Fairs Fair – U3 – Premear League

1964-65 Division 2 Champions
Pld 42 W24 D9 L9 F81 A45 Pts57

Bobby Moncur (Fairs Cup) — Bobby Moncur lifting the Fairs Cup

“During this period Newcastle United lost an FA Cup and League Cup final but to be fair to them they did win the Fairs Cup. The Fairs Cup in the painting wears Joe Harveys shirt and tie and the captains arm band initialed BM (Bobby Moncur). The stars in the top right are taken from the EU symbol to represent Newcastles first European qualification. As before an FA Cup runners up is represented by a bottom half circle and now I have used a top half circle to represent a league cup final runner up.”

Newcastle United in the 60’s and 70’s

An old war-horse returned to revitalise the Magpies in the shape of Joe Harvey, who had skippered the club to much of their post-war success. He teamed up with Stan Seymour to rebuild United and the Black’n’Whites returned to the elite as Second Division Champions in 1965. United then became very much an unpredictable side, always capable of defeating the best, but never quite realising their huge potential until very recently.

Joe Harvey’s side qualified for Europe for the first time in 1968 and stunned everyone the following year by lifting the Inter Cities Fairs Cup; the forerunner of the UEFA Cup . United possessed a solid eleven and Newcastle’s tradition of fielding a famous Number 9 at centre-forward since earliest years continued as big Welshman Wyn Davies was prominent along with the likes of Bryan ‘Pop’ Robson, Bobby Moncur and Frank Clark.

Football Players — (left to right) Wyn Davies, Bryan ‘Pop’ Robson, Terry McDermott

In the years that followed European success, manager Harvey brought in a string of talented entertainers who thrilled the Gallowgate crowd. Pleasers like Jimmy Smith, Tony Green and Terry Hibbitt. And especially a new centre-forward by the name of Malcolm Macdonald.

Nicknamed ‘Supermac’, Macdonald was one of United’s greatest hero figures. Brash, arrogant and devastating in front of goal, he led United’s attack to Wembley twice, in 1974 and 1976, against Liverpool in the FA Cup and Manchester City in the League Cup. But on each occasion the Magpies failed to bring the trophy back to Tyneside.