On this day in 1927, Newcastle United took a step closer to the First Division title with a win over Huddersfield Town. The Magpies beat the Terriers 1-0 at St James Park which was a real statement of intent as Town were reigning champions in the First Division.
Frank Watt named Willie Wilson, Frank Hudspeth, Alf Maitland, Joe Harris, Roddie MacKenzie, Charlie Spencer, Stan Seymour, Tom Urwin, Hughie Gallacher, Bob Clark and Tom McDonald in his starting eleven, and it was Gallacher who scored the winning goal – his 34th of the campaign.
Huddersfield, who were three points behind Newcastle in third place prior to the defeat, had won the First Division title in the last three seasons, so the April 15 victory was more than morale-boosting. United went on to win the title that season too, so it was a pivotal moment and a changing of the guard.
Town were runners-up in 1926/27 and 1927/28 but didn’t challenge for the title until the following decade. Newcastle wouldn’t win a top-flight title again. Their runners-up finishes in 1995/96 and 1996/97 were the closest they came since the 20s.
In other news, remember when Newcastle suffered an FA Cup final defeat to Aston Villa
