Matchday Memories: On This Day 1999 – See Strachan’s Sky Blues Score Four & Numb Newcastle

Posted by · Leave a Comment 

Gordon the Gaffer

On this day (16th October) in 1999 now CCFPA member Gordon Strachan chose his team to take on Newcastle United at Highfield Road in a Premier League fixture. Young Belgian striker (and now CCFPA member) Cedric Roussel made his Sky Blue debut that day from the bench!  A crowd of 23,022 turned up to see the visitors unlucky to lose the advantage as first, Sky Blue shotstopper Magnus Hedman made a string of great saves to keep us in the game and then City’s Carlton Palmer grabbed one, against the run of play, after 13 minutes.   

Paul D Williams in the Sky Blue

Carlton in Sky Blue action

Sky Blues defender Paul Williams then scored our second after 21 minutes with a speculative 25 yarder which flew in when it could have gone anywhere! The Magpies’ manager Bobby Robson was not impressed when his defender Warren Barton was red-carded for a forearm smash on the Sky Blues Moroccan midfielder (and CCFPA member) Youssef Chippo.

The balance of power in the game for the North Eastern team further deteriorated now they were down to ten men despite the presence in their forward line of top goalscorer and captain Alan Shearer and former Sky Blue favourite (and CCFPA member) Kevin Gallacher.

Image

Image

 

 

 

 

 

21 Aug 1999: Robbie Keane of Coventry City in action during the FA Carling Premiership match against Derby County played at Highfield Road in Coventry, England. The match finished in a 2-0 victory to Coventry City. Mandatory Credit: Mike Hewitt /Allsport

Robbie in Sky Blue action

Hadji in Action

Things soon got even worse for United when their goalie Shay Given uncharacteristically spilled the ball six minutes from the break letting in Sky Blues mercurial young striker Robbie Keane for his fifth goal in eight games.

A 3-0 half-time lead perhaps flattered City but that’s how it stayed until the 81st minute when the Magpie’s Didier Domi struck a consolation goal but the Sky Blues rubbed it in at the death when our Morrocan magician (and now CCFPA member) Moustapha Hadji scored with last (free) kick of the game make it 4-1 to the Sky Blues at the final whistle.

Thanks to CCFPA’s Dean Nelson you can relive the highlights from that substantial Sky Blue victory in October by clicking on the image below.

WGS’s Sky Blues took the field that day (CCFPA members underlined) as follows:-

Kevin Gallacher

Magnus Hedman, Marc Edworthy (sub. Steve Froggatt), Marcus Hall, Carlton Palmer, Paul D Williams, Richard Shaw, Paul Telfer, Gary McAllister (sub. Cedric Roussel), Moustapha Hadji, Robbie Keane and Yousssef Chippo.

The Toon Army’s XI lined up as follows:-

Shay Given, Warren Barton, Didier Domi, Rob Lee, Aaron Hughes, Nikos Dabizas, Norberto Solano, Keiron Dyer, Alan Shearer, Kevin Gallacher and Gary Speed.  Referee: A.Wiley

The Magpies had their revenge in the return at St James’ Park the following April beating us 2-0 with late goals from Alan Shearer and Diego Gavilan.

CCFC 1999-2000

The Magpies had it slightly better than the Sky Blues over the whole 1999-2000 season. They finished in eleventh spot in the Carling Premiership on 52 points whilst the Sky Blues, in the season before they were relegated, ended in fourteenth position with 44 points, eleven clear of the drop zone which contained Wimbledon, Sheffield Wednesday and Watford.

Manchester United were runaway Premiership champions on 91 points, a full 18 points clear of Arsenal in second place!  

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young & Dean Nelson for sourcing the photos

 

Share Post

Comments

Speak Your Mind

Tell us what you're thinking...


*
= 5 + 3