Today I'm going back 42 years to Easter Monday 1981 and the Second Division (now Championship) fixture between Newcastle United and Grimsby Town at St James Park. The game was attended by just 13,215 so don't let anyone fool you into thinking that the North-East is a "hotbed" of football. In my view the North-East's support for its professional football teams is no more passionate than anywhere else in England. 13,000? As the old terrace chant goes: "where were you when you were shit"? Newcastle's average home attendance of 16,001 that season was the lowest since 1914/15.
Putting it a different way, Newcastle were at something of a low ebb. Under the management of Arthur Cox, this was the period prior to the arrival of Newcastle's Messiah Kevin Keegan the following year. Newcastle's team was therefore lit up by the likes of John Brownlie, Mick Martin and John Trewick. Gangly young striker Chris Waddle, who was emerging at the time, sadly wasn't selected to play against Grimsby much to my disappointment.
Season 1980/81 has been rated by some Newcastle fans as being their most boring ever. Certainly the Toon's 30 goals in 42 games was comfortably their worst ever return. The first goal in this game was scored by Grimsby's Tony Ford just before half time. Newcastle's blushes were spared with Alan Shoulder's equaliser in the 78th minute and the match finished all square at 1-1.
Newcastle's unremarkable season ended in a mid-table 11th place, one place higher than Chelsea. Grimsby finished in one of their highest-ever positions in the Football League in 7th place and with three points more than Newcastle. Promoted into the top flight that season were champions West Ham United, runners up Notts County and third placed Swansea City who were completing a remarkable rise from the Fourth Division to the First under John Toshack. Relegated from the Second Division that season were Preston North End and the two Bristols, City and Rovers.
CRB Match No. 119
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