The date was June 11 1969, Newcastle United heroically recovered from 2 0 down to beat Upjest Dozsa 3-2 and in so doing won the Inter City Fairs Cup (the old UEFA Cup). Two months and seven days later, I was born. The timing of my birth became an unhappy part of my supporting career as Newcastle have failed to win a major trophy in my lifetime. They have come close a few times but they seem destined never to reach the top: to promise the Earth...but fail to deliver.
If I had known at the age of thirteen the torment they would put me through, would I have still supported them?
Whey aye!
Richard Stephenson's upbringing in Tynemouth didn't exactly fulfil the country's stereotype of the average Newcastle United fan of the 1980s, living in the historically rich seaside town that held little of the traditional industrial image of the North-East. The shipyards were just an outline on the up-river horizon while the nearest coal mines existed beyond Blyth power station to the North. Only the occasional smell of rotten fish from North Shields fish quay, hinted at the existence of any local industry. His background just wasn't working class enough or his accent strong enough to really be an accepted Newcastle fan on the Gallowgate terrace.
A visit to St James Park when he was thirteen, nevertheless, proved to be the major turning point in his life. Soon, Newcastle took over as the promotion ride to the First Division, led by the trio of Kevin Keegan, Peter Beardsley and Chris Waddle, soon gave way to the trials and tribulations that are so familiar to football supporters across the world.
Over the years that followed:
Heroes arrived then departed (Chris Waddle, Paul Gascoigne, Andy Cole).
Players failed to live up to expectations (Mirandinha, Beasant, Stimson...)
Cup upsets bewildered (Brighton, Bradford, Bournemouth...).
Away grounds were visited ( Arsenal, Rangers, Sunderland, Carlisle, Stoke...).
Scrapes with rival supporters were escaped from (Heart of Midlothian, Millwall, Chelsea...)
And friends were made (Tottenham, West Ham, Portsmouth...).
The highs, the lows, the early morning / late night bus and train trips are chronicled over the years from 1984 to 2000.
Written from the viewpoint of a supporter it is as much about Newcastle as it is about the trials and tribulations of growing up as a football supporter both home and away. Documenting his passage through teenage years to eventual marriage to a Middlesbrough fan and fatherhood...
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