Better Days – United in the Basque Country v Bilbao!

Newcastle United v Athletic Bilbao

UEFA cup Second Round

Tuesday October 18^th 1994

You can’t beat school night football, particularly with the sultry tones of Barry Davis on the BBC. As presenter Des Lynam said at the top of the show; ‘this is just about the most exciting place to be in English football right now’.

Newcastle United were top of the Premiership, unbeaten and top scorers in the League, having been fighting for promotion from Division One just 18 months previously. Keegan’s Mags’ secured a third-place finish in our debut season in the big league, ensuring European qualification for the 94/95 campaign.

We made itthrough to the second round of the UEFA cup, having comfortably dispatched Royal Antwerp in the previous round, mainly thanks to a Rob Lee hat-trick of headers over in Belgium. As Lynam mentioned, our league form had been electric going into this one- Chelsea, Arsenal and Villa all dispatched in the opening round of Premiership games. Cole and Beadlsey were unstoppable up front with Fox and Sellers providing the service from the wings, in a classic Keegan ‘entertainers’ 4-4-2 formation.

A European night under lights, just another step on the Keegan wonderland journey.

Teams;

Newcastle- Srnicek, Hottiger, Beresford, Peacock, Howey, Albert, Fox, Beardsley ‘, Cole, Clark, Sellers

‘Bilbao- Valencia, Tabuenca, Larrazabal, Karanka, Andrinua ‘, Vales, Estibariz, Alkiza, Ziganda, Garitano, Mendiguren

Referee- Helmut Kurg (Germany)

Beardo led the team out, clad in the classic ‘Mcewans Larger’ blue away strip, into an electric atmosphere under lights. Local Hero blared out and the away fans, housed in the Leazes-East Stand corner, swung their red and white scarves and flags

Our opponents kicked off, playing from right to left.

Just over 9 minutes in, a hacked Bilbao clearance fell to the feet of Darren Peacock. Our number ‘4’ stroked the ball out to the left-hand side. Scott Sellers dinked the ball over the top to overlapping full back Beresford. The Yorkshireman met the ball with his head and nodded across the box. Andy Cole hooked the ball over the top of the defence and an advancing Rule Fox slid in and prodded towards keeper Valencia, who could only parry into the side of the net. 1-0 Newcastle. An electric start from the Magpies, sending a buoyanthome crowd into raptures.

Wave after wave of Newcastle attacks followed and on 34 minutes, Peter Beardsley twisted and turned inside the Bilbao box, forcing a trip from Larrazabal. The skipper converted the penalty high and handsome into the roof of the Gallowgate net. 2-0 Newcastle.

We began the second half just as we did the first with silky attacking play. On 54 minutes Beardsley back healed into the path of Lee Clark, just inside the opposition half. The young Geordie drove hard towards the Leazes before playing the ball out to Fox on the right. The man from East Anglia then swept a lovely right-footed first time cross into the box. Andy Cole peeled off the last defender before guiding the ball back across the keeper. 3-0 Newcastle.

Newcastle were cruising and only needed to ensure that Bilbao departed Tyneside without any away goals to secure a passage through to the next round, surely.

However, on 71 minutes Bilbao attacked and Ziganda found some space in between Marc Hottiger andDarren Peacock. The number ‘9’ and future Bilbao manager lifted the ball over an advancing Pav. 3-1.

As the game approached the final 10 minutes the men from the Basque country were moving the ball around nicely. An in-swinging cross came into the Newcastle box from the left-hand side and substitute Suances stepped inside John Beresford to nod into the Gallowgate net. The away fans celebrated wildly, knowing they would return home with 2 away goals going into the second leg.

Sadly, those late away goals returned to hurt us as we fell to an 1-0 defeat over in Bilbao a week later, courtesy of a Ziganda goal and the UEFA cup dream was over for Keagan’s men. However, it wouldn’t be too long before Newcastle fans needed to dig out their passports again, as we qualified for the UEFA cup off the back of finishing second in the League in the 95/96 campaign. Champions League qualification followed a year later under Kenny Dalgleish and we welcomed Barcelona to SJP in September 1997. We all know what happened on that night!

Perhaps the Bilbao tie summed up the ‘entertainers’ era on Tyneside- scintillating attacking play mixed with questionable defending. However, nothing beat a European night under lights on Barrack Road.

Adam Morrison -‘@AdamMor41788032

Match highlights here-