SEASON
902-03
THE 1
ER MANN
WORDS//PET
14
After consecutive top six finishes
throughout the previous three
seasons, that which surrounded
the 1902-03 season would become
something of a damp squib for
followers of Newcastle United.
Surprising as it was, the club made
their best start to a league season
when winning five out of their
opening six matches and scoring
some eighteen goals. However, it was
to be the problems that were arising
behind the scenes that would have
an unsatisfactory filter effect into on
field events. The boardroom struggle
having repercussions that were felt
throughout the football club, shaking
it to its core, before then chairman,
James Telford played a masterstroke.
That masterstroke would see the
involvement of several of the clubs
more senior players in order to help
rectify and appease matters. The
result of this masterful intervention
would see those of Colin Veitch,
Andrew Aitken and Jack Carr
brought into the fray and which
brought about the arrival of future
United legend, Peter McWilliam, a
player who would spend the next
decade with the club.
On the field and the new season
would begin with three straight
victories beginning with a home
demolition of Stoke City in what was
to be the debut of William Agnew. A
crowd of some 17,000 would see Bob
McColl and Ronald Orr hit a brace
apiece, alongside one for Jackie
Rutherford in an opening day, 5-0
rout.
A solo effort from Willie Stewart
would see off Everton away from
home before goals from Richard
Roberts (two) and another from
Rutherford took care of the visiting
Sheffield Wednesday. The club would
then receive a sharp insight into
what the season had in store for
them when they visited the Midlands
at the end of September, Rutherford
netting a scant consolation in a 6-1
reverse at West Bromwich Albion.
United though don’t suffer fools
gladly and, in their very next outing
a week later, would inflict the same
score line upon Notts County with
Rutherford yet again being amongst
the goals, This time with a brace that
took his tally to five in five from the
seasons start; the other goals coming
from McCool, Orr, Stewart and
what would be Jack Carr’s seasonal,
customary goal. Bolton was then
beaten 2-0 away on October 11th as
the Magpies opened the season with
ten points from their opening six
matches.
Hard times then befell the club
over the next two and a half months
with only two victories being
collected from some eleven outings.
These were at home to Grimsby on
November 22nd (Rutherford scoring
the only goal) and Blackburn on
December 20th (Alex Caie with
his only goal for the club in 35
appearances over two seasons).
Three times in the FA Cup over
the previous decade a Tyne-Tees
derby had been witnessed, however,
on October 18th, the first league
meeting since United’s debut season
in the Football League (1893-94
against Ironopolis), and the first
ever in the top flight, would take
place. Newcastle United and
Middlesbrough met on what would
be a losing debut for young Peter
McWilliam as the Boro won 1-0 at
St. James’ in front of a 26,000 strong
crowd.
Of the other defeats that were
heaped on the club towards the
end of 1902, the one on November
29th would be a humiliation. Again
travelling to the Midlands, Aston
Villa would come away clear victors
in a seven goal battering. Including
those goals by Rutherford and Caie
in the victories against Grimsby and
Blackburn, the Magpies managed
just four strikes during what was a
horrendous thirteen match barren
spell which extended into the New
Year. The other two goals would
be scored by Roberts in what were
consecutive 2-1 reverses against
Liverpool (home) and Sheffield
United (away) in November.
Although it would finish in a dour,
goalless draw, a highlight during
that spell was to be holding rivals
Sunderland to a 0-0 draw at their
Roker Park home on De cember 27th.
The return fixture would be even
sweeter.
It would be that of January 24th
before a victory was to be witnessed
again, the club’s third in two, long
months as Andrew Gardner notched
the only goal in a home success
against West Bromwich, avenging
the earlier embarrassment before
a further four losses in six outings
put the Magpies divisional status
in jeopardy. A 2-2 home draw
with Notts County was followed
by successive defeats against
Middlesbrough (1-0), Wolverhampton
Wanderers (4-2) and Liverpool (3-0)
and Grimsby (1-0) with a goalless
draw against Sheffield United prior
to the Grimsby loss. Prior to the
reverse against Boro, United exited
the FA Cup at the first hurdle for the
third time at the opening hurdle, this
time losing 2-1 away to Grimsby.
The home straight though would
see survival emphatically secured
with twelve points collected from
a possible sixteen as the Magpies
flew to six victories and two defeats
in their final eight matches, not bad
going considering they had won
only four times in the previous eight
months. Gardner (Alec) and McColl
were proving to be the clubs saviours
as the duo netted ten between them
during the run in.
Back to back home victories were
collected against the Villa (avenging
the earlier humiliation) and
completing the double over Everton
on April fool’s Day as Gardner struck
twice against the Toffees. He would
Newcastle
United, Foot
ball League
director GG
Champions
Archibald,
1904-05: (b
Jimmy Law
chairman J
ack row, l-r)
rence; (mid
Cameron, vi
dle row, l-r)
Andy McCom
ce chairman
retary-man
director R Ol
bie, director
Joseph Bell,
ager Frank
iver, direct
GT Milne, di
Watt, Andy
Peter McW
JQ McPhers
or JP Oliver
rector JW
Aitken, Jock
illiam, Joe
on, assistan
, Jack Carr
McClarence,
Rutherford
t secretary
, Billy McCra Bell,
, Jimmy How
director J Gr
Frank Watt
cken,
ie, Bill Appl
aham, ?; (fr
Jnr
eyard, Rona
ont row, l-r)
ld Orr, Albe
secrt Gosnell,
trainer
follow that brace up with another
two three days later at the City
from Sheffield knowing that anything
Ground, United losing a five goal
other than a Sunderland win would
league defeat on Tyneside, and their
thriller against Nottingham Forest.
give them the title. Even without
costliest. In fact Aston Villa claimed
Safety was still a slight issue
defenders Andrew McCombie and
runners up on goal average as
though but three home wins on the
Sandy McAllister, the Wearsiders
Sunderland slipped to third.
bounce assured Newcastle’s future
were still confident. Surprisingly the
McColl’s goal would see him
would be atop flight one when
FA sent League Invigilators to the
finish atop the scoring charts with
Derby County (2-1), Bury (1-0) and
game due to their worrying that the
ten in thirty, but the big names
relegated Bolton (2-0) were beaten.
Magpies would roll over and let their were arriving on Tyneside, one in
McColl scored both against Bolton
rivals claim both victory and the
particular whom would set tongues
and then netted again in a 3-1
title. Like that would ever happen!
wagging. Aston Villa’s Robert ‘Bobby’
reverse at Blackburn in front of just
An even, but end to end, first half,
Templeton joined for then princely
8,000 before a humdinger of a finale.
would finish goalless before the
sum of £400, a then club record fee.
It was deemed as being ‘the most
Magpies made a minor alteration
It would be about Templeton that it
important Tyne-Wear derby ever’
to their frontline after the interval.
was once wrote, by William Pickford
as rivals Sunderland arrived in
Bill Appleyard took on the centre
in 1905, that
Newcastle for the last match of
forward role and it paid instant
To watch Templeton at his best is
the season on April 25th. League
dividends when, in a move that
a sight for the gods, to watch him at
leaders Sheffield Wednesday were
began with Veitch, through
his worst was to see at a glance the
a point ahead but had completed
Appleyard, played in Alec Gardner.
frailty of things human.
the fixtures; Sunderland had
He slipped past two defenders,
Newcastle United was starting to
one match remaining and was
played Appleyard back in and his
make waves and that first, elusive
in second place; victory and the
precise pass to McColl left him with
piece of silverware, was just around
League Championship was going
just the keeper to beat, and, from the the corner.
to Wearside. Newcastle would have
narrowest of angles, United’s Scottish
both the final say, and the last laugh.
international shattered Sunderland’s
For more by Peter Mann, visit his
A crowd of over 26,500 packed
dreams, scoring the only goal of the
website www.pmannsportswriter.
St. James’ which included near 600
game. It was to be Sunderland’s first
wordpress.com