Jack Grealish in action during the match between Aston Villa and Newcastle United at Villa Park on January 23, 2021
Jack Grealish in action during the match between Aston Villa and Newcastle United at Villa Park on January 23, 2021
Newcastle United go into their final day clash with Everton knowing what they have to do at St James' Park in order to book their ticket in the Champions League.
Three points will guarantee their place at Europe's top table but the game remains on a knife-edge with Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest or Chelsea and Man City all very much in the mix for a top five slot. Like Eddie Howe made clear just four weeks ago, the season has gone right down to the wire.
But it's not the first time Newcastle have gone into a final day shoot out with the stakes high. Here's a selection of late season situations that brought the good, the bad and the ugly to Newcasle United.
The good - final day glory that had the Bigg Market swaying!
Back in 1997, Newcastle went into the final day of the season with an outside shot at second place under Kenny Dalglish. They sat in fourth on the morning of their game with Nottingham Forest and needed a big win to stand a chance of jumping up two places in the table.
Despite the odds being stacked against them, Newcastle raced into a 4-0 half-time lead thanks to goals from Tino Asprilla, Les Ferdinand (2), and Alan Shearer. A strike from Robbie Elliott after the break capped a 5-0 win.
Arsenal's 3-1 win over Derby County proved in sufficient and Liverpool were held 1-1 at Sheff Wed meaning all teams were locked on 67 points but Newcastle's goal difference was better. Having been left dejected 12 months earlier by finishing second, this time Newcastle would be celebrating the fact that runners-up would be their passport to the Champions League after the UEFA tournament was expanded.
Jack Grealish is Newcastle United's saviour!
Brighton had pulled out all the stops to celebrate winning the title in 2017 by booking an opera singer and having "champions 2017" t-shirts printed after Rafa Benitez's side stumbled in the last few games. It looked like the Championship title was heading to the South Coast despite Newcastle's final day win over Barnsley.
But as Dwight Gayle netted a third goal in a 3-0 win to go with Chancel Mbemba and Ayoze Perez strikes, news filtered through from Villa Park that Brighton had blown their lead in the Midlands. Grealish was suddenly the toast of Tyneside as the future England star's equaliser handed Newcastle the second tier title!
Glenn Roeder's fantasy island!
The former Newcastle boss had somehow hauled Newcastle from the relegation zone to the brink of Europe in three months as caretaker manager. A Euro ticket - via the Intertoto Cup - was on the line in the last game of the season at home to Chelsea.
It was a nervy old affair but Titus Bramble popped up to secure three points and give Newcastle seventh spot. It not only led Roeder and United into Europe but also landed him the job on a permanent basis in 2006.
The bad - a half-empty stadium greets Sir Bobby Robson's side
Newcastle had been in with a shout of Champions League football for much of the 2003/04 season under Sir Bobby Robson. But a late slump resulted in a drop off and in the final home game of the season Newcastle surrendered a 1-0 lead handed to them by Lee Bowyer.
An equaliser from Ioan Ganea dented Champions League hopes and many fans walked out long before the lap of appreciation. Robson was then caught on camera making off stage comments about Leeds fans staying behind to applaud their relegated players while some Newcastle fans headed to the exit.
It turned the heat up on Sir Bobby and the Magpies had to settle of a UEFA Cup place. However, four months later after a bad start to the season, Robson was fired by Freddy Shepherd.
And the downright ugly...
Final days in the Premier League have never been as bad as it got in 2009. Shearer had bravely taken on the challenge of motivating a group of players that looked like they'd seen enough with eight games left.
Having lost to Fulham in the last home game of the season, Newcastle needed something at Aston Villa. Thousands of Geordies travelled to the second city with hope but a shattering 1-0 loss, coming courtesy of an own goal from Damien Duff, sent Newcastle crashing into the Championship.