100% this. Incredible times....we may not have won anything but by god we had some fun.
I remember when we first signed him as a player, I was on holiday in Wales and me and my brother were playing in a park in Porthmadog when we got talking to this kid who was a Liverpool fan. He asked who we supported and when I said Newcastle, he said something like 'you must be happy you've signed Keegan'......we just assumed he was winding us up, as this was just too seismic a thing to believe, so we ran back to the boat we were staying on, and asked my Grandad to put the radio on. Sure enough, the news was confirmed, and as 12 and 9 year olds, we were absolutely delirious, I mean this was just huge news for a club in decline like ours that was dying on it's arse in the 2nd division. I had to wait until 6pm (cheaper calls) and rang my Dad from the phone box and pleaded with him to get us tickets for his debut, something that we never had to do before now. We came home a few days later and the players were doing a signing session at the old club shop in the West Stand car park, so I went across to town with my mate Ian. It was mobbed and Keegan was there with Imre Varadi, John Trewick and Kenny Wharton.....I was wearing my yellow Bukta away top and I was standing next to KK's big Mercedes when he got out 'Is that the away top, horrible that, we'll have to get it changed' he said to me and winked......I nearly passed out, the great man had spoken to me! I ended up getting it signed by all the players, Keegan's autograph beautifully executed on the back. I still have the shirt now 40 years later, and have passed it on to my son to look after
The next couple of weeks were just a blur of excitement leading up to the QPR game and the big day finally came. I went across on the bus with my Dad and brother and there were black and white tops everywhere in town, this was nothing like a normal match day. Fittingly, it was a glorious day and we and we went up to the Hodgson Arms and we sat outside while my Dad had a few pints with his mates, the singing inside and outside the pub was deafening and it was a party atmosphere. When we went to the ground, there were huge queues to the Gallowgate, but we had tickets for the East Stand benches, the first time I had sat at a game. The colour and the noise, everything felt like it had been turned up about 200% from the previous season, there was even a streaker in luminous green socks. Can't really remember much of the game, but had a great view as Keegan ran in and slid the ball under Hucker for the winner.....absolute carnage for the next 5 mins. I managed to watch all of KK's home games as an NUFC player, and even in the twilight of his career, he was light years ahead of anyone else on the pitch. Watching him Waddle & Beardsley for that one season together was incredible.
I hope if we do get taken over the first thing anyone does is name recognise Keegan's huge contribution to NUFC; nobody has done more for the club in modern times.
Happy birthday KK, you absolute legend.
This is beautiful thank you for sharing.