The birth of a legend : Mick Quinn

It was 1989.  Newcastle United had said goodbye to the top tier of league football for the time being, having flirted with relegation a few times since Kevin Keegan, Peter Beardsley, Chris Waddle and Terry McDermott guided them into the Promised Land just five years previous.  The already relegated side that took to the field for the final top-flight game away at Manchester United was unrecognisable from the one that ran out at St. James’ Park three months later.  

There was no John Anderson, Kenny Sansom, David McCreery, Glenn Roeder or Michael O’Neill.  Sunderland born Kevin Dillon had joined from Portsmouth, John Gallacher took up the right wing spot with Wayne Fereday on the left.  

Most importantly of all however, was the introduction of two now club legends up front.  Mark McGhee had returned to Newcastle having been sold after his first spell to Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen, winning several leagues, Scottish cups and the European Cup Winners’ Cup; part of the side that defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in the final.  He’d also won the European Super Cup, scoring against Hamburg in the second leg.  Lesser known to the fans at the time was Mick Quinn.  He’d recently helped Portsmouth back into the top flight for the first time since the 1950’s.  Pompey were relegated again after one season and were almost relegated again but for Quinn’s 20 goals helping them to a safe 20^th position.  Newcastle manager Jim Smith thankfully saw a lot more in Mick Quinn than he did in Frank Pingel and signed him for £680,000.

What’s interesting about this first game of the new season is how many of the Leeds United team were big name players.  Chris Fairclough had top division pedigree, a young David Batty and Gary Speed were just finding their feet with Vinnie Jones and Gordon Strachan alongside to assist.  Leeds had signed John Hendrie from the Magpies to play alongside another ex-Newcastle player, Imre Varadi.  Lee Chapman added to the ‘combative’ edge that Howard Wilkinson was trying to imbue in his team but sadly for the The Whites, it was Newcastle who managed to make an explosive start to the season.

The mood on the terraces was a gloomy one after the fans had watched their side slip meekly out of the First Division amidst chants of ‘sack the board’.  Any discontent soon turned to encouragement as Newcastle flew out of the blocks, attacking from the first minute.  Newcastle hit the bar within the first ten minutes and a few minutes later, a long ball set John Gallacher away down the Newcastle right.  He completely outpaced Jim Beglin and forced the former Liverpool full-back to bring the speedy Scot down in the box for a penalty.  Within seconds of the offence, Mick Quinn was standing on the penalty spot gesturing for the ball.  Once the ball was placed, Quinn made his way to the edge of the box, faced his own goal and then suddenly turned, ran up to the ball and fired it into Mervyn Day’s bottom right-hand corner.  Away he ran to the Gallowgate end to celebrate with sixteen fans jumping up and down with lots of space on the terrace behind them.  One fan just stood there, hands in pockets, looking on for a moment before turning his back on proceedings and wandering back up the terrace, decidedly unimpressed.  Meanwhile, the Strawberry corner was a bouncing sea of delirious Geordies who were about to witness more goals from their team in one game than they’d witnessed in the last nine games of the previous season. 

Leeds hit back two minutes later with Gordon Strachan slicing through the Newcastle midfield with ease and releasing Baird who crossed for Bobby Davidson to fire into an empty net.  Parity then turned to disaster when a long free-kick was headed on to Ian Baird who notched one of his seventeen goals in seventy seven games for Leeds United to make it 2-1 after twenty nine minutes.  Fans and players alike thought their team was level when a corner from the right was headed goalwards by Kevin Scott.  The final touch by McGhee sent it past the Goalkeeper but the offside flag denied him.  Jim Smith’s half-time words had their desired effect and the comeback started with a corner from the left.  Two minutes after the re-start, Fereday floated the ball over and as McGhee flicked it on at the near post, the Leeds defence seemed to completely lose track of it.  Quinn read it perfectly however and nodded the ball into the net for 2-2. 

Twenty minutes later, Tommy Wright launched the ball upfield where Quinn headed it into the back of Mark McGhee who then turned and mesmerised a Leeds defender, leaving him scrabbling on the floor before releasing John Gallacher down the right.  His first-time cross found Quinn in the six yard box who claimed his hat-trick via Mervyn Day’s hand and Mel Sterland’s leg before scampering off, pointing at the sky and punching the air.  Delight turned to ecstasy with four minutes left when a throw down Newcastle’s left found McGhee who performed a hopeful punt over his head.  Peter Haddock had no idea where he was and his delicate knockback in the direction of his own goal found John Gallacher lurking behind.  The winger teased Jim Beglin with a few touches, taking the ball closer and closer to the centre of the goal before firing in an angled shot into the bottom corner leaving the Goalkeeper helpless.  During the goal celebration, Wayne Fereday paid Gallacher particular attention, speaking to him at length.  He was probably asking if Gallacher could show him how to kick the ball in the general direction of the opposition goal in training on Monday.  However, this is just a rumour.

The fifth glorious goal came just one minute later when Kevin Scott stuck out a leg to thwart a rare Leeds attack and the resultant interception set Mick Quinn through with a clear run on goal.  He took a couple of touches and fired the ball goalwards from thirty yards, surprising the ‘keeper who grasped at thin-air and could only watch as Newcastle went nap.

The success story that had started on the opening day continued throughout the season with Quinn scoring in each of the opening five games and going on to score fifteen league goals in fourteen games.  McGhee weighed in with his fair share of goals and they ended the season with fifty one goals between them.  Unfortunately, neither could find the net in the crucial final three games.  The 4-1 defeat to Middlesbrough which consigned Newcastle the Play-offs and the two Play-off games against Sunderland when Newcastle failed to find the net at all.  However, for those who were there for Mick Quinn’s debut, they knew that day that a new Number Nine legend had been born.

Watch the highlights here

Newcastle United 5 Sunderland 1 (31st October 2010)

There’s a man associated with Newcastle United whose ownership has been lamentable at best.  He was plotting the removal of fans’ favourite Chris Hughton from his role as manager despite going fifth in the table after a victory away to Arsenal and this emphatic victory over local rivals Sunderland.  

He then sanctioned the sale of Andy Carroll for £35m which on paper looked good business but in reality, underlined his lack of ambition for the club as the money was not reinvested.  Despite that backdrop, Halloween 2010 was one of the greatest days in any Newcastle fan’s life.  Secret Agent Steve Bruce pretended to be Sunderland manager for a few years and, to try and convince the Sunderland fans that he was on their side, even sported a red face and white hair in tribute to the famous Sunderland club colours.

There was very little doubt about the destination of the points when after 26 minutes, almost complete Magpie dominance was rewarded when Kevin Nolan hooked the ball over his head into the Sunderland net from six yards.  

This was followed by every Newcastle outfield player lying on top of the scorer and creating a Kevin Nolan shaped indentation in the pitch.  Eight minutes later Jonás Gutiérrez took a shot which was blocked by a Sunderland foot but skipped up nicely for Andy Carroll to knock across the box for the unmarked Kevin Nolan.  After chesting the ball down and stroking the ball past Simon Mignolet, the crowd erupted in ecstasy whilst watching their current favourite scouser trot away doing a chicken impression (for some reason).  

Roll on another ten minutes and the enthusiasm of Gutiérrez paid more dividends.  At first he tried to release Nolan with a through ball which was cut out.  Nolan did manage to latch onto the rebound however, took on three defenders and was then mercilessly hacked to the floor inside the box by Nedum Onuoha.  Despite Nolan being on a hat-trick, designated penalty taker Shola Ameobi stepped up confidently and placed a perfect penalty inside the left-hand post.  Half time, three nil, game over.

Time for some comedy in the interlude between goals; enter the master of footballing mishaps, Titus Bramble.  Gutierrez knocked a ball on towards the Sunderland penalty area for Andy Carroll to run after. Over came Bramble to wipe Carroll out then get to his feet not only to see the referee waving a red card at him but all of the Newcastle fans waving their hands at him too.  

Twenty minutes to go and Danny Simpson whipped a cross to the back post which Carroll thumped against the bar with a header.  The ball then rebounded out to Ameobi on the penalty spot and he smashed it into the top corner for four – nil.  If that wasn’t enough to send the fans into dreamland, Joey Barton swung a corner in, onto the head of Ameobi whose flick-on found Nolan a yard from goal and he couldn’t do anything else but direct it into the net.  Another chicken dance accompanied the aftermath of the first hat-trick against Sunderland since 1985.  

Sunderland did nick one near the end but it didn’t dampen the spirits (remember, it was Halloween) of the fans.  On the day the clocks went back, this result gave rise to the inevitable punch line to the joke, ‘What time is it?’, ‘It’s five past Sunderland’.

Read more of 'Newcastle United's Greatest Ever Games' here.