The prospect of Newcastle United ending their 68-year curse without a domestic trophy is a truly monumental event.
Only those born in the 1940s likely have any recollection of the late Jimmy Scoular, with a smile as wide as the Tyne, greeting Queen Elizabeth II before lifting the FA Cup trophy. Multiple generations - and counting - never experienced Newcastle winning a trophy.
Reaching a first cup final sparked pandemonium across the city. Every Toon supporter alive is in party mode for the Carabao Cup final but, for some of us, a bittersweet emotion tinges the occasion - a feeling that is hard to bury.
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Iconic football manager Bill Shankly once said: “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.”
For those who must deal with a void in their living room, pub, or perhaps under those famous Wembley arches this weekend, it may be hard to agree with that sentiment. Wesley Robson, a lifelong Newcastle fan fortunate enough to own a cup final ticket, misses his father-in-law, Malcolm Dix, dearly.
The Magpies’ vice life-president, founding member of the Magpie Group and instrumental in Sir John Hall’s 1992 takeover, passed away in November 2021 aged 79. A funeral service at St James’ Park and Coming Home Newcastle as a send-off song symbolised a man who made it his life’s work to deliver change at his beloved club.
“I cannot think of anybody else who was more Newcastle to the bone,” Wesley tells ChronicleLive. “I was about 23 when I married his daughter, Jackie. I didn’t know who Malcolm was before that but, as I found out more and more, I was thinking ‘bloody hell, he’s more Newcastle daft than I am!’
“He was always the eternal optimist. Even during the Mike Ashley times, he would always fancy us to win 2-1. He went to both cup finals in the 90s and, I can’t say for definite, but he was probably there in 74 and 76 too.
“I’ve spoken to Sir John Hall on a few occasions and, he says it himself, if it weren’t for Malcolm, there is no way he’d have got involved. It was Malcolm who poked him and pushed him to buy the club.”
Longbenton native Craig Myhill also suffered tragedy in recent years. Firstly, his friend, Bobby Swinney, a long-standing season-ticket holder, suffered a heart attack on the steps of St James’ Park before a Premier League game against Manchester City.
The “football-mad” family man’s loved ones raised over £1,000 for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation following his passing. Still reeling from his friend’s sudden death, Craig lost his dad, Frederick, just before his 60th birthday.
Reminiscing back to a more accessible era of football, Craig shares an anecdote involving former Toon goalkeeper Shay Given. He says: “Bobby was a mate I used to play pool with. He’d been a season ticket holder for years and used to go with his granddaughter. Bless him, he was one of those fans who, if we won 5-0, he’d still pick something to moan about!
“My father had heart problems. He had COPD and it was an accumulation of things. Dying before 50 is no age. From the age of five, he got me into the Toon. My dad and his brother Ted were always sneaking into the stadium when they were younger.
“When I was a kid, he would take me up to Maiden Castle, the old training ground. Neil Stoker, who still works for the club now, used to let us take shots at Shay Given. After training, he’d ask him to stay back and we would have a few shots at Shay.”
Fast forward to the present and the Premier League has changed football beyond recognition. In a world of smartphones and social media, top-flight clubs rarely open their doors to the public.
The much-celebrated Saudi-led takeover also promises to transform the Magpies. Once the deal was completed in October 2021, scenes of jubilation ensued on the streets of Newcastle.
However, Susan, daughter of the late Ken Lawler, could not help but be swept by the same bittersweet feeling she will inevitably feel again this weekend. Ironically, the Wembley final takes place on Ken’s birthday… an omen, perhaps?
“I lost my dad in August 2021, just before the takeover,” Susan tells ChronicleLive. “I cried (the day of the takeover). I was so happy for the club and the fans but so sad my Dad didn’t see it happen.
“He’s the reason I’m a season ticket holder today! He was Toon-daft and took me the length and breadth of the country as a kid to watch them play.
"I remember going to Elland Road and Keith Gillespie scoring. Getting beat by Liverpool 4-3… he took me all over. He used to pretend he was taking the family to London for the weekend! When we played Bournemouth in an earlier round, I checked when the final would be. I saw it was my Dad’s birthday and couldn’t believe it. They’ve got to win it now!”
They say blood is thicker than water - but that cannot be true about Gary Tinnion and Glenn Wright. Adopted Geordies, the two best mates travelled far and wide to watch their beloved Newcastle.
But their Toon-loving journey was cut short when Glenn suffered a heart attack on his way home from a match. When Gary arrives at Wembley on Sunday, there will only be one person on his mind.
“We were both from a town near Peterborough,” he recounts. “My Dad was from Throckley and started to take me to matches when I was 10. You could say we are both adopted Geordies.
“I suggested to my best mate 40 years ago that he should come and watch Newcastle with me as he had things going on in his life. Glenn came with me to a match and never stopped going after that.
“We travelled everywhere. We witnessed some dire games but also had the Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby (Robson) years. In May 2019 we attended the Liverpool game and, travelling home on the train, Glenn had a heart attack.
“He never went to another match and sadly he passed away later that year. After all the bad years of going to matches together, now the good times are coming and he won't be around to see it with me.
“I'm sure he'll be with me at Wembley on Sunday like he was in 1999. I really miss matchdays with my best mate.”
The Foster family were also heartbroken in December 2021, on a day when Newcastle supporters celebrated their long-awaited first win of the season. Harry, father to Paul and Gavin, as well as wife to Christine, bled black and white.
From shared season tickets and training ground visits to London escapades, the devout family man took the most cherished people in his life with him whenever he watched the Toon.
His son, Paul, emotionally recollected some of his favourite memories as a youngster. He tells ChronicleLive: “My dad passed away the day we beat Burnley, which was apt as we hadn’t won all season. It was almost as if he was waiting for it!
“We used to go to a cafe in town as kids, have the same pre-match meal with a milkshake. I’d have sausage, chips and beans, my dad a pasty, chips and beans. We couldn’t be a mascot at Newcastle once but got invited to the training ground in Benwell.
“It was the day Peter Beardsley was announced for the Mexico 86 World Cup squad, everyone was buzzing. So many great memories…
“Arsenal in 98, same in 99 (against Man United). He even took my mother to the Chelsea semi-final. The biggest game for me was the David Kelly game (vs Portsmouth, April 1992).
“My dad used to share a season ticket and he had it that week, in the Gallowgate End. We were in the family enclosure, a different part of the ground. Afterwards, we all met up in the car, it was celebration time!”
And finally, my own story. The inspiration for this article was Andy, my stepdad who passed away at the back end of last year. Helping my mother raise me from nine years old, he indoctrinated Newcastle United into my life.
Football was all-encompassing to me from a young age. But it was he who told me all about the “glory days” of the 90s - when Newcastle still failed to win anything - embedding the deep-rooted love I have for the club to this day.
When I am wearing Andy’s old black-and-white shirt on Wembley Way this weekend, I will be thinking of him. Likewise, many others, like the ones featured in this story, will spend a moment of reflection for the Toon supporters who cannot be with us when Eddie Howe and Co take to the hallowed turf on Sunday afternoon.
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