Goals of Xmas Past

The traditional Boxing Day fixture is one of the highlights of the football calendar. Just as a shocking result played on a regular Saturday or Sunday can make or break your weekend, an appalling performance on the 26th can significantly ruin the season of goodwill.

Reminiscing over the matches I’ve attended on this sacred day, they’ve generally been less than spectacular. As you can imagine, there’s been a couple of stinkers in my time. One of which practically sticks in my mind came in 1986, against my third least favourite club - Everton. Goals from Power, Heath and two from Trevor Steven, saw United suffering a torturous 4-0 defeat, which at the time was the heaviest defeat I had witnessed at St James Park. Fortunatly it wasn’t until 1998 that I had the misfortune to witness a similar hiding against Leeds United, goals from Kewell, Bowyer and a fat Eddie Murphy gave the Yorkshire men an easy three points.

My first away game on a Boxing Day came in 1980 at Blundell Park to see United’s latest number 9 make his debut - the legendary Mick Harford (a legend at Luton Town anyway)
Christmas in the not-so-friendly resort of Cleethorpes doesn’t sound very appealing, alas the game matched the surroundings, finishing goalless, the highlight being a towering header from Harford which smacked off the crossbar. Little did we know then, but that effort was one of the high points of his Magpies career.

Once upon a time derby games were a traditional part of the festive period, which way before my time used to include a game on Christmas Day. The only Tyne-Wear derby in my time was in 1976, goals from Alan Kennedy and the footballer with the greatest rhyming slang name - Paul Cannell, resulted in a sad makem xmas.

However there’s been a couple of derby games with Middlesbrough. The match in ’91 was settled by a unforgettable solo effort from Paul Wilkinson, receiving the ball on the half way line before running half the length of the pitch leaving black ‘n’ white defenders for dust before an effortless finish. Another memorable derby against the Boro came in 2001, when the visitors were lucky to head back down the A19 with only a 3-0 defeat, goals coming from Shearer, Speed and Bernard amongst a litany of missed chances.

Over recent years my Boxing Day preference has been another north-east derby; the Heed v Spartans clash. Although there’s great local rivalry between both clubs, I’m probably the only Gateshead supporter who is the exception to the rule, who doesn’t ardently hate our friends from Northumberland. But that hasn’t stopped my enjoyment of seeing the Heed unbeaten against Spartans at Xmas including a win and a draw at Croft Park and victory at the Heed Camp.


Other memorable matches on this day include an entertaining 2-2 draw at Hillsborough in 1985, goals from Marwood and Thompson for Wednesday with Beardsley and Roeder replying for United. Our skipper with the famous shuffle notched again two years later, the defender grabbing the winner in a single goal victory over Manchester United.

A landmark occasion came in 2003 at Leicester City’s Walkers Stadium, the 100th ground which I’d seen Newcastle United play on, which gave me the idea of forming some sort of groundhoppers club with a website, which I’m hoping will eventually catch on!

I can’t write this article without touching on the saddest day of my life - the 26th December 1984. I had travelled down to the Midlands for a game at The Hawthorns and on returning home that evening, learned that my Dad had died at 4.20pm, losing his 10 month battle with cancer.
So today isn't just about festive football and recovering after over indulgence the previous 24 hours, personally the 26th has a more significant meaning. But knowing my Dad, he would be jovial that the anniversary of his passing is spent doing something that we both enjoyed doing together - going to the match.

Whatever happens at the match today, be it a Christmas cracker or a bit of a turkey, don't let the result blight your festive cheer. Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your festive football, unless of course, your team is playing a club from Tyneside whose club colours are black 'n' white!