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Newcastle United

Newcastle United was formed in 1892 by the merger of two local teams - Newcastle West End and Newcastle East End. East End were the financially stronger of the two and it was the financial difficulties of West End which prompted the merger. The lease on West End's ground, known as St James's Park, was included in the deal.

In common with their nearest and dearest (Sunderland AFC) Newcastle United fairly burst onto the scene in the early years of the Football League but subsequent seasons have been a little more sober. In the first decade of the the new century, Newcastle won the League 3 times and made the FA Cup Final on no less than 3 occasions before finally win one in 1910. There followed some fallow years, before an FA Cup win in 1924 and a League Championship in 1926-27 (the club's last for now). In the fifties though, Newcastle United won the FA Cup on 3 occasions with a team which featured the likes of Jackie Milburn, George Robledo, Joe Harvey and (in the 1955 team) Bob Stokoe.

Recent times have been hard for Newcastle United, perhaps self inflicted, perhaps not. But amidst all the schadenfreude⁽¹⁾ surrounding NUFC, every fan of every other club must be thinking, 'there but for the grace of God...'