When The Magpies First Flew: The Early Years Of Newcastle FC
By Brian Belton
No football club in the world inspires the same degree of adoration and commitment as ‘The Magpies’ do in their home town of Newcastle. Over more than a century its greatest stars have lit up the league with their flair, while the passion of the team’s support has become the stuff of legend.
‘The Toon’ have become synonymous with Geordie identity. And St. James’s Park – the ‘Citadel of the North’ – has become one of the cathedrals of the beautiful game.
But where did is all start? And how was the iron bond between town and team forged?
In ‘When The Magpies First Flew: The Early Years Of Newcastle United FC’ the leading football historian Brian Belton tells the fascinating story of how the club was born.
Newcastle was once a hotbed of football rivalry, where no one side dominated for very long. But even as the North Eastern metropolis became one of the powerhouses of the economy, its local footballing rivalries made it one of the backwaters of England’s national game.
The only way the City of Newcastle would achieve its massive football potential was for a single dominant team to arise.
But could the jealousies of the city’s teams be overcome?
And could a single club be created?
‘When Magpies First Flew’ tells the story of how the team was created against the odds, and how, through football, the fierce pride of the city was born.
It is the book which no Magpies fan can afford to miss – and which every follower of the game will want to read.
Brian Belton is the author of ‘Bolton Born: The Early Years of Bolton FC’, and numerous books on the history of football. His books on the game are primarily a study and celebration of this global congregation, the life carnival of soccer splendour.
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