On this day (May 13) in 1989, Newcastle said goodbye to the First Division after losing to Manchester United in front of more than 30,000 supporters at Old Trafford.
The Magpies’ relegation was confirmed long before their final game of the season, but the meeting in Manchester was a chance to play for pride and give the away fans something to cheer about.
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Newcastle did neither, however, and were beaten comfortably. Manager started Tommy Wright, John Anderson, Glenn Roeder, Kenny Sansom, Kevin Scott, Andy Thorn, Paul Sweeney, Kevin Brock, David McCreery, Michael O’Neill and Tony Lormor but didn’t get the desired performance.
Although Man Utd had a bad season themselves, finishing 11th in the table, it wasn’t a surprise seeing Newcastle letting themselves down. Ahead of the game, the Magpies were winless in nine games and had conceded 16 goals.
The defeat led to them finishing 20th in the First Division with 31 points from 38 games. Middlesbrough (18th with 39 points) and West Ham United (19th with 38 points) also went down that season.
In other news, Newcastle were promoted to First Division after beating Brighton on this day in 1984
