Callum Wilson’s time as a Newcastle United player comes to an end today.
It can be very easy to forget, but for a number of years watching Newcastle United was a chore, not a joy. A team built to ‘tick along’ where goals from defenders and unlikely sources was enough to drag them to survival.
No crowds, no enjoyment, nothing. And then came along a maverick Frenchman and a striker with a promise to score goals.
Allan Saint-Maximin delighted and frustrated in equal measure, but he always guaranteed that you would get off your seat. Callum Wilson, meanwhile, simply guaranteed goals and in that Newcastle United side of the time, that’s all that mattered.
From the moment he toe-poked the ball past Lukasz Fabianski on debut, Wilson had captured the hearts and minds of Newcastle United fans. Yes he had his injury issues, yes his final season may have been the worst of his career, as he admitted himself, but without Wilson and his goals, it’s hard to see a world in which this current Newcastle United are able to flourish.
Lockdown football was the worst, but Wilson’s goals ensured that Newcastle didn’t end it in the Championship. Then, reunited with Eddie Howe, he scored some crucial goals to again keep the club afloat before starring in their run to a fourth-placed finish the season after.
Here, we take a look at some of Wilson’s best moments in a Magpies shirt during his five years on Tyneside. Have we missed your favourite moment? Follow us on our social media channels and let us know your thoughts there:
Wilson’s debut goal v West Ham - and every other strike against the Hammers
Wilson loved a goal against West Ham, that was clear even before his move to the north east. On a day that also saw Jeff Hendrick net on debut for Steve Bruce’s side, Wilson’s opener was the perfect start to life at Newcastle United and the best way for a striker to introduce himself to a new set of supporters - albeit they were all watching on TV at home.
Wilson ends his time at St James’ Park having netted five times in eight appearances for Newcastle against the Hammers, including two in their 5-1 demolition at the London Stadium in April 2023. There will be more than a few eyes from the capital on Wilson’s next transfer destination.
Tottenham Hotspur goal - lift off at St James’ Park
Few goals at St James’ Park in recent years have ushered in such a wall of noise as Wilson’s early opener against Tottenham Hotspur in October 2021. That early header marked the first goal the Magpies had scored since the takeover of the club had been completed earlier that month.
With Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi and co in the stadium, it was imperative that the Magpies started strongly - and that’s exactly what they did courtesy of their most reliable player. Of course, Newcastle would go on to lose that game which was interrupted just before half-time because of a medical emergency in the stands but that goal will live very, very long in the memory.
Burnley beaten - first win in 14
It took a few games for Howe to stamp his mark on his new side, but it was worth the wait. Wilson, acting as ever as the perfect penalty box poacher, was in the right place at the right time to smash home the only goal of the game as Newcastle tasted victory for the first time that season having gone winless in their previous 14 outings.
Reacting instinctively after a spill from Nick Pope, someone who would join him on Tyneside just a few months later, Wilson turned and slammed home a strike to nudge his side ahead. That win would prove to be crucial in their eventual survival bid and, with two strikes on the final day of the season to relegate the Clarets, cemented Wilson as the nemesis of yet another claret and blue team.
Five goals in a week - ‘heyyyy Callum Wilson’
23 April 2023 to 30 April 2023 will be a week that will live long in the memory. As a crunch period of the campaign came into view, Newcastle United’s Champions League hopes were on the line.
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Seven days, 13 goals and nine points later, they were in the boxseat. Tottenham Hotspur were dispatched in 21 minutes, Everton lasted only a little while longer whilst it was Southampton, the division’s bottom side, that offered most resistance before eventually falling 3-1.
Wilson didn’t even start the game against Spurs and only entered the field of play after his side had netted five times, but he still managed to get on the scoresheet and have his song blaring from the speakers on the final whistle. Just days later, he would net twice at Goodison Park, including the rarest of rare occurrences with a strike from outside the box.
Two more against the Saints concluded a memorable week for the Magpies. This was probably the peak of Wilson’s time on Tyneside.
Burnley beaten (again) - Wilson’s last Premier League goal
Remarkably, it took until February this year for Wilson to play in the FA Cup for Newcastle United. He would, as expected, mark that moment with a goal.
But you have to go back to May 2024 for his last Premier League goal for the Magpies, slotting home a rebounded Alexander Isak shot to put his side ahead at Turf Moor. Wilson, who had been jeered by the home fans just moments before that strike, responded with a salute to the Burnley faithful as his teammates all joined to celebrate the goal.
If you ever want a goal to sum up Wilson’s time on Tyneside, this was it. Opposition fans hate him, Newcastle United fans love him.
Callum Wilson scores goals.
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