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The
Heyday - 1900's
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United played their first game under their new title in a friendly against Middlesbrough on Christmas Eve 1892. The first competitive match came 4 weeks later, also against Boro, in the FA Cup. The following season, Newcastle again tried for a place in the Football League and again they were offered a place in Division 2. This time they accepted and their first game was in September 1893 against fellow newcomers Woolwich Arsenal. The match ended 2-2.
This year also saw the appearance of the now famous Black and White Striped jerseys, a change from East End's red colours. Support was still poor however, and officials were so angry with Tyneside's apathy that they published the following statement. "The Newcastle public do not deserve to be catered for as far as professional football is concerned". Whether this jerked the conscience of the Newcastle public or not, by New Year 1896, cash was rolling into St James' and support was growing at such a rate that 14,000 watched United face Bury in the FA Cup. In the same season, Frank G. Watt was appointed as club Secretary.
An ambitious man, he aimed to put Newcastle at the very top, and over the next few years he did exactly that. Promotion to the first division was finally achieved in 1898 and that promotion season proved to be the most successful so far in the club's history - gate receipts totalled 4,934 pounds and 7 shillings.
United unfortunately lost their first match in the big time, at home to Wolves, 4-2 and had to wait 11 games before finally gaining their first top flight victory, a 3-0 win over Liverpool. Their duck broken, United went on to finish 13th that year. By 1903-04, Newcastle United had built up a squad of promising players, with a great Scottish influence, and for the next decade they dominated English football with a brand of artistic play, combining team-work and quick, short passing. In 1905, the Magpies won the championship for the first time and al- most did the double, losing in the FA Cup final to Aston Villa at Crystal Palace.
The following season, United were again beaten in the Cup final, but in 1907 lifted the championship again. That season also saw Newcastle go out of the FA Cup to Crystal Palace, and then a non-league side, in one of the great upsets of the competition. United also lost the 1908 FA Cup final, but picked up another league title in 1909, despite an amazing 9-1 defeat by arch-rivals Sunderland at St. James' Park. In 1910, the FA Cup finally came to Tyneside, following Unity's win over Barnsley in a replay at Goodison.
Only a few teams have ever matched the stranglehold Newcastle had on the game in their heyday of 1903- 1912. Long after his retirement, Peter McWilliam (a famous New- castle half back) said "The Newcastle team of the 1900's would give any modern side a 2 goal start and beat them, and further more, beat them at a trot"! Major players of this era were McWilliam himself, fellow half-backs Veitch and Gardner, full- backs Carr, McCombie and McCracken, Jimmy Lawrence the long- serving keeper and top class forwards like Rutherford, Appleyard and Howie.
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