April 3rd 1996. Anfield. Now anyone who follows Newcastle United and Liverpool will just need to give that date and location a cursory glance and know why it is significant in the annals of the Premier League.
I was only 10 years old at the start of the “so close” season of 1995-1996 and up to that point my biggest passion was watching WWF superstars with my friends from school.
It wasn’t until one weekend I went to my Nanna’s house with my Auntie for Sunday dinner and my Grandad and Uncle came home from The Newton pub, well more staggered home.
My Grandad took over the remote and put on Sky Sports. Everton v Newcastle.
I remember asking lots of questions about the players and whatnot to the point that I got more than a few stern glances from my Grandad Jed and Uncle Jimmy. No words needed – I knew it was time to keep quiet.
Then all of a sudden I saw a player just burst through the Everton defence from what looked like half the length of the pitch and score, before I knew it the previous stern looks I got from Grandad and Uncle quickly evaporated into unbridled joy and passion which I got swept up in. The player in question was Les Ferdinand and from that moment he was my favourite player.
Following the game I went back home and told my Mam I couldn’t wait to go to school the following day to tell my friends all about the match. Even if I just wanted to impress the cool kids at the time.
From then on, what felt like every Sunday I would go to my Nan’s for Sunday dinner with my Auntie, wait for my Grandad and Uncle to stagger home from the pub, hand my Grandad the remote and await my heroes coming out. I was in awe every single time. The noise of the crowd, the passion, the free flowing attacking football. The wave and wave of black and white just bombing forward.
By now I had more of a knowledge of what I was watching and was able to join in the more meaningful conversations such as tactics and substitutions. By then I knew that NUFC, rather than WWF, was my true love.
Anyway, back to April 3rd 1996.
Now I knew by that point that this was a massive game. We were a bit on the rails at that point and also that Liverpool were a very good side. Being only 11 years old, my football knowledge at that point only came from drunken ramblings from – you guessed it- Grandad Jed and Uncle Jimmy – and the occasional football magazine my mam would get me as an end of week school treat. I had no idea of that time the history of Liverpool and the connection between themselves and Kevin Keegan.
Another thing that made me think that this was just not another match was the fact that it was just not my Grandad, Uncle and myself watching the match, but also my Nanna joined us as well as my Mam, three Aunties and my Uncle Marc. Then to top it off my Mam said that I could have the next day off school if Newcastle won. Happy days.
I knew we had beat Liverpool twice already that season (the 2-1 win at home and 1-0 in the Coc-Cola cup at Anfield) and after watching Kevin Keegan in his pre-match interview I was more than confident.
So the match starts and more or less straight away we were 1-0 down. Robbie Fowler with a downward header that cannoned of the ground and into the net. Nightmare. Then suddenly my hero at the time Les Ferdinand with a turn and shot, after great build up play from Tino Asprilla, suddenly we were level. Despair to jubilation in the matter of minutes. The atmosphere on TV was nothing like I had ever heard before.
Then it got even better. David Ginola was played through and suddenly it was 2-1 and again the house just shook with euphoric joy. I remember thinking to myself that this is the greatest game I have ever seen and it was only about 15 mins in at that point. The half ended and we all talked about how if we keep things tight at the back (by this point I had more of a healthy knowledge) we could win this game and win this game we will win the league but we all knew that that was not Keegan’s style.
Second half started and pretty much like the beginning of the first half it was Fowler again, a cracking first time shot from the edge of the area. Nightmare. The mood has dampened somewhat but still hopeful. The hopeful mood once again turned to manic euphoria as our Colombian maverick Tino Asprilla scored, what I thought was at the time, the greatest goal ever scored. A delicious shot with the outside of his foot that curled around David James. Get in, 3-2 and that day off school I’d been promised was ever closer.
Now, despite the joyous atmosphere in the house and on TV, I could sense a feeling of concern from my family as they sensed that this game was not over. Me on the other hand was still buzzing from Tino’s goal to really be worried. Worried I should be because all of a sudden it was 3-3. This time it was Stan Collymore. Not to worry, we would find a way to score again. And score again we almost did. Les Ferdinand one on one with David James. Les had to score, we all crept forward as one, ready to once again explode in joyous union but…no! My hero, the greatest player I had ever seen at that point and the talk of conversations between my Aunties and Mam that I will not repeat here, saw his shot saved by David James.
Disappointment but not despair. We would score again I said. We did not. Instead it was the last few minutes that will forever go down in history as the most heartbreakingly cruel thing to happen to every toon fan. “Rush, Barnes, Rush, John Barnes….COLLYMORE CLOSING IN!!! Liverpool lead in stoppage time, Keegan hangs his head. He’s devastated.” Martin Tyler with the equal part greatest and most heartbreaking piece of live commentary I think I have ever heard.
Surely no way back now after that late, late sucker punch and so it proved to be. Afterwards, everyone just sat in stunned silence. We knew we had all watched arguably one of the greatest games of all time but what would this mean for our quest to become champions? I looked around to ask but after looking at everyone’s face I thought to myself that this would not be the best time.
Now, onto why Kevin Keegan is so fervently revered and why the outpouring of grief has been so overwhelmingly profound, not only on Tyneside but also on Merseyside. Obviously he is remembered fondly in Southampton, Doncaster, Scunthorpe, Hamburg, Manchester and Fulham as well, but for the sake of this article I will keep it just to Newcastle United and Liverpool.
I remember the post-match interview and was expecting a sombre Kevin Keegan but of course we got the defiant, optimistic Keegan that we all know and love. One bit of the interview that I still remember to this day was the interviewer asking Keegan if he would abandon his principles to adapt to a more pragmatic style of play for the remainder of the season. Keegan’s response was “No. We carry on playing as we have done or I walk.”
That for me is how I want to remember The King.
Yes we lost the game but it was a match where both sides played football the right way. KK never betrayed his principles and his promises to give us fans entertainment every single game. Of course we ended up finishing second behind Man United that season but the journey was the most joyous, exhilarating experience I had ever been part off. I remember saying that next season we will be champions. It didn’t work out that way.
Despite signing Alan Shearer, the King departed in January 1997. A whole city in mourning and school cancelled that afternoon. Another second place finish under the new King, Kenny Dalglish. Or so we thought he was the new King. History would prove us all sadly wrong.
Issue 104 – November 1997
Anyway, April 3rd 1996. The date that still makes me feel overcome with emotion both sad and joyous, heartbreak and exhilaration. It was the reason, in my opinion, why KK will never be forgotten. Obviously not because of the result but because of his passion, enthusiasm, optimism and belief that we were the best team in the land and in Europe and for the most part of that amazing 1995-1996 season we were just that. We may not have won anything under Kevin Keegan but we sure as hell won the hearts and respect of every other fans in the country and around the world.
Sometimes the journey is better than the destination.
Thank you King Kev for everything. You will never be forgotten. We love you.
(***The pre and post-match interviews with Kevin Keegan from the classic 4-3 are available on YouTube.