1909 Ronald Starling born, Pelaw.
(1930-32)

Former Magpie player Bill McCracken was Hull City boss when he signed inside left Ronnie from Washington Colliery, shortly after a failed trial with Newcastle United.

A £3,750 move to SJP followed in May 1930 and Starling debuted in a 1-2 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday the following August.

A regular starter in his first season, Ronnie subsequently lost out to Harry McMenemy and left SJP in June 1932, having failed to feature in the FA Cup Final win over Arsenal.

United took a £500 loss when selling him to Sheffield Wednesday and within a year of becoming an Owl, Ron had gained the first of two England caps.

1935 saw Starling captain Wednesday to FA Cup success over West Bromwich Albion but by early in 1937, he'd joined Aston Villa at a cost of £6,900, helping them to the Second Division title the following year.

Appearing for Northampton Town and Walsall in wartime matches, Ronnie also returned to his former club Sheffield Wednesday.

Retiring from playing in 1948, Starling joined the coaching staff at Nottingham Forest and lived in Sheffield, running a newsagents close to Hillsborough. He died in December 1991.

1930 Ronnie Simpson born, Glasgow, Scotland. (1951-60)

Goalkeeper Ronnie began his career with amateur side Queens Park as a 14 year old, having been brought up in the shadow of their home ground, Hampden Park.

Moving on to Third Lanark, he also appearing in the Great Britain football team at the 1948 London Olympics.

An £8,750 transfer took Ronnie to Newcastle in February 1951 and his first team debut came in a 0-0 draw at Bolton the following August.

FA Cup winners medals in 1952 and 1955 followed and Ronnie was a regular starter until injury in 1958 saw him lose his place.

October 1960 saw Ronnie returning to his native Scotland, joining Hibernian in a £3,000 move and helping the Easter Road side to a Fairs Cup semi-final spot the following year.

Sold by Jock Stein to Celtic in 1964, Simpson prospered when Stein took over at Parkhead the following year. 

1967 saw a belated international debut against England and Ronnie was part of the Celtic side who won the European Cup, beating Inter Milan 2-1 in Lisbon.  

Retiring in 1970, a brief sojourn as manager of Hamilton Academical was followed by a stint on the Pools Panel and involvement in various businesses in the Edinburgh area - including a sports shop and a pub.

Ronnie coached goalkeepers at Dunfermline, St. Johnstone & Patrick Thistle, also serving as a councillor in Edinburgh and working as a matchday host at Celtic Park. He died suddenly in April 2004 after a heart attack.

1943 David Woodfield born, Royal Leamington Spa. (1979-80, coach)

Serving Wolves, Watford and Los Angeles Wolves (USA), the centre half nicknamed "Duggie" had coached in Qatar and Saudi Arabia before joining United in May 1979.

Brought in by his former Molineux boss Bill McGarry, the intention was that he and existing coach Willie McFaul would alternate  between the first team and the reserves.

In the event though, early season success for the senior side with McFaul involved saw Woodfield remain with the second string.

Dave resigned in July 1980 -  a month before McGarry exited - but they were reunited in Saudi Arabia again, later working in Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Brunei.

An 11 year stint in Malaysia then followed, combining football coaching with teaching History and Geography.

Finally returning to the UK during 2011, Woodfield settled near Cambridge.

1950 Patrick Lowrey born, Newcastle.
(1966-68)

A midfielder who represented England as a schoolboy international, Paddy failed to make the grade at Gallowgate and moved on to Roker Park, where he featured in the 1969 FA Youth Cup winning side.

Making the first of 15 senior team starts for the red and whites against Arsenal in April 1969, Lowery signed for Belgian side Royal Union Bruges two years later. 

Returning to England in 1975, he played for both Darlington and Workington before a stint with the Western Suburbs club in the Australian city of Melbourne in 1977.

Lowery later managed Ponteland United, Whitley Bay and Gretna (in their English league days), leaving the latter in 1990. 

1957 Keith Armstrong born, Corbridge. 
(1979)

Striker whose career began at the mackems in 1975. joining Newport County and Scunthorpe United on loan after failing to hold down a regular place at Roker Park.

Released in 1979, Keith dropped into the non-league with Workington before a deal with Newcastle was agreed. 

Joining a pre-season tour of the West Country, he debuted as a substitute at Torquay United and then netted twice in a behind closed doors meeting at Benwell with Middlesbrough.

Featuring in a friendly against Sparta Rotterdam at SJP, Keith began the 1979/80 season in United's first team squad. 

However he was never selected to play and found himself loaned out by United to OPS Oulu in Finland.

That two month deal was followed by a stint playing in Hong Kong, before returning to OPS permanently - netting for them  in a European tie at Anfield in 1980. Sadly though, Liverpool scored ten that night, including a treble from Terry McDermott.

Remaining in Finland, Keith went on to play for Koparit, Kuusysi, KPV, VIFK, KePS, TP-55, MIFK and Rovaniemen Palloseura.

Beginning his managerial career with Rovaniemen, Keith moved on to take charge of TP-Seinäjoki, FC Haka and HJK Helsinki - winning league titles at the latter two clubs.

Gaining dual nationality, the man known in his adopted land as "Keke" was one of the contestants in the 2006 series of "Strictly Come Dancing" in Finland. 

He later worked as a pundit on Finnish TV and had further stints in management with Ilves and FC Haka once again, leaving the latter in 2018.

1960 Kevin Pugh born, Corbridge.
(1976-82)

Midfielder who came through United's junior and reserve sides but made just a single competitive appearance, as a substitute in a 2-1 loss at Chelsea in November 1981.

Leaving SJP, Kevin played for Darlington and Gateshead, before moving to the Belgian club Charleroi, where he was reported to own a coffee shop in the town.

1971 Robert Ullathorne born, Wakefield. (2000)