The day we played in the first round proper of the FA Cup
Sunday 17 November 1996 – it was arguably the biggest day in the club’s history. Actually scrap that, it was the biggest day in the club’s history.
This was the day that Newcastle Town appeared in the first round proper of the FA Cup. It’s 28 years ago now and it hasn’t happened since.
We’re still three rounds away from scaling those heights this season and of course our top draw opponents Scunthorpe United, will be doing their utmost to ensure that we progress no further.
Special occasions like big cup ties are great opportunities for dipping into the memory bank and for this feature, Gibbsy has been catching up with our record appearance maker and member of the first team coaching staff, Dean Gillick, to see what he can remember of the day we took on Notts County at Stoke City’s Victoria ground.
Gibbsy – Hi Deano, thanks for giving us your time. You made 632 appearances for our fine club in a distinguished non-league career but there was one game you didn’t play in but wished you had.
Deano – That’s right Chris. 632 times I turned out for Newcastle Town starting as a 19-year-old in 1992 but in August of the year we played Notts County in the first round of the cup, when I was on the fringes of the Castle side, I got offered the chance to play at Eastwood Hanley who we ground shared with at the time. I went there with a couple of other players from Castle including Dave Ritchie, who was the son of Stoke City’s all time leading scorer John Ritchie.
Gibbsy – That ended well then?
Deano – Exactly! I lasted three games there and I just wasn’t enjoying it so when I was offered the chance to come back, I leapt at it. The only problem was that one of those three games was an FA Cup tie against Crook Town.
Gibbsy – You plonker, you’d cup tied yourself?
Deano – Thanks, yes I had!
Gibbsy – So what can you remember of that day?
Deano – I remember the weather was awful. We had a decent crowd in for the game and it would have been even bigger but it absolutely smashed it down all day. The chairman at the time, John Walker, used to run a local firm called Proctors Coaches, so getting to games was always well taken care of. On the day of the Notts County game, we met up for a pre match meal at The Post House (this was a place in Clayton) and got driven to the ground.
Gibbsy – And the game itself?
Deano – We gave a very good account of ourselves on the day and lost 2-0 so all in all we made County work hard for their win.
Gibbsy – And who can you remember in that Notts County squad?
Deano – They had some top players. Tony Agana was up front – he went on to forge a top strike partnership with Brian Deane at Sheffield United you might remember. The current Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder was in that team as was the former Manchester United player Graham Hogg. Their goalkeeper was Darren Ward, who made five international appearances for Wales. The no-nonsense midfielder Shaun Derry was just starting his career as well, so they had a very good mix of youth and experience and no little amount of talent.
Gibbsy – Obviously you didn’t play in the game yourself but what was the preparation for the game like?
Deano – Yeah thanks for reminding me that I didn’t play in the game! I have to say that our manager at the time Glyn Chamberlain did a terrific job, and he was really well supported by the late Trevor Brissett our assistant manager. We went into the game knowing it would be tough, but Glyn and Trevor made sure that we weren’t overawed by the occasion. It was a brilliant day for the club and even though I didn’t play in the match, I still have these very fond memories, which I keep to this day.
Gibbsy – Cheers Deano. So what would be your message to the class of 2024 then?
Deano – I know the current crop of players would love to emulate the fantastic side we had in 1996/97 but my message would simply be to go out and enjoy it. Scunthorpe United are a terrific side but the great thing about the cup is that it’s a one-off and, on the day, anything is possible.