Remember a rather tough ride for the Magpies?
FANS of Newcastle United can now finally believe their beloved club is on an upward trajectory – but as anyone who’s been around the block a few times with the Magpies will testify, it’s been a frequently rough ride to get to this point.
Our photograph from the Chronicle archive was taken at St James’ Park 45 years ago in the run-up to the start of the 1977-78 season. From left, we see captain Geoff Nulty, left-back Alan Kennedy wearing a builder’s helmet, manager Richard Dinnis, and right-back Irving Nattrass. Anyone who saw Nattrass and Kennedy in action will confirm they were one of the club’s finest full-back pairings.
Hopes were high for the new campaign. United had ended the previous season fifth in League Division 1 – the highest finish since 1951. And qualification for the UEFA Cup had been achieved, meaning European football would return to Gallowgate for the first time since 1971.
In the event, with virtually the same personnel on the pitch, United went from regular winners to regular losers. The season would turn out to be a disaster, sowing seeds of decline at St James’ Park which took many years to put right.
In retrospect, the decision to appoint a former schoolteacher, Richard Dinnis, as manager of one of English football’s biggest clubs was questionable, to say the least. This was a time when United’s First Division rivals had the likes of Brian Clough and Bob Paisley at the helm.
A 3-2 win over Leeds at St James’ Park on August 20, 1977, in the opening game of the season suggested all was well. But United then embarked on an
infamous 10-match consecutive losing sequence in the league.
It was hoped the Magpies’ return to European football might breathe life into the season, but there would be no repeat of the heroics of 1969. The Magpies eased past Bohemians of Dublin, before being outclassed and dumped out of the UEFA by the French side, Bastia.
With United bottom of the table, Dinnis was axed, and no-nonsense Bill Mcgarry arrived to sort out the mess, but there was no improvement. Eventual champions Nottingham Forest rolled into Gallowgate in late December, with Brian Clough’s team winning 2-0 without breaking a sweat.
Then there was the catastrophic 4-1 FA Cup loss to lowly Wrexham. Had United won the fourth round replay, they would have set up an historic 5th round tie against local non-league battlers, Blyth Spartans. In the event, brave Blyth bowed out to Wrexham at St James’ Park in front of over 42,000, the biggest crowd of the season at Gallowgate.
Back in the league, United’s second half of the campaign somewhat mirrored the first half. After winning at Leeds on January 2, 1978, they failed to pick up a single victory. Come April, and in complete disarray, they were relegated along with Leicester and
West Ham. The buccaneering excitement of the Supermac era seemed a distant memory.
A crowd of just 7,986 die-hards turned up to watch the final home game of the season – a midweek 2-2 draw against Norwich.
For any supporter who stood or sat through all this back then, they deserve every ounce of positivity.