NUFC Season Summaries

NUFC Season 1952/53

During the close season United undertook an arduous tour of South Africa in which they played 16 matches in 70 days weeks and travelled thousands of miles. They arrived back a mere four weeks before the start of the season. Many questioned the wisdom of the excursion and the team's performances during the season bore them out.

They got off to a bad start in the League but recovered towards the end of the year and climbed into mid-table. Unfortunately the New Year saw a disastrous run in which they lost six, drew four and won none. It left them looking anxiously at the bottom of the table. In the end they finished only two points above a relegation position in a very tight finish.

It was a particularly bad year for Milburn who missed a lot of the season through cartilage trouble and at one point he was so despondent he slapped in a transfer request.

Joe Harvey's season was also wrecked by injury and he retired at the end od the season to take up a coaching role. The Robledo brothers also returned home at the season's end while Vic Keeble and Tommy Casey both arrived early on in the campaign.

After setting a new record of sixteen unbeaten games in the FA Cup when they beat Swansea as they were surprisingly knocked out by mid-table Second Division side Rotheram.

Two other notable events were the first floodlit game held at SJP (a friendly against Celtic) and Newcastle's participation in the Coronation Cup to celebrate the throning of Queen Elizabeth.