GROUND 143 REVISITED *** USG 0. THE TOON 4 *** CHAMPIONS LEEGUE GROUP STAGE MATCH TWO

 Posted from ‘high noon 🛎️ bells’ Thorzday 2nd Octobaa 2025 on a train somewhere in Belgium! (So, sorry 4 eny misstayks on the bumpy trayn 🚂 ride!)---Updated Friday 'high noon bells' (onwards!)

Ground number 143 revisited (1st visited 1990s v Anderlecht, friendly)

Date of this visit: 1st October 2025 (121st competitive European game in a row 1977-2025)

Lotto Park (formerly Stade Constant Vandenstock), Brussels , Belgium

Royal Union Saint-Gilloise 0

Newcastle United 4 (Waltemade, Gordon (2 pens), Barnes

UEFA Champions League group stage game 2

Attendance: 16,038 (1,000 plus Toon fans) (plus 5 who sneaked in!)

“BEER WE GO!” 🍻 🍻 

This woz undoubtedly wor best away European performance since we beat Royal Antwerp 5-0 in the 1990s in the UEFA Cup!  Aalso in Belgium!

The game woz played at Anderlecht’s Lotto Stadium az Union’s groond isn’t fit for purpose to stage big European games!

The goal sequences were az follows:

17th minute: Waltemade latches onto Tonali’s shot to deflected the baall past the Union keeper in front of The Toon Travellers! 1-0 to us!

VIEW FROM THE FRONT ROW, TOP DECK!---WE COULD'NT FIND WOR SEATS AZ SOME TOON FANS HAD RIPPED THE SEAT NUMBERS OFF!

Belgian booze woz allowed into the seated area and I got a beer shampoo when somebody hoyed it when we scored!

43rd minute: Elanga iz brought doon on the edge of the box and the rep points to the spot!  Up steps Anthony Gordon to send the keeper the wrang way to double wor lead! (More beer shampoo!) HT 2-0 to us!

OPTICAL ILLUSION?---THE STADIUM LOOKS MUCH BIGGER THAN THE 21,000 CAPACITY!---WITH 6,000 EMPTY SEATS THEY COULD EASILY HAVE GIVEN WOR FANS MORE TICKETS, THAN THE MEAGRE 1,000!----SOME CORPERATES DIDN'T TURN UP AND FANS BACK IN THE UK WERE CONTACTED ON THE DAY OF THE MATCH, TO SAY THEY COULD NOW GET TICKETS!

64 th minute: Another penalty at the far end from us, this time for hand baall! Gordon steps up again and sends the baall to the right of their keeper, who dives the reet way this time, but the shot iz too powerful az it hits the back of the net! 3-0 to us!

Yet more beer shampoo ower mee heed!

80th minute: Sub Harvey Barnes completes the rout when he iz put through and hits a sweet shot to complete the rout!

For the 4th time in the match, we got well and truly ‘shampood’!— This meeenz I won’t need to wash mee golden locks in the shower back at the hotel and save a tenner in the process! 

The win catapults NUFC up from 26th in the Champions Leegue table to 11th, which iz good enough for a play off place!⬇️

Attendance: 16,038 (Just ower 1,000 Toon fans!)(At least five sneaked in, sayin they were'corperate' and they just let them through withoot checkin if they had tickets!)

I’m on that photo somewhere?  

If yoo know — yoo know!

“THE END GAME!”

Benfica and Athletic Bilbao at SJP next in matches 3 and 4!  So we actually have a great chance to qualify for the knockoot stage, withoot the play offs!?

This brief report woz written on a train in Belgium and will be fully updated sometime on Friday when we get back! ((Includin bar crawl photos!)

A match report on wor U19s 2-0 defeat at USGs Joseph Marien Stadium, played in the afternoon before the main game, will appear sometime ower the weekend!

Az per usual “Watch this space intentleee!” ⬇️

Updated Friday ‘high 🕛 🔔s

Drinkin den report!  

In total 12 different drinkin dens were visited on this trip to Belgium, via France, startin and endin at The Barrel Vaults near King’s Cross station! Running total total 31 different drinkin dens this season

FORST AND LAST PORT O CALL IN LONDON

THE MENIN GATE WAR MEMORIAL AT YPES, BELGIUM AND THE UPRA INN ON THE LEFT

CAN YOO SPOT THE FORMER NUFC NUMBER 9? 

LE PAM PAM, YPES, BELGIUM

PARK CAFE, ANDELECHT, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

I'VE GOT NEE IDEA WHERE THIS BAR WOZ? ---JUST REMEMBED--ITS IN ANDERLECHT!

UNION TAVERNE, FOREST, BRUSSELS (BEFORE U19s GAME)

EVEN THE TOOL SHED BOG SEAT HAZ A UNION STICKER ON IT!

JOSEPH MARIEN STADIUM COVERED IN SCAFFOLDING NEXT TO UNION'S TAVERNE

STADIUM VIEW FROM PETA CORNER, FOREST, BRUSSELS

PETA CORNER, UNION SG PIX

PETA CORNER, FOREST, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

THIS MUST BE A MILLION TO ONE CHANCE!---SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON, THE OWNER OF THE DEN BRAS BAR, IN THE SMAALL TOWN OF KORTRIJK (WHERE WE WERE BASED FOR 2 NEETS NEAR BRUSSELS) SHOWS US A FRAMED PHOTO OF SJP!!!

CAN YOO SPOT THE SJP PHOTO ON THE WAALL?🠉

DEN BRAS, KORTRIJK, BELGIUM

CAFE CASSIMIR, KORTRIJK⬆️⬇️

A VERY SPOOKY PLACE THAT PLAYED HEAVY METAL MUSIC!

GAINSBAR, KORTRIJK, BELGIUM

LE PARVIS DE TREILLE, LILLE, FRANCE

LE CHOPP'ING, LILLE, FRANCE

*MAD-SAD TOURIST PHOTOS TO FOLLOW!⬇️

KORTRIJK CATHEDRAL

YPRES

MENIN GATE, YPRES

MENIN GATE

MENIN GATE MEMORIAL

MARKET PLACE, YPRES

*

YOU NEED A MASTERS DEGREE TO BUY TICKETS THESE DAYS!

 Posted 'high noon bells' Tuezday 30th Septembaa 2025 (On the train to King’s Cross)

UNION SGs JOSEPH MARIEN STADIUM WHERE WOR U19s PLAY IN THE ORLY KICK OFF ***NEW GROOND! *** NEW GROOND!

NUFC play Union SG in Brussels tomorrow neet in The Champions Leegue —and az we type we are on the train 🚂 to King’s Cross (London) and then onwards ‘next door’ to St. Pancras to catch the Eurostar 🚆 train to Lille in France! We are stopping in a place caalled Kortrijk which iz near Lille , and just ower the border inside Belgium and aboot an hours train ride from Brussels (much cheaper than Brussels hotels and Brussels iz a shithole anyway!)

‘The NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers’ are takin in TWO games on Wedinzday—-Forstly to Union’s Joseph Marien Stadium to watch NUFC U19s take on Union U19s in the UEFA Youth Leegue and then onward 4 miles on the tram to Anderlecht FCs Lotto Park where the main event of the day takes place in The Champions Leegue Group stage! (Kick off times are just ower 5 hours apart!) ‘12.30 bells 🔔’ GMT (Geordie Meen Time!)  time and ‘5.45 bells’ 🔔 GMT,  (Belgium iz an hour aheed of us!)

BEEN HERE BEFORE ⬆️ TO WATCH ANDERLECHT V NUFC (1990s)

The reason that Union can’t host Champions Leegue games iz because their 9,400 capacity stadium isn’t deemed suitable!—Hence the switch to Brussels city rivals Anderlecht!

However!— there are nee issues aboot using their own stadium for lesser games, which iz great news for The Toonhoppers who have (somehow!) managed to get tickets for this U19s game!

Honestly, yi’d Fink it would be easy to get tickets for games like this, but it’s a minefield to negotiate Union’s website and purchase one!

1: You need to create an account!

2: You need a 10 figure password includin numbers, letters, and asterisks!

3 You need to photograph your passport with it in front of you IF you can find the Onfido option to verify that it’s YOU! (photos of your passport are NOT good enough!)

4 Then you need to download it to your wallet IF it will let you?

(I had to get help from somebody who iz clued up on these things— (Steev) and even he struggled to negotiate the hurdles to get a ticket!

BUT he did manage after 20 minutes tryin, to get my ticket onto my telling bone ➡️📱! (Horray!)

Cannot imagine that there will be many Toonhoppers at THAT game!

Honestly! it would be easier to buy a ticket for The Champions Leegue final than for this U19s game!

(Why do they make it so fcukin hard to buy a ticket for a minor game?)

To try and buy a ticket for the U19s game, gan to:

Ticketing@rusg.be

Best of luck!----Yi'll need it!

THE TOON 1. THE ARSE 2. *** PREMYAA LEEGUE 2025-2026

 Posted ‘1.16pm 🛎️ bells’ Munday 29th Septembaa 2025

“NATURAL ⬆️ POSITION NONSENCE!”

Yet another stoppage time defeat for NUFC in the most agonising way against a cartel club!

Last time it woz a 10th minute stoppage time defeat v Livaapoool—and this time it’s a 7th minute stoppage time defeat by The Arse!

VAR has got a lot of answering to dee!  Nick Woltemade woz punched in the face in the forst half by Gabriel and (of course!) HE scored the arseholes winner deep into stoppage time, when he should have been red carded! 🟥 But (of course!) the ref and VAR completely missed it! ⬇️

And then in the 2nd half, VAR said that Gabriel's arm woz in a natural position when he handled the baall in the box, az he blocked Anthony Elanga's cross!  Az yoo can see by the top photo, it’s a stone wall penalty!  This happened just before the 8 minutes 2nd half extra time woz added, due to long treatment to Tino Livramento, who woz stretchered off in the 60th minute whith wot looked like a very bad injury! (Fingers crossed 🤞 that it izzint too bad!)

In the forst half a penalty woz awarded to The Arse when The Pope and Gyokerez collided in the penalty area!

Not anly a penalty, but wor goalie possibly gettin red carded az well! (again!)

VAR told the ref to look at the monitor and after a very lang look, he overturned hiz decision, sayin that Pope had got the baall forst, before the man! —-Relief!

The breakthrough had came in the 35th minute when Sandro Tonali crossed for Nick Waltemade to send a powerful heeder past Raya in the Arseholes goal at The Leazes End! ---This woz wor forst on target by the way!

1-0 to us!

Chances for Joelinton and Jacob Murphy in the 2nd half didnt come to fruitition <(we naa aall the big words!) and we paid the price az wor visitors pressed for an equaliser at The Leazes End!

After heroics by The Pope who saved many great shots, the Arse finally equalised in the 82nd minute when Toon ‘old boy’ Mikel Merino heeded the baall into the corner of the net from a set piece corner by Rice! 1-1   And then the Toon penalty incident! (see above!)

8 minutes of stoppage time woz added az The Arse pressed for a winner and it finally came in the 2nd last minute of added time when The Pope somehow missed the baall from a corner, az he did an 'air punch' and Gabriel (who shud have been sent off of course!) woz at hand to force the baall ower the line to break wor hearts again! 💔

The defeat leaves NUFC in 15th place with just one win in six Premyaa Leegue games!

Attendance: 52,199 (3,000 arrogant Arseholes az usual!)

Union SG are next up in Brussels in The Champions Leegue on Wedinzday----Its “aall go” az they say! 

THE TOON V THE ARSE *** TOMORROW AFTERNOOON!

 Posted just after ‘high noon 🕛 bells 🔔’ Saturday 27th Septembaa 2025

A BRILLIANT SKETCH OF SJP,  WITH THE HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE, THE ‘NEW’CASTLE AND ST. NIX CATHEDRAL!

NUFC gan into this game lookin for wor 2nd home win in The Premyaa Leegue when we take on ‘Cry Baby Arteta’s side at ‘4:30 🛎️ bells’ tomorrow! (Live on Sky)

It iz sure to be another great atmosphere and 3 points would lift us up the table!

We gan into this game lookin for wor 3rd win in a row ower The Arse!

Jacob Ramsey and Yoane Wissa are still crocked, while Fab Schar iz doubtful!— There iz a slight doubt wether Jacob Murphy will start az well!

Wor Saturday ‘fix’ this afternooon iz at Dunston, who take on Gainsborough Trinity in the FA Cup 3rd qualifying roond— just 2 hurdles from the 1st roond proper!

A full Geordie Times match report on The Arse game will appear here sometime on Munday—And then on Tuezday we are off to Belgium 🇧🇪 for wor Champions Leegue game v Union SG, which takes place on Wedinzday at Anderlecht FCs Lotto Park in Brussels!

More to follow on that later!

THE TOON 4. BRADFAAD CITY 1 *** LEEGUE CUP 3rd ROOND

Posted ‘high noon 🕛 bells 🔔’ Thorzday 25th Septembaa 2025

Bradfaad are in the horrible light pink strip!

“BANTAM WAIT!”(104 years and coontin!) 🥊

Bradfaad haddint won at SJP for 103 years before this game—and their lang wait for a victory on Tyneside now stretches to at least 104 years after a comprehensive 4-1 win for The Toon!

With the backin of some 4,900 noisy ‘Bantams’ who filled the entire Leazes End top tier, they couldn’t dee anything to help their team az The Toon dominated from start to finish!

The goal sequences were az follows:

17th minute: The breakthrough came after NUFC dominated the opening proceedings when a Anthony Gordon shot at the Leazes End deflected nicely for Joelinton to fire the baall ower the line! 1-0 to us!

VIEW FROM THE MILBURN STAND BALCONY

19th minute: With wor Leegue one opponents aall at sea, we doubled wor lead 2 minutes later when a great through baall from Bruno foond Osula, who calmly hit a shot that went through their goalie’s legs to put us 2-0 up!

The Bradfaad fans tried to lift their team, but the class difference between the two sides woz just too much, az we went for number 3!

It didn’t happen in this half, but there were more goals to follow in the 2nd period!⬇️

75th minute: After dominating again az we attacked the Gallowgate goal the 3rd goal finally came when Bruno foond Joelinton who slotted the baall past Walker in the visitors goal! 3-0 to us!

79th minute: At last the Bradfaad faithful had sommik to cheer when a defensive misstayk let in Andy Cook (a boyhood Toon fan!) and he fired home with a shot that went in off the crossbar to give them a slim hope of a comeback!

87th minute: That ‘slim hope’ woz extinguished 8 minute later when Osula got hiz 2nd goal of the game, when Harvey Barnes crossed the baall from the byline —-and from point blank range Osula forced the baall ower the goal line to banish any hope of a comeback from The Bantams!

Excuse the boxing 🥊 pun, but the Bantam ‘wait’ for a win here extends to at least 104 years! ( Their last win at SJP woz in 1922!)

Attendance: 51,706 (4,900 Bantams who cheered their team throughout the game!) 👏 

We watched the draw for the 4th roond in The Bodega, dreading the though of a lang distance midweek away tie at the likes of Swansea or Brightin!

But thankfully we got lucky again!— A home tie against Sporz to be played near the end of Octobaa!

THE TOON V BRADFAAD CITY **** TOONEET!

 Posted ‘high noon 🕛 🛎️ bells’ Wedinzday 24th Septembaa 2025

Updated ‘10:27pm bells 🔔’

NUFC gan into toneet’s game with a staggering 20 games minimum between now and the new year! AND if we are successful tooneet and in the next roond, then anothaa 2 games will added to that list! 

And by coincidence we have played Bradfaad a total of 20 times at SJP in wor history—And their last win here woz 103 years ago in 1922!

Since then NUFC have won 10 in a row—the last time in 2000 when we beat them 2-1 in a Premyaa Leegue game, in front of a 50,470 crowd!

The total SJP record iz: Won16–Drawn 2–Lost 2

Like we say, with Bradfaad now in Leegue 1, there iz a real possibility it could be 22 games before January 1st, which iz just insane! (That’s a game every 4 days!)

And wot side will ‘Steady Eddie’ put oot tooneet at ‘7:45 🛎️s iz anybody’s guess az we defend The Leegue Cup trophy?🤔 (Fab Schar, Yoanne Wissa and Jacob Ramsey will take nee part coz of injury!)

Bradfaad have sold their entire allocation of 4,900 tickets, so it will be a canny atmosphere in the selloot 52,000 plus crowd come kick off time! 

If the scores are level after 90 minutes then penalties will decide it! (Nee 30 minutes extra time!)

Of course NUFC are odds on favourites to win (1/8) but az we naa from past experiences, it doesn’t aalways gan to plan!🥶

The draw for the 4th roond takes place after ‘10 🛎️s’ tooneet on Sky Sports

A full Geordie Times match report will appear here tomorrow—sometime!—-and we will bring yoo the Leegue Cup 4th roond draw az soon az we find oot! (Let’s hope we are in it and that we are at home again?)

Az per usual! “Watch this space!”

Updated ‘10:27 pm 🔔 s’

Leegue Cup 4th roond draw ⬇️

It’s Sporz at SJP!

🤪👍🏁🏆🥇