The 1968/1969 Fairs Cup run video.
The 1969 Fair Cup win remains the last trophy to enter our cabinet. We've come close to adding to it on occasion since, but not very often if the truth be told. Which is why I've tracked down some footage that details our cup run from start to finish including highlights from some of the games played.
Video clip 1.
We kicked off our European adventure with a 4-0 victory over Feyenoord in the first leg at St James' Park. This was then followed up with a 2-0 defeat away in Rotterdam, but it was Newcastle who progressed on the aggregate score.
The next round saw United travel to Portugal to take on Sporting Lisbon. A 1-1 draw was the result which was then compounded by a 1-0 win back on Tyneside. This then set up a home and away tie with Real Zaragoza which needed away goals to separate the two teams over the two legs. Luckily it was United who triumphed in the end.
Vitoria Setubal then came to Newcastle for the quarter-final, and got smashed 5-1 in the snow. This came in rather handy as we lost the second leg 3-1, but it wasn't enough to overcome the score of the first leg.
It was a two legged semi-final Battle of Britain type affair as Newcastle travelled to Rangers for the first leg. The lads in black and white managed a 0-0 draw at Ibrox and beat the Glasgow side 2-0 in the return leg to reach the final in their first ever European campaign.
Ujpesti Dozsa, one of the better teams in Europe at the time, were to be the opposition. Two goals from Bobby Moncur and a goal from Jim Scott secured a 3-0 win for the home side to take over to Hungary for the return leg.
Video clip 2.
Footage of the second leg where the Hungarian's went into an early two goal lead only to be pegged back back by another Bobby Moncur goal, a Preben Arentoft goal and an Alan Foggon goal to win the two-legged final 6-2 on aggregate.
This prompted wild scenes on Tyneside to celebrate bringing home the trophy. We've had scenes of jubilation a few times as fans of Newcastle United, like when we avoided slipping into the third division in the last two games of the season back in 1991/1992 and when we achieved promotion to the Premier League in 1992/1993, but nothing that has matched what happened after the Fairs Cup win.
It's important that these bits of our history are kept alive. Quite naturally the focus is on the present, but it is our history and tradition that sets us apart from the rest. The Fairs Cup win way back in 1969 is part of that history, and will continue to be for as long as people keep remembering it.
I hope you enjoyed this. I know I did.