Let joy on Tyneside be unconfined. Newcastle United currently sit third in the Premier League and are in the semi-finals of a major domestic cup final for the first time in years with a winnable two-legged tie against Southampton. A first Wembley final since 1999 tantalisingly beckons.
In truth, Newcastle United and the League Cup have rarely been happy bedfellows. If the Magpies (at one time anyway) enjoyed formidable FA Cup success, the other cup (today it’s the Carabao variety) has largely delivered an annual tale of woe. The club’s first involvement with the new competition back in October 1960 was, almost inevitably, marked by defeat - 4-1 away to mighty Colchester United. And that capitulation largely set the tone for the years that followed.
Until now, United have progressed beyond the quarter-final stages only once - and that was 47 long years ago. On January 21, 1976, an expectant crowd of 49,902 - the second largest of the season - flocked to St James’ Park to see the Magpies face Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-final second leg of the League Cup.
READ MORE: 50 years of a North East television classic - Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?
For once, United hadn’t fallen at the first hurdle in their bogey competition. The route to the semis had seen them beat Southport who were despatched 6-0, Bristol Rovers who took United to a replay at St James’, Queens Park Rangers and Notts County. The two-legged semi-final against Spurs saw United first head to White Hart Lane where the Londoners won 1-0 in front of 40,215, thanks to a goal from John Pratt.
Seven days later under the Wednesday night floodlights at a bitterly cold Gallowgate, nearly 50,000 were in attendance for the return leg, with 4,000 heading up from London. During an era when football hooliganism was commonplace, the Chronicle reported that double the normal number of mounted police and dog-handlers would be on duty to help avert any trouble. Fans who were at the game will remember the cauldron-like atmosphere and constant wall of noise that enveloped St James' that night.
United took the lead after just three minutes when a Malcolm Macdonald pass found a just-onside Alan Gowling who slotted home. The second half saw Glen Keeley head in a Tommy Craig corner, before Geoff Nulty made it 3-0. A late rally from a Spurs team including Pat Jennings, Ralph Coates and Martin Chivers, was to little avail, and an 80th-minute strike by Don McAllister made little difference to the outcome. United were heading back to Wembley, less than two years after the FA Cup final drubbing by Liverpool and Kevin Keegan. Star striker Malcolm Macdonald told the Chronicle: "We didn't give the fans a kick to remember against Liverpool, but we promise them a show next month." (In the event, as it transpired, they would lose at Wembley again, 2-1 to Manchester City, but for the month leading to the final on February 28, at least Tyneside could dream).
Interestingly, this all took place during the management tenure of the terminally unpopular Gordon Lee in a season when the Magpies would also reach the quarter-final of the FA Cup. The following season - again under Lee, before he controversially jumped ship in January to Everton - would see United finish 5th, their highest league placing since 1950-51. Surely things were on the up? As some of us will remember, sadly they weren’t.
The Newcastle United team that beat Spurs: Mahoney, Nattrass, Kennedy, Howard, Keeley, Nulty, Cassidy, Craig, Macdonald, Gowling, Burns. Sub: Barrowclough
READ MORE:
Then and Now: Newcastle's Farmer's Rest - another vanished city centre pub
Tyneside rock superstar Brian Johnson and a forgotten interview from 40 years ago
The North East in 1983: From Auf Wiedersehen, Pet to Kevin Keegan - in 10 photos
- Criminal mugshots of Tyneside youngsters from the early 20th century
Fenwick's department store in Newcastle and a 1960s-style shopping dash
