I was raised in Gateshead (Bensham area to be exact) and brought up in the 'school of hard-knocks' like most Geordies. I've followed Newcastle since my Dad took me to my first game at St James Park in 1974. A good day, SuperMac scored, we won 3-2 and I was hooked.

I'll never forget the first full Newcastle team strip I received for Christmas (the Bukta kit circa '76/77). It was made from a wonderful material that felt like sand-paper - it literally scratched the skin off your body if you ran too fast in it.

I remember how exciting it was to go along to games at SJP with friends (without my Dad in tow) and getting into the ground 2 hours before the KO to reserve a space in the Gallowgate end.

From what I can remember from back then the football wasn't great in the late 70's / early 80's. Some dodgy players that come to mind from back then were Bobby Shinton, Alan Shoulder & Bruce Halliday) but I always remember the thrill of seeing the floodlights for night games on the walk up to the ground and the smell of the hotdogs.

There were happier times ahead and when Chris Waddle came into the team quickly followed by Kevin Keegan signing in August 1982 and it suddenly became really exciting times to watch Newcastle. Getting into the ground for Keegan's debut the day he scored against QPR in that 1-0 win (and being in the Gallowgate end) is a memory that will always be special.

No promotion to cheer about in that 82/83 season but definitely a season that saw much better football. One of the downsides to that season was the Brighton FA Cup tie which saw the referee Trelford Mills make a complete hash of things and rule out two or three perfectly good Newcastle goals in a 1-1 draw. We lost 0-1 in a replay at Brighton. Thanks Mr Mills.

The euphoria of the following season (83/84) is well documented of course. This season also saw me and my friends going to away games for the first time unaccompanied by parents. All very scary stuff! The first away game that season (and my first without a chaperone) was at Leeds Utd. An eventful day at Elland Road in which Newcastle won thanks to a John Anderson goal. This was greeted by the locals rioting as the final whistle went.

It felt like we'd won the World Cup when Keegan scored the final goal of the season at home to Brighton in that promotion year. In reality it was merely a third place finish to get out of the 2nd Division. But we were on top of the world, and with Keegan, Waddle and Beardsley in the team we were unbeatable.

The following season 84/85 and it was back to reality. With Keegan gone and much stiffer opposition to play against, Beardsley and Waddle scoring just enough goals to ensure survival in the 1st division. This season's highlight for me was undoubtedly the 3-1 win over the mackems at SJP, with a Beardsley hatrick on New Years day 1985.

I was lucky enough to be bought a season ticket in the east stand paddock seats for the start of the 86/87 season, which I managed to hold onto for the next 3 seasons until I moved to London to work and go to College. The mid/late 80's saw Waddle and Gascoigne leave for Spurs and Beardsley move to Liverpool (all very disappointing days I remember). After a reasonably high finish in the 87/88, the following season I remember being old enough to cry into my beer after being relegated to the 2nd Division.

Despite finishing 3rd in the following season (89/90) the play-off defeat to the mackems meant that we remained in the 2nd Division for two dark and depressing seasons until Keegan came back to manage Newcastle in February 1992. I was living in London at the time but was following the events at SJP with phone calls home (no internet available yet!) and 'The Pink' being dutifully dispatched by my Mum. Not having the means to travel to games from London, I remember being glued to the radio the day we played Leicester at Filbert Street needing a win to avoid a drop to Division 3.

With Keegan as manager and Sir John Hall writing the cheques the re-building process could start. The following year and amazingly we went up as Champions with shrewd Keegan buys like Venison, Kilcline, Sheedy, Sellars and Cole. I was still living in London and managed to get to away games like Brentford, Millwall and Charlton easily without breaking the bank. I also managed to get home to Newcastle and somehow got a ticket for the 7-1 demolition of Leicester at SJP. Party time!

During Newcastle's first season in the new Premier League I was offered a job working for the Foreign Service at the British Embassy in Washington DC in the States. I remember arriving in the States and calling home to get the Newcastle result (a 0-1 loss away to Blackburn). We had Beardsley back playing that year and I was lucky enough to have internet access at the British Embassy in Washington. It's fair to say that I spent more time checking out the footie news than working when I was on weekend shifts!

After finishing 3rd in our first year in the Premier League I was convinced that we'd win the title and I'd miss the whole thing because I was in the States!. With Lee Clark, Cole, Beardsley, Robert Lee and Philippe Albert we were building a real force. I had access to all the latest news online, but my Mum still diligently sent over 'The Pink' every week - first class/airmail! During my first few years in the States I also had the Newcastle end-of-season video's sent over and had them re-formatted into the US video format. Hours of viewing pleasure!

Of course the 95/96 season is that infamous season that we blew a 12 point lead and Keegan lost the plot after Ferguson got to him. But it was also the season that the US TV networks started to show some limited live European football games. One of the first Newcastle league games that I can remember being broadcast live in the States was the Newcastle -v- Man Utd game in March 1996. I sat in a bar in Virginia with a good friend (who was a Man Utd supporter) and watched in horror as we battered Man Utd that night and lost to that Cantona goal. For me this was the night that we lost the belief that we could win the Championship. I was at home for the first time in May 1996 and got a ticket for the last home game against Spurs. We still had a shot at stealing the title but Man Utd beat Boro' and it was all over.

When Alan Shearer signed in the summer of 1996, I thought seriously about coming home to Newcastle. America was a great place to live and I had a much healthier bank account, but I really did think long and hard about coming home and putting my name down for a season ticket. Surely the title was just around the corner? I didn't come home but I did insist on the British Embassy in Washington installing a satellite dish to pick up all the English League games. The one games that stands out in this season was the 5-0 win over Man Utd at SJP. I was surrounded by Man Utd supporters that day. A little bit of payback after the previous seasons disappointments.

I happened to be in London on a training course in March 1997 (a few months after Keegan had quit and Daglish was appointed) and decided to go over to France to catch the Monaco -v- Newcastle (Uefa Cup Quarter Final) game. A great 2 days was ruined when we lost 0-3. But we were without Ferdinand and Shearer who were both injured that night. I made the long haul back to the States from France - almost 24 hours of travelling with the biggest hangover after the game.

The following season (97/98) was a real disappointment after finishing runners-up twice our League form evaporated under the guidance of Daglish. I sat at home in Washington DC as more live games started to be shown on TV but Newcastle's performances were not what they had they been in previous seasons under Keegan.

Of course this was the season that Shearer picked up a serious pre-season injury and Ferdinand was sold. We were left toothless up front for most of the season - but still managed to reach the Cup Final against Arsenal. I decided to make the trek over to London and managed to get a ticket from friends for the game at Wembley. Having spent $2,000 dollars on flights, match ticket and accommodation for the Cup Final weekend Newcastle simply didn't show up on the day and we of course lost 0-2. When Shearer hit the post as the score was at 0-1 that was our chance was gone.

In the autumn of 1998 I was lucky enough to meet my current wife and she was immediately converted into a Newcastle supporter.

The following season (98/99) saw us produce the same patchy league form, but again reach the Cup Final. I still had a bad taste in my mouth from the previous seasons Cup Final, and I decided to watch the game live on TV. Same empty feeling and same 0-2 scoreline, but with Man Utd the winners this time. I was stuck in a bar full of Man Utd supporters - gutted and unhappy!

The next trip over to England for a holiday was with my wife in March 2000 - which of course happened to coincide with the Newcastle -v- Watford home game at SJP. We won the game 1-0 and she was treated to her first sight of the Gallowgate in full voice, a beer at the Three Bulls on Percy Street after the game and fish and chips for tea!

On returning to the States I was involved in the formation of the Newcastle United Supporters Club of North America. The news spread quickly after Newcastle announced their tour of the eastern USA. After forming a small committee we arranged for pre and post game parties and tickets to the games in Washington DC and Columbus, Ohio. I was lucky enough to meet Sir Bobby Robson in Columbus (the team stayed at the same hotel) and remember that he was such a kind man - posing for heaps of photographs for kids. The team bus almost left without him as he was still in the hotel lobby and last to board.

The Supporters Club has members in most of the major cities in North America; San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, St Louis, Washington DC, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Boston, Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and many others. Members come to the Club for all kinds of advice. Such as the words to 'The Blaydon Races', to match day ticket information and the best place to buy Newcastle shirts.

In January 2002 we moved up to Canada with my wife to raise a family, but still keep the North American Supporters Club running. I can always rely on the latest Newcastle Utd shirt arriving from my parents in Gateshead for my birthday every summer.

We have now have two boys (3 and 5 years old) who are naturally both massive Newcastle supporters. They have already experienced their first Newcastle game in May 2004, when I took them along to a Newcastle -v- Sunderland reserve game at SJP (which was won 3-1 by the Toon).

I'm hoping that they are both hooked on Newcastle Utd too.

Mark Harper
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada