Sir Brendan Foster is sifting through his memories of race wins, medals and records when he pauses.
“This one,” he says. pointing to a dog-eared photo of him in Newcastle black and white stripes, arm raised to acknowledge the crowd.
“People say to me the last time a black and white shirt did a lap of honour at Wembley was me in 1974. I wish they were kidding.”
Foster laughs with a weariness that comes with the territory. Newcastle last won at Wembley in 1955, when the Voice of Athletics was still singing soprano.
“I was seven years old and only my dad got a ticket,” he said. “I made him promise the next time we would all go together.”
Given that was Newcastle’s third FA Cup in five years and they had Jackie Milburn banging in the goals, Foster did not expect to have long to wait.
“Nineteen bloody years!” he says. “By the time we got back there I was about to become European champion and BBC Sports Personality of the year.”
That was 1974 when Liverpool were the opposition. Little Brendan had become Big Bren but remembered the family pledge.
The Football Association invited him to race a 3,000 metres around the pitch before the final and he seized his opportunity.
“They called the previous year but Sunderland were in the final and I said, ‘No thanks. I’m not coming to Wembley to watch them’.
“This time was different. Tickets were like gold dust. We were amateurs so I said I couldn’t take money but I’d do it for a dozen tickets.”
Knowing he had a race on his hands against European champion Juha Vaatainen, Foster had an idea. He phoned Dave Bedford to ask if he could borrow his Shaftesbury Harriers vest.
Dressed in Bedford’s black and white stripes Foster was roared to victory by Toon’s army of fans. He ran to them and threw them the vest.
Three years later and Foster was on his way back from racing for Britain against Russia in Edinburgh when he stopped at a pub in the Borders for a pie and a pint.
Framed on the wall was an athletics vest. Foster did a double take. “Look familiar?” smiled the landlord. “You won’t be paying for that drink, Brendan.”
Nearly half a century on the pride of Gateshead was reminded of the race, the vest and what might have been as Newcastle swept past Southampton and into Sunday’s League Cup final against Manchester United.
“Coming out of St James’ I bump into Bobby Moncur,” he said. “Bob was our captain in ’74 and he says, “Hey Bren, you running round Wembley again this time?”
“I said: ‘If I get a dozen tickets, you bet I will’. He replied: ‘If you get a dozen tickets I’ll run with you’.”
Foster, 75, took his university finals the day Newcastle last won a major trophy, the 1969 Fairs Cup. He is now a knight of the realm.
“There have been a lot of thin times since,” he says, shaking his head at the most recent, Nick Pope’s sending off against Liverpool.
“A couple of years ago I couldn’t get anyone to come to games with me. It was awful. What Eddie Howe is doing now is amazing.
“A bit like our Great North Run he’s given not only the city but the region something to shout about.”
