9 years ago on this date we played a game that had me feeling far worse than anything a mere derby game can evoke.

We were in a relegation place at the botttom of the old 2nd division. We had two games left and even if we won them both we potentially still went down. We'd lost 5 in a row under the highly inexperienced manager Kevin Keegan.. It had been made pretty clear that relegation could well mean the end of the club financially.

Portsmouth were the oppostion. They had a Jim Smith as their manager. On the right wind they had a frail looking kid called Darren Anderton.

Our side was Wright, Ranson, Neilson, Kilcline, Scott, Bradshaw, Peacock, Brock, Sheedy, Quinn and Kelly. All pretty fogettable apart from the wonder that was David Kelly.

The game was appalling. The crowd knew how important it was and this was translated on to the pitch. Anderton had been talked up as the new Chrissie Waddle, but 19 year old Neilson stuck to him superbly.

The game dragged on and on, the crowd couldn't lift themselves, nor the players. Then with less than ten minutes left David Kelly scored. Not a scrambled goal, not a fluky goal but a world class thump from the edge of the box, that flew into the top corner. Or so I remember it now. The tension balloon exploded, we at last had hope. I don't remember much of the last ten minutes I was so overcome by it all I just stood sobbing in relief.

What David Kelly did that day will make him one of my great Newcastle heroes of all time. That was why when he came on as a Sunderland sub against us four years ago he got a huge standing ovation. If he hadn't scored against Portsmouth we wouldn't have had to worry about everything that came later. David Kelly - a star.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2001

Answers

Got to agree MacBeth - an absolute Toon hero.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2001

....then when 'Ned' had to jump into the Toon section at the end of the Leicester section on the last day of the same season to escape the pitch-invading Leicester fans - probably the most memorable Newcastle game I've ever been to. Absolute hero.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2001

I have two big memories of that relegation struggle - Ned's goal against Portsmouth, and a previous home match that we lost to Grimsby.

I remember sitting glued to my seat in the Milburn Stand, unable to leave, virtually the last person left in the stadium, feeling very, very emotional, and trying coming to terms with what seemed like the "fact" that Newcastle United would be playing in the old 3rd Division.

It certainly is a funny 'ol game!

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2001

Then the season after that (the promotion season) who scores the goal that seals our championship victory?...David Kelly, 2-0 away to Grimsby,I will always have a soft spot for David Kelly.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2001

too right, i remember being gutted when he left, to be replaced by malcolm allen, our first scorer in the prem incidentally

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2001

Hmmm. An own goal from Peter Atherton at Coventry and an Andy Cole strike at Man Utd according to the record books. He did score the first home goal of the Premiership.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2001

...and then...after the club had shown him the door and said he wasn't good enough for the Prem, he turned up at Coventry away to sit with the fans and cheer on the lads. Even bought is own ticket. How many would do tha

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2001