ST. JAMES' PARK 1880-2026 ***** 146 YEARS OLD! *** HAPPY BORTHDAY TOO YOOO!"

Posted 'high noon bells' Friday 16th Octobaa 2026

This iz the orliest known photo of a stand at St James' Park in 1888 when Newcastle West End occupied the groond 

(Oliver Hardy iz on the far left and Stan Laurel iz on the far right!)---HONEST!

Newcastle East End took over the ground when West End folded and a small wooden stand can be seen in the background filled with bowler hatted gentlemen!

This photo woz taken in 1890

The forst ever game of futbaall at St. James' Park took place 146 years ago on 16th October 1880 when a Newcastle Rangers 'Captains X1' took on 'Others' who had 15 players on the field!
Rangers anly had 11 players but won 6-1!
The Daily Journal recorded that: "The new ground is very nicely situated. It is 120 yards by 60 yards broad and is comparatively level!"
Rangers headquarters were recorded as: 'Strawberry House, 78 St James' Park' and Rangers christened the ground St. James' Park az it woz next to St. James' Street which iz still there in the shadow of The East Stand!

*By amazing coincidence aa got married to Val on 16th October 2005 at St James' Park!---on the 125th anniversary of the forst game!

Aa didn't realise this til  aa woz researchin' this article in October 2018!   Aa thought "16th October rings a bell?"--- but aa couldn't remember why??? 

PS: I tell people I got married to Val in a cathedral!  
"The cathedral on the hill!"---az Sir Bobby Robson caalled it!

SJP buildin' work 1890's

SJP 1904 (St James' Street iz on the right)

SJP 1905 WITH THE 2ND WEST STAND IN THE BACKGROOND

SJP IN 1905 LOOKIN TOWARDS THE NEW WEST STAND

SJP 1930 WITH THE NEW LEAZES END ROOF AT THE TOP OF THE PICTURE

SJP car park 1930

SJP 1960s

SJP entrance 1960s

SJP 21st century

SJP 21st century "The cathedral on the hill!"

Here are some fascinating newsreel photos from a game v Liverpool 124 years ago in 1901

NUFC won 1-0 with centre forward Bob McColl scorin' the anly goal, watched by a crowd of 20,000

THE OLD WEST STAND (NOW MILBURN STAND) IZ IN THE BACKGROOND

THE POPULAR SIDE (NOW EAST STAND) WITH LEAZES TERRACE (LEFT) AND ST. JAMES' STREET (RIGHT) WHICH THE GROOND WOZ NAMED AFTER

  

LOOKING TOWARDS THE LEAZES END-- NOTE THAT THE NUFC GOALIE MATT KINGSLEY IZ WEARING BLACK 'N' WHITE STRIPES

NOTE THAT THE REFEREE IN THE MIDDLE OF PHOTO IZ WEARIN' A CAP 

THE NORTH FERRIBY VILLAGE PEOPLE 0. THE DUNSTON BAD BLUE BOYS 2 *** NORTHERN PREMYAA LEEGUE EAST

 Posted ‘high noon bells 🔔’ Thorzday 15th Octobaa 2026

Grovelling apologeeez for the late posting of this match report from last Saturday— 5 days late!—But this iz The Geordie Times!—Wot did yoo expect? ⬇️

Ground number 80 with Dunston (or iz it 81?)

“THERE’S A GHOST IN THE HOUSE!”

(THE PUBLIC HOUSE CAR PARK, THAT IZ!”)

“ I LOVE THE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS!”

With The Toon not playin at Coventry til Munday neet, we needed wor Saturday ‘fix’. So we travelled doon to east Yorkshire on the Dunston team bus (committee at front, team at back and fans in the middle!) for this leegue game in the village of North Ferriby, near Hull, on the banks of the Humber and within sight of the huge Humber bridge! (Been here many 🌙 moons before to watch NUFC U21s play Hull U21s)

Some fans on the bus had withdrawal symptoms (includin ‘me’!) and got dropped off at The Duke of Cumberland (the anly boozer in the village) aboot half a mile from the groond, for the pre match ‘gargels’— and at nearly £23 for 4 pints, it wozzint a cheap roond eethaa! ie: With anly one boozer in the village, they’ve got a captive audience and can charge wot they like! 💰 4 Dunston diehards had travelled doon on the train and were there aalready, on the ‘hoy’!🍺🍺🍺🍺

THE DUKE OF CUMBERLAND IN EAST YORKSHIRE?  MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!🤔

It woz soon time heed for the groond and az we left, a white car started drivin oot the pub’s car park, which woz on a hill.

 Instead of heedin for the exit the car went straight forward and crunched loudly into anothaa white car parked at the bottom, with a glass headlight and tail lights shattering on impact!

 We looked and could see there woz neebody in the car? (One of those driverless models, perhaps!?) And then it dawned on us—the driver had forgotten to put the handbrake on and the car simply rolled doon the hill into the other car!— Both were brand new cars az well!  (“Ouch!”)

Anyway!—We got to the groond with 5 minutes to spare from the ‘3:00 🔔s kick off and heeded for a narrow covered stand on the far side of the pitch!

SPOT THE BRIDGE?

It woz one way traffic from the start (driverless cars excepted!) az Dunston Bad Blue Boys, in their aall red change strip, attacked ‘ The Apple 🍎 Tree End’ (aye there were apple trees behind that goal)(North Ferriby were in their white and green strip)

It woz anly a matter of time til the Ferriby defence woz breached, with the visitors havin several chances to take the lead—and sure enough it happened in the 34th minute, from an excellent move!—A ‘Village People’ defender lost possession and the baall foond Dunston’s number 10 Robinson— He threaded the baall to number 9 Kneeshaw, who raced into the box to plant an accurate shot into the far corner of the goal! 1-0 to Dunston!

THE BAD BLUE BOYS IN AALL RED!

Thats the way the forst half ended az we made a mad dash to the clubhoose on the other side of the pitch!

WONDER WHICH TEAM HE SUPPORTS?🤔

Again, the visitors from Tyneside dominated the orly possession az they attacked ( you guessed it!)‘The Humber Bridge End’ and sure enough their second goal came in the 55th minute when a Dunston player woz fouled in the box by a Ferriby defender! 

Up stepped Will Shaw to fire the baall to the right of their goalie, to double their lead with loud cheering 📣 and applause 👏 from the Dunston faithful (Aboot 25 fans and committee)

Attendance: 349

After the match it woz back to the clubhoose for the celebratory ‘gargels’, before heedin back to Tyneside via the M62 and A1M

The result lifts Dunston up to third place in the table, while North Ferriby drop to 15th position!

Can you spot the dillibrit mystaykx on this sign near the clubhoose? (And NO, we didn’t wear Covid masks on the jorney doon to Humberside and back!)⬇️

GHOST 'GROOND' FOOTNOTE: 👻 

Mee mate ‘Davy the Silver Fox’ reckons I went with him to South Bank near Middlesbrough in the 1990s to watch Dunston!—I can honestly say I can’t remember bein there? Hence the top of the page groond count with Dunston iz 80 or 81?)🤔

“WE WOZ THERE!”⬇️THE PROOF!”

COVENTREEE CITY 4 THE TOON 1 *** PREMYAA LEEGUE 2026-2027

 Posted ‘4:00pm 🛎️ bells’ Tuezday 13th 2026

“I DONT LIKE MUNDAYS (THE SEQUEL!)

Just when you thought that it couldn’t get any worse after the debacle at wor last away game at Leeedz, then ‘Fink’ again!

For Coventry, see Leeedz!

The anly difference woz that we played in wor horrible lilac pink strips, az opposed to wor aall blue number at Elland Road!

Anothaa 4-1 hiding on a Munday—which woz a much worse result, than at Leeedz, az this woz relegatin favorites Coventry’s forst win in The Premyaa Leegue for qwaataa of a century (when they were at Highfield Road) and their forst EVER win in a Premyaa game in their new stadium! (Originally caalled The Ricoh Arena---now The Coventry Building Society Arena)

Includin SJP, this woz the 63rd different groond we have visited, that haz hosted Premyaa Leegue futbaall

It’s a really nice mid size stadium, but it’s 3 miles to the centre of Coventry, and 4 miles to the train 🚂 station, which downgrades it a bit, becoz of its location— Neewhere near any pubs eethaa, unlike their old groond near the city centre!

It started off badly though! Wor goalie fumbled a shot in the 6th minute and  Cov's Cherif pounced on the baall! Hornicek then pulled him doon in the box and the ref pointed straight to the spot!

 Rudoni took it and placed the baall to the left of Hornicek to put them aheed early doors! 1-0 to them!

NUFC, who were attackin the 'away end', had most of the play, but we couldnt find the net despite numerous chances, which were 'skyed' or went wide! Fernandez-Pardo had 2 glorious chances to equalise but, with anly their goalie to beat, he fluffed hiz lines twice!

HT 1-0 to them!

The second half started off just az badly az the forst half, az it took The Sky Blues just 3 minutes to double their lead!

A lang throw in into the box foond Cherif and he had time and space to fire the baall just inside the post, with the outstretched arms of Horicek unable to reach it! 2-0 to them!

There woz still a glimmer of light az we peppered the far goal with wayward shots!---But then in the 70th minute Sven Botman hit a glorious left footed shot from ootside the box to half the deficeit! 2-1 to them!

We had chances to equalises az we dominated play, but wor glimmer of light woz extinguised in the 80th minute when Cov's simms hit a shot and it took a wild deflection off Thaiw to enter the net, with wor goalie wrang footed! 3-1 to them!

They then hit the post, before completing the rout, when teenager Mfuni ran into the box to fire home in the 86th minute! 

4-1 to them, final score!

The stats show we were the much better team with 19 shots and 6 on target and we had nearly 70% possesion!---But possesion and wayward shots don't win you games!---However, goals do!

I doesn’t get any better, does it? It’s certainly a penance and a life sentence, bein a Toon fan!

Attendance: 30,811 (3,030 fed up Toon fans!)⬇️

3,030 TOON FANS TO THE RIGHT

*The pre and post match 'gargels' aall took place in the Novotel hotel bar, where we stopped, which woz a 20 minutes walk from the stadium!⬇️

Az there are hardly any boozers anywhere near the stadium, which iz in the middle of neewhere next to an industrial estate and M6 Motorway, SO! we stopped in the hotels bar!  Not cheap at nearly £7 a pint of Camden Pale Ale! (Spent ower £50 on the ‘gargels’!) They ran oot of 'Camden' at '11:30 bells', so we were 'forced' to drink Becks instead!➡️🍺😵‍💫🔫

23 DAYS BETWEEN GAMES IZ RIDICULOUS!

 Posted ‘high noon bells’ 🔔 Friday 9th Octobaa 2026

THE RICOH ARENA--NOW RENAMED THE COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA

We beat Hull 2-1 at SJP on Saturday Septembaa 19th and the International break meenz wor next game iz ower 3 weeks later at Coventry this comin Munday neet!— Bloody ridiculous if you ask us!

The one positive iz that 3 or 4 of the 9 players who were sidelined for the Hull game, could make an appearance at The Coventry Building Society Arena come the '8 🔔 bells’ kick off time! (They are: (Deep breath!) Burn, Dedic, Elanga, Gonzalez, Jaouen, Joelinton, Livramento, Osula and Ramsey)

Aall 3,030 away tickets were snapped up lang ago)

THE GEORDIE TIMES ENTOURAGE WILL BE IN BLOCK 231 ROW ‘U’ (ARROWED)

Includin SJP this will be the 63rd groond that haz staged Premyaa Leegue futbaall—and az you’d expect The Geordie Times been to every one of them!

We’ve been here twice before in The Leegue Cup and The Championship and won both times! (When it woz caalled The Ricoh Arena)

Indeed, oot of the 20 current Premyaa Leegue clubs, 10 have moved to new stadium since The Premyaa Leegue started in 1992!

We have been to Coventry’s old groond at Highfield Road az well, the last time they were in The Premyaa!—The Geordie Times forst ever visit there woz way back in 1969 in an old 1st Division game!   ( Lost 1-0) Ground number 011 in the archive match reports 

Az we won’t be playin til Munday, we are groundhoppin with Dunston, who are away to North Ferriby United tomorrow afternooon! (Beleeeve it or not, The NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers have been here before az well, to watch wor U21s play Hull City U21s a few years ago) (Ground number 269 in the archive)

A match report on Dunston’s trip to east Yorkshire, will appear here sometime between Sunday and the end of next week!

A match report on The Toon’s trip to Coventry will appear here on Tuezday!

Az per usual: "Watch this space!" 

FIVE YEARS AND COONTIN’!

 Posted ‘high noon bells’ 🔔 Wedinzday 7th Octobaa 2026

IMAGINE THE EAST STAND LIKE THIS,  WITH 3 ROWS OF EXECUTIVE BOXES AT THE BACK (PLUS A ROOF OF COURSE!)

It’s five years to the day that the PIF took ower wor great club from ‘The Fat Controller’ (Ashley) who had overseen 2 relegations and a 3rd one on the horizon!

Heed coach ‘Broken Nose Bruce’ woz fired and Eddie Howe took the reigns—and the rest (az they say!) iz history!

The saga of the new stadium in Leazes Park—or a SJP rebuild, haz gone on since the Saudis took control —and 5 years on, we are still none the wiser az to wot will happen!?

IF NUFC were to build a mirror image of The Leazes End at The Gallowgate End and ‘tweaked’ the curve to the Milburn and East Stands, it would increase the capacity to 62,000.  

Az The East Stand cannit gan further back because of Leazes Terrace, a solution would be to build 3 rows of corporate boxes at the back after lifting the roof to the heights of the Leazes and Gallowgate roofs, which would then give us an extra 60 or so extra boxes and a further 1,000 high price seats!

The facade could be done the same az the brickwork and windows in the Leazes Terrace grade 2 listed building, to blend in!

Az NUFC have bought most of Leazes Terrace the ‘right to light’ issue won’t arise and they could then turn Leazes Terrace into hospitality areas! With some kind of walkway between the boxes and Leazes Terrace!—Wishful ‘Finkin’ perhaps! 🤔 

The American Footbaall side, North Carolina State Wolfpack’s  Carter-Finley Stadium did exactly that, az space woz limited behind! (See top photo)

It’s a solution that would give SJP a 63,000 capacity, withoot a complete rebuild to a proposed 65,000 seater stadium next door!

2,000 seats less, but a saving of at least £1 billion!

Of course nothing iz straightforward with Strawberry Place and St. James Metro station below the proposed new seats!

But there would be a long drawn oot battle to build on the historic Leazes Park, with objections galore!

For us at The GeordieTimes, an upgrade of SJP iz the very likely solution!