Remember When (Part 3)
ended up at a Columbian
jewellery salesman’s
house at South Stanley
with none other than the
bandy legged Tino
Asprilla! We watched his
hat-trick against
Barcelona on a giant TV
and drank white wine out
of little green plastic
cups.
Derby Day Memories
My relationship at the time was in the middle
of a sticky patch: ‘pet why don’t you come
through to Newcastle after the game and
Love them or hate them there is no getting
meet up with me, then we can grab
away from the impact a derby victory or
defeat can have on your season.......and life. something to eat and watch Purely Belta at
The following are some of my random derby the pictures’
At the game Gary Speed put us
day experiences from over the years.
ahead early doors everybody was happy but
Sunday 4th February 1990
Don Bloody Hutchinson and rat-boy Philips
This was my first ever Tyne-Wear
scored for the Mackem’s. High drama in the
derby at St James Park having already
stands as we were awarded a last minute
attended the boring 0-0 draw at Roker the
penalty. Shearer only went and missed the
previous September. In a game spoilt by high flipping thing and we lost 2-1 again I was
winds Newcastle was 1-0 down to a goal
furious. I met my girlfriend in the agreed
from the stumpy ice cream salesman Marco place after the game and was still furious.
Gabbiadini. As the game wore on we looked
I said I was too angry to go and sit in
like heading for defeat. I made a pact that if the pictures and watch Purely Belta and
Newcastle equalised
demanded she took me home. We went home
I would go to school the following
I was still furious. The relationship sadly
day without putting any hair jell on. Now for didn’t last much longer!
a fashion conscious and vain bastard 16 year
old this was the ultimate sacrifice. Newcastle Sunday 29th March 1991
eventually forced home an equaliser from the
I was coming to the end of my 2
gurning Mark McGhee with 13 minutes to
year YTS (apprenticeship in old money) and
go. As agreed I didn’t wear hair gel the next cash was very tight. For one reason or
day.
another the lads didn’t get a ticket for this all
ticket match. I was working as a
I didn’t go to school either!
subcontractor to the council on roadside trees
on the AI67 at Durham and as the week wore
Saturday 18th November 2000
on I wish I’d bought a ticket for the game.
The previous year’s derby had the
On the Friday one of the council lads said he
Toon lose 2-1 against Sunderland on a
couldn’t go to the game and would I like to
torrentially rainy wet Tyneside night. It was
buy his ticket. ‘Wey hell aye’. The only
minging.
problem was it was a seat ticket in the East
Ruud Gullit our manager at the time
Stand for the canny hefty sum of 8 quid.
was as mad as a coconut he shaved off all his
Match fever had got to me and £8 was
bodily hair and dropped Shearer to the subs
peanuts, I had to go. The East Stand back in
bench and said this wasn’t even a proper
the day was for posh people and the end of
derby game. We lost 2-1 and the rain
the East Stand next to The Leazes was
wreaked the last leather jacket I ever owned.
usually full of nothing but empty grey seats.
Gullit walked the plank and Sir Bobby
Today it was full.A canny scrappy game
moved into the manager’s office. Skip
burst into life when Ned Kelly scored the
forward the following season and Shearer
game’s only goal. I jumped up and shout ‘get
had to put right some nasty wrongs. This was
in ya fucker’. Nobody else did. I was
the game we would have our revenge.
surrounded by stony faced mackems. A
I got quite drunk that day.
member of her majesty’s constabulary
rushed over and told me to ‘sit down and
shut up’I did.The fact that the kid from the
council who I bought the ticket off was a
mackem completely passed me by.
Wednesday 16th May 1990
It was the 2nd leg of the playoff
semi final with the scores locked at 0.0 from
the first leg at Joker Park. This was thanks to
Budgie Burridge’s last minute penalty save
in front of the Fulwell End. Anyway Friday
Sunday 16th January 2011
4th May had me play the nick from school
An away game at Sunderland I
and stupidly break my right arm after
didn’t go to the match; instead I watched it
playing football with some of my silly
down The Villa Club. For some silly reason friends. I was taken to hospital put to sleep
I ended up in a round with my mate Speedy. and fixed up with a heavy plaster cast.FastA scrappy game in the wind Nolan
forward to the night of the match and it
scored for us early in the second half to put
lashed down with rain and I got wet.
us 1-0 up and he did the chicken dance. I
Newcastle played really badly and sadly for
laughed, a magpie landed on the Stadium of me Sunderland won 2.0 with goals from
Shite pitch and he also laughed.
Gabbiadini the ice cream salesman and
Four minutes into injury time some Skeletor‘s ugly brother ‘Wee’ Eric Gates. It
gadgie called Gyan scored for the mackems. rained some more, and then there were two
The mackems ran on the pitch as usual, the
pit