Fairs Cup Fighters

The triumphant United side that brought back United's one and only European trophy in 1968/69 did not materialise in the conventional way.

The defence largely picked itself but the midfield and attack was a mix of inexperienced youngsters and players who were struggling to find their form.

Twenty two players were used in total; although the core of the team remained fairly consistent with only the flanks and the Number 10 shirt attracting more than a couple of bearers.

Newcastle's style was hard and direct with no quarter given at either the front or the back and it was generally much more than the continentals could handle.

Iam McFaul [12/0 - 0] - Age 24

Coleraine born Iam Mcfaul had only made 11 senior appearances - letting in a whopping 32 goals! - prior to the 1968/69 season. But during this momentous year he established himself as the first choice and played in all of the matches in the victorious Fairs Cup Run.

Only 5' 10", but his agility and calmness saved United many times during the campaign. His best performances were in Feyenoord and Glasgow and the Ibrox fixture saw him earn United a goalless draw with a brilliant penalty save.

The Second Round of the semi-final had McFaul suffering more than most because he had the bottle throwing hoots behind his goal.

David Craig [9/0 - 0] - Age 24

A compatriot of McFaul, David Craig was already regarded as a full-back thoroughbred. Steady in style and character he was a classy and assured footballer.

He adapted perfectly to European football; however his injury jinx struck when he suffered a knee ligament injury in the Third Round home tie against Zaragoza which kept him out of three of the ties.

Frank Clark [12/0 - 0] - Age 24

Craig's partner was the dependable Frank Clark. Frankie played in all the games and skippered United in the first two games in the absence of Moncur.

Tommy Gibb [12/0 - 3] - Age 23

A lanky wing-half who was signed from Partick Thistle on the eve of the 1968/69 season. He was signed as a squad player but injuries gave him the chance to establish himself in the right-half position and he played in all the magic dozen

A hard running box to box player he was a grafter par excellence and he also had a decent drive on him. As a result he netted three goals during United's European adventure .

Ollie Burton [11/0 - 0] - Age 26

Welshman Burton had often struggled to win a regular first team place and during 1968/69 he vied with McNamee for a place alongside Moncur in the centre of defence

In Europe Harvey seemed to prefer Ollie and as a result he only missed the Ibrox draw.

Bobby Moncur [9/0 - 3] - Age 23

Despite having been at the club for almost a decade captain courageous Moncur was still only 23 at the start of the season.

He missed the First Round matches against Feyenoord due to a cartilage injury suffered in a pre-season friendly, but played in all the games after that.

Never known for his scoring he was the man of the hour (and a half) twice-over when he netted three times in the two-legged final.

Jim Scott [12/0 - 4] - Age 28

Falkirk born international Scott took a while to settle into English football after signing at the start of the 1967/68 season and he did not play in the first couple of months of 1968/69.

Injuries gave him a route back in and he took part in all the Fairs Cup matches. A tricky ball-player with fast feet and operated as either a right-winger or in his preferred inside forward role.

He notched four goals including our first in the competition against Feyenoord, the vital away goal in Lisbon, the first against Rangers and the third in the home leg of the Final.

Scott came close to ending up in a Spanish cell when armed police burst in to United's hotel looking for him and coach Dave Smith as they had mistaken for some escaped convicts with whom they shared surnames!

Pop Robson [12/0 - 6] Age 22

Pop Robson had been out of form and favour during 1967/68 but an injury to Albert Bennett on the opening day of the season gave the Hetton born youngster his chance to shine.

He took it with both feet and became United's top scorer during 1968/69. He was also top scorer for United in the Fairs Cup; netting a quarter of the 24 goals.

Robson's tally included stunning strikes against Lisbon and Zaragoza; strangely he failed to score in any of the last five games.

Wyn Davies [12/0 - 4] Age 26

The johnny foreigners had no answer to the aerial aggression of "Wyn the Leap" and his mere presence in the forward line often scared them shotless

He was never a prolific scorer during his time on the Toon but he did notch four goals in the competition

Carried on through the campaign despite breaking his nose against Rangers and fracturing a cheekbone in the Fist Leg of the Final.

Ben Arentoft [4/0 - 1] - Age 26

Dane Arentoft was signed from Morton in March 1969 and was lucky enough to play in the last four games of the campaign

A stocky workaholic he was ideal for United's direct hard pressing style. He was used as an inside-forward in those initial games and scored the goal that resurrected United's hopes in the Second Leg of the Final.

The players thanked him after the match with a rousing rendition of "Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen"

Jackie Sinclair [4/2 - 1] Age 25

Another Scottish international who struggled when he first arrived on Tyneside. Despite being blessed with plenty of pace and a stinging shot he rarely reached the peak of his form in a Black and White shirt

Out of favour for much of the season but came back to play a part in four of the games including the last three.

Naturally a right-winger but used by Harvey on both flanks he scored the second goal in the infamous victory over Rangers.

Geoff Allen [2/0 - 0] - Age 21

Outside-left Allen had made his debut at the end of the 1963/64 season but despite bags of ability injury problems and a failure to produce on a consistent basis meant that prior to 1968/69 he had only played 12 times for the seniors.

He was drafted in for both the First Round matches against Feyenoord and in the first leg he had his best ever game in a United shirt where he gave right-back den Heide a rare roasting.

Unfortunately within a month he had suffered a cruciate injury that would end his career..

John Craggs [3/0 - 0] Age 19

Right-back Craggs spent many years as Craig's deputy and he was another player whose first team experience was under fifteen games prior to the 1968/69 season.

Flinthill born he proved to be an able deputy once again when the Irishman was out injured.

Keith Dyson [3/1 - 0] Age 18

Teenager striker Dyson made his first team debut in September 1968 and within weeks he was being drafted into the side for the Second and Third Round matches

Calm and assured, skilful and sharp Blackhill lad Dyson let nobody down despite having to play out of position on the flanks.

Dave Elliot [3/0 - 0] - Age 23

Powerfully built wing-half who was signed from Sunderland in December 1966. He played most of the games in the first half of the season including three of the first four Fairs Cup ties, but rarely figured after that.

Alan Foggon [6/2 - 2] - Age 18

Stanley born teenager Foggon had only made one appearance prior to the 1968/69 season but did so well when he replaced the injured Allen at ouside-left that he retained his place in the side.

He played in most of the qualifying games and came on as substitute in both legs of the Final.

He played it simple and direct and scored twice, including the equaliser within minutes of coming on in the Second Leg of the Final in Budapest.

John McNamee [3/1 - 0] - Age 27

Big John spent most of the matches warming the bench but was brought in to great effect when Harvey wanted a bit more beef for the Semi-Final match at Ibrox.

He also deputised for Moncur in the first two matches and his strength was one of the major reasons United did not crumble despite almost constantly being under the cosh in Feyenoord.