Despite all the highs and lows at St James, from the Bedford Towns to the 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United, my most poignant memory will always be the last time we saw Sir Bobby Robson, in a wheelchair, on the touchline, receiving his standing ovation from the crowd after his testimonial game in 2009.
Great players and servants of football clubs receive a minutes applause when they pass away, we were fortunate to show ours that Sunday while the legend was still with us. We knew it would be our last chance to show our appreciation, and I'm sure he knew this as well.
"There's only one Bobby Robson.........." ringing round the ground, while he sat there, clearly affected by the whole proceedings is something anyone who was there will never forget - fans and players alike. He died only a few days later.
It was a different kind of emotion that night, far removed from the disappointments of defeat to the highs of memorable wins. Bill Shankly once said football was more important than life, that night he was proved wrong.
R Mac Arthur
Newcastle United Foundation have a heritage project for fans of all ages called Toon Times.
Toon Times will culminate with a major Newcastle United exhibition at the Discovery Museum, Newcastle, although in the lead up to this event Toon Times wishes to reach out to all Newcastle United fans across the North East and further afield to get involved and share their memories, experiences, photos and memorabilia what people have collected over the years.
We are supporting the project by helping to collect NUFC memories online - fans can share their memories on the Replay Football website, simply select the Toon Times tag when submitting yours.
For more info contact the Toon Times Heritage Project Coordinator, Newcastle United Foundation, gavin.ferry@nufc.co.uk
Memory added on August 29, 2013
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