,there's plenty of canny

'taches on there,incase you didn't spot me I'm

sitting on the right hand side of the coach in Newcastle shirt

with propably the best 'tache of the lot.

(maybe a nomination for Hobotreads 'Great Sporting

'Taches :-} )