NEWCASTLE UNITED



NEWCASTLE V CRYSTAL PALACE


Score....2 - 1 ...............................................................................................................................................Scorers...Gary Speed , Alan Shearer


Saturday January 2nd 1999


This game started of with a bang - literally! The atmosphere was magnificant - as always at a Newcastle home game. Everyone was chanting and couldn't wait for the game to begin. Mike Reed got the game under way. It was a tense first couple of minutes with both sides passing the ball around. The next thing I knew ( it always goes quickly when your actually at the place you dream of going to) Shay Given was being sent off for apparent handball outside the area!! Well, as you can imagine the place went hysterical everyone shouting and screaming at the referee. It wasn't the referee who actually saw anything it was the referee's assistant!! So Ruud Guillit took off Stephen Glass and put on Steve Harper. The game got back under way with all the Newcastle fans stil reeling from what had just taken place. Minutes after Steve Harper had come on he was picking the ball out of the back of the net. I sat their in disbelief. I have to admit it was a good goal but at that time it was something I could have done without. The first half went by rather quickly after that but I still held on to the thought that we were going to beat them and it would be us singing on the long journey home!! The second half got under way everyone chanting " We love you Newcastle we do!" which I think lifted the team knowing that we were 100% behind them. Suddenly we were on the break. A good ball from Barton found Shearer on the edge of the box who chested the ball down into Gary Speed's path who took one touch and it was in the back of the net!!!!! After such a disastrous start where I thought " Thats it we are gonna lose" we were now 1 - 1.
Time passed on and we thought we were heading for a replay when Alan Shearer scored. We couldn't believe it. We only had 10 men and we were 1-0 down at the start of the second half and we managed to bring it back to 2-1!! Everyone wanted the referee to blow the whistle but the few minutes remaining seemed like hours!! Mike Reed finally blew the whistle and the whole stadium shouted and screamed at the fact that we managed to beat them after such an awful start!!!!
The journey home was a lot better than first feared. We hung the scarf out of the car window and listened to the radio which was on about Newcastle and the game. When I got home I went to the Pub to meet friends and as soon as I walked in I started chanting " 2 - 1" and " Newcastle"!!!!!


NEWCASTLE UNITED V BRADFORD CITY


Score...3 - 0..........................................................................Scorers...Dieter Hanman , Alan Shearer , Temuri Ketsbaia


Saturday January 23rd 1999


Referee Paul Durkin got this match under way. Bradford started off quite well and looked like a side that could threaten our F.A cup campaign. They hit the post early in the first half but just couldn't get the ball past an in-form SHAY GIVEN. Newcastle then went on to score. I couldn't really see what was happening coz we were sat in the Exhibition stand and the goal took place down the other end!!! I know that it was a good goal and DIETER HANMAN scored it. From then onwards Newcastle had the most possesion and passed the ball around well. The next thing I knew the ref was blowing for half time. After eating and everything else that happens at half time the game got back under way. Both sides looked bright but Newcastle just outshone them. Great work from KETSBAIA created Newcastle's next goal which came from THE man himself ALAN SHEARER. Ketsbaia collected the ball from the edge of the halfway line and a superb pass found ALAN SHEARER who shrugged of 2 of the Bradford defenders and just left them standing. He smashed the ball home from not so close range and we were 2 -0 up. Well the whole stadium ( apart from the absolutely GUTTED Bradford supporters) chanted SHEARER'S name. Everything was going fine Newcastle just bombarded the Bradford's defence with attack after attack. Then Ketsbaia found himself free on the edge of the box with only a defender and the goalkeeper to beat. He rounded the defender and made, what we thought a mess of it but he managed to fire it past the goalkeeper. We knew we had this one won and started singing WEMBLEY WEMBLEY, which I thought was a bit premature but we are nearly there. The ride home was again great and when I got back to Scarborough and saw all my friends I just started singing " WE LOVE U NEWCASTLE WE DO " and " SHEARER ". Now if we can manage to pull off a brilliant performance against Blackburn like what we did there against Bradford then we are well on our way to WEMBLEY!!!!
Unfortunately I am unable to get that match so if anybody did go and want's to let everyone know what it was like (especially me) then please feel free to e-mail me at vicki.widdowfield@ukonline.co.uk


Sorry about the gap from the Bradford game to this one but I've had so much college work and exams I haven't had time!!
REVIEW OF MATCHES I HAVEN'T BEEN TO ( PREMIERSHIP / F.A CUP)


NEWCASTLE UNITED V EVERTON


Score.........4 - 1...............................................................Scorers......Temuri Ketsbaia (2), George Georgiadis, Alan Shearer
Sunday March 7th 1999

The game started off well. I was sat in front of the television at a friends house ( a Everton supporter!!) and started cheering on Newcastle. Newcastle had most of the possesion and new signing SILVIO MARIC looked impressive on his first game in a Newcastle shirt. ROB LEE was back from injury and worked hard in midfield. We were both sat there cheering on our teams when KETSBAIA found space on the edge of the box. He unleashed a wicked shot which went straight past the goalkeeper aftre a slight deflection of a Everton defender. We were 1 - 0 up and my mate was GUTTED!!!!
The game went on with Newcastle having most possesion. Then the ref blew for half time. The second half started and with me and my mate both sat cheering our teams on. Not long after the restart Everton had equalised. I'm not quite sure about the build up to the goal as we were arguing about how GORGEOUS ALAN SHEARER is. I did see the goal and it wasn't bad seen as it came from a Everton player. Well the tension did build up after that!!!
The game went on and RUUD GUILLIT brought GEORGE GEORGIADIS on. Within a few minutes of him coming on he put us back in the lead. DIETER HAMANN took a superb free kick which was blocked by the keeper and a Everton defender managed somehow to kick it onto GEORGIADIS who poked it into the back of the net!!! From there I knew we were going to win. Time passed and KETSBAIA scored again. It was a brilliant goal from the edge of the box.....3 - 1!!! There was no way Everton could get back into this game it was all NEWCASTLE. Then my hero ALAN SHEARER scored. I thought KETSBAIA would have gone for his hat trick but he laid it on for SHEARER who unleashed a smashing shot which could have broke the net!!!
Well what more can I say? It was a brilliant game and for the second year running we are in the semi finals if the F.A cup with a tie at old trafford against Barnsley / Tottenham!!

NOTTINGHAM FOREST V NEWCASTLE UNITED


Score.....1 - 2...................................................................................................Scorers...Alan Shearer (pen), Dieter Hamann

Wednesday March 10th 1999

Unforunately this match was not televised so I don't really know what happened!! ALAN SHEARER got on the score sheet again with a penalty just before half time. Forest soon equalised with Dougie Freedman heading in a cross. DIETER HAMANN is certainly proving that he is worth staying in the team with a 35 yard shot on 75minutes to seal the points for Newcastle and leave Forest struggling at the foot of the table.

NEWCASTLE UNITED V TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR


Score..........2 - 0 (aet) ................................................................................................... Scorers...... Alan Shearer 2 ( 1 pen)

Sunday April 11th 1999

The match started brightly with Tottenham having most of the possesion. SHAY GIVEN was called into action within the 2nd minute with a save from a fierce Darren Anderton cross. Within the first 45minutes Tottenham had most of the possesion and unfortunately looked the brighter side. In the 54th minute it looked as if Tottenham could have taken the lead when it looked as if NIKOLAS DABIZAS handled the ball in the area. Referee PAUL DERKIN waved away Tottenham's appeals and the game went on. Both sides had opportunites before the arrival of DUNCAN FERGUSON 72 minutes into the game. This seemed to releive ALAN SHEARER of the pressure and to think that FERGUSON had not played for 5 months and to see how fit and sharp he looked was unbelievable. Newcastle then had most of the possesion and put a lot of pressure on the Tottenham defence. This pressure though was not enough to break Tottenham's defence in the 90minutes and the game had to go into extra time.
Newcastle dominated the first half of extra time but went into the second half still at 0 - 0. Then on 108 minutes SOL CAMPELL handled the ball in his area. Up stepped ALAN SHEARER and placed the ball on the spot. Well my heart was going ten to the dozen. With SHEARER being SHEARER he scored and I screamed the house down!!!!! The next few minutes were tense and Tottenham put on a lot of pressure. On 129 minutes SILVIO MARIC found himself with the ball and space he passed to SHEARER who was on the edge of the 18 yard box and srtuck the ball with some power.
The ball beat Ian Walker and hit the underside of the crossbar and we were 2 - 0 up!!!!!!
When the referee blew the final whistle the joy that came over me was unbelievable. I did feel sorry for Tottenham but all that matters is that NEWCASTLE are going to WEMBLEY to play SCUM thanks to 2 goals from ALAN SHEARER!!!!!!!!!!!!