1884 John Rutherford born, Percy Main.
(1902-13)

Signed from Willington Athletic and coveted by the mackems and smoggies, Centre forward John made a goalscoring debut against Bolton Wanderers at SJP in March 1902. 

Known as Jock (despite winning 11 caps for England) and also nicknamed "The Newcastle Flier", Rutherford won First Division titles in 1905, 1907 and 1909.

A single FA Cup success also followed in 1910, although he also finished on the losing side in 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1911.

Jock also added a pair of Charity Shield wins to his record, netting in both games. 

October 1913 saw Rutherford leave SJP after a quarrel with club officials, Arsenal paying £800 for his services.

Guesting for Chelsea in wartime matches, he remained with the Gunners until 1926 (aside from a six month spell as Stoke City boss in 1923), playing his final game at the age of 41.

Rutherford's son, John Junior was also on the books at Highbury and made one appearance for their senior side against Bury in November 1925.

His father did play later that season but didn't feature in the same game, being suspended by the FA at the time, due to a dispute over what was eventually deemed to be an unauthorised use of his name of a football coupon.

Continuing his career at Clapton Orient for a time under a bout of pneumonia, Jock was tempted back to play once for Tunbridge Wells during 1929.

Remaining in London, he coached minor league side Tufnell Park for a time and entered the licensed trade with John Junior - running a pub and an off-licence in the North West of the city.

Rutherford was living in Neasden when he died during April 1963.
 

1891 Curtis Booth born, Gateshead.
(1913-20)

Forward signed from Wallsend Elm Villa by United at a cost of £15 in November 1913.

Debuting in a 0-0 home draw with Sheffield Wednesday in September 1914, Booth had made 19 appearances and scored twice when league football was suspended in 1915.

Joining the Durham Light Infantry and seeing combat service in France, he guested for Leeds City during WW1 before returning to the Magpies side in September 1919 when league football resumed.

Switching to Norwich City in an £800 deal 12 months later, Booth moved on to Accrington Stanley as player-manager in 1923, although a knee ligament injury sustained during his debut at Darlington in August of that year forced his retirement.

The next period of his career saw him coach on the continent, at German clubs Erfurt and Wormatia, French side Racing Club de Paris, the Turkish FA and in Holland and Egypt.

At the time of his death in October 1949, Curtis was living in Amsterdam.

1915 Dave Smith born, South Shields.
(1935-36)

Outside right signed from local side Reyrolles at a cost of £35 in October 1935 after a successful trial with United's reserve side.

Injury problems saw Dave called into first team action just once - a 1-1 home draw with Burnley in February 1936 - moving on to South Shields at the end of that season.

Appearing for both Glasgow Rangers and Derby County during wartime football, Smith guested for Northampton Town in 1943 and concluded a permanent transfer to the Cobblers two years later.

Remaining with Northampton after his playing days were over, Dave served them as both club secretary and team manager until 1959 - famously overseeing an FA Cup giant-killing victory over Arsenal in 1958. 

Appointed Aldershot Town boss ahead of the 1959/60 season, Smith switched to the post of club secretary at the Recreation Ground in 1967, finally leaving five years later. 

Dave was living in Derby at the time of his death in November 1997.

1959 Paul Goddard born, Harlington, Middlesex. (1986-88)

Centre forward who came to prominence with QPR before West Ham paid £800K for him at the start of the 1980/81 season.  

After 71 goals in 215 games for the Hammers (with his final goal at Upton Park coming in our infamous 8-1 trouncing of April 1986)

That November found "Sarge" on his way to SJP at a cost of £415K and he inherited the number nine shirt from Tony Cunningham.

Debuting in a 1-1 draw with Leicester City at Filbert Street, Goddard's first goal was a fine strike salvaging a point against Charlton at their temporary home of Selhurst Park. 

A former England international (winning one cap and scoring in a friendly against Iceland back in 1982), Goddard proved his worth to United in the final months of the 1986/87, scoring in seven successive league games.

That record-equaling return helped lift Willie McFaul's side from the bottom of Division One to the dizzy heights of 16th (Paul missed the final two games of the campaign - United lost both and finished 17th).

Goddard then helped Newcastle finish eighth the following season - although his own personal goal tally diminished - before electing to move on in the summer of 1988.

Despite following messrs Waddle, Beardsley and Gascoigne out of SJP, there was never any criticism of Goddard's decision to leave - admitting that his family had failed to settle.

That situation remained unchanged even when he subsequently signed for Derby County rather than the expected London club - Goddard later claiming to have rejected an approach from Liverpool, as he wouldn't be able to commute from Essex to Merseyside. 

After little over a year however he was back in London, enduring a forgettable spell at Millwall before teaming up with his former West Ham boss John Lyall at Ipswich Town. 

Moving from the playing squad to the coaching staff at Portman Road shortly before Lyall was sacked in 1994, Paul briefly served as Town's caretaker boss.

A return to West Ham followed in a coaching capacity during the reigns of both Glenn Roeder and Alan Pardew, before a new career as a football agent opened up.

Asked about his time on Tyneside in a 2008 interview, Goddard commented that: 

"I look back on my time there with much fondness. The passion and fever for football up there is something else."

1981 Brian Kerr born, Motherwell, Scotland. (1999-2004)

One of a crop of Scottish youngsters who appeared for Newcastle's academy and reserve sides in the late 90s/early 00s.

Known as a midfielder, "Kerrsie" had been a free-scoring centre forward in youth football for both Hibernian and Rangers, turning down a contract offer from the Ibrox club.

A trial at Spurs didn't work out as he wasn't happy about living in London, but after opting to join Newcastle, Brian blossomed under the guidance of John Carver and Tommy Craig, representing Scotland at youth level.

September 2000 saw him make the briefest of first team debuts as United won 2-0 at Coventry. But after just three more outings - all in cup games - in the next two seasons, Brian's second-ever league game was back at Highfield Road, while on loan to Coventry.

Returning in November 2002, Kerr made nine appearances for Newcastle over the course of that season, including a start in the home Champions League win over Leverkusen.

And although Bobby Robson opted to buy more exotic players to fill his midfield, Kerr never let the side down when called upon. 

His best performance came in a home win against Liverpool on New Years Day, used to good effect in a right wing holding role.

The first of three full Scotland caps came at the end of the 2002/03 season, against New Zealand, but the following season saw him feature only for Newcastle's reserve side, also going on loan to Livingston & Coventry.

A free agent in summer 2004, Kerr signed for his hometown team Motherwell, but injured knee ligaments in a pre-season game and was sidelined for some 10 months.

Remaining at Fir Park until his deal expired in 2007, Brian then joined Hibernian, only to be released the following year.

Attempts at finding a new club saw him on trial at Toronto (with John Carver) Brighton, Oldham, Hamilton Academical and Livingston, with a lack of success seeing him consider giving up the full-time game.

Training with Falkirk, Kerr made a return to playing with Inverness Caledonian Thistle in early 2009, a reuniting him with former Motherwell boss, Terry Butcher.

He then signed for Scottish First Division side Dundee in summer 2009 but exited months later as the club entered administration, turning up at Arbroath in July 2011.

July 2016 then saw him become U20 coach at Albion Rovers, taking over first team boss the following May - after the Coatbridge-based side secured their First Division status.

However he was unable to prevent Albion's relegation in 2018 and left Cliftonhill despite being offered a contract extension.

A brief period in charge of East Kilbride then followed, before he accepted the position of Gary Caldwell's assistant at Partick Thistle during October 2018.

However, the duo were dismissed the following September, Kerr later becoming U18 coach at Motherwell before stepping up to become assistant boss at Fir Park.

That ended in February 2023 after which Brian served St. Mirren as a youth coach before becoming assistant manager.

Away from football, Kerr ran a catering business based in Lanarkshire.

He once described his home debut for Newcastle in 2002 as follows:

"Better than anything I’ve ever experienced. In the tunnel. Hearing the fans. Hearing the tune - you’ve heard it before in the crowd but it really hits you. 

"A mixture of nerves and excitement. But the fans are great, they get right behind you as a young player, right from the start."

1981 Foluwashola Ameobi born, Zaria, Nigeria. (2000-14)

Despite fourteen seasons of senior football and joint third place in the club's Premier League top scorer list alongside Andy Cole, the legacy of "Wor Shola" polarises opinion between Newcastle supporters.

Revered and reviled, hailed and praised, you name it and someone either wrote it, spoke it or thought it about Ameobi.

Back in 1939, Sir Winston Churchill gave out what proved to be an apt summary of our number 23: "...a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma..." 

Spotted playing for Heaton Manor school on Tyneside by scout Brian Clark, Shola joined local boys club Walker Central in 1994, joining the Magpies a year later.

Appearing in midfield and defence - where his height gave him a sizeable advantage over opponents - a move to centre forward prompted by Academy coach Kenny Wharton was to pay dividends.

Despite completing pre-season with United reserves (playing for them at Whitley Bay just 48 hours earlier), Bobby Robson turned to Shola in a Premier League home game against Chelsea in September 2000.

Replacing Kevin Gallacher with 20 minutes of a 0-0 draw remaining, the 18 year-old had a famous confrontation with Dennis Wise,  remaining around the first team and scoring a first goal in his seventh outing, against Coventry City at SJP.

Thereafter his career at United was a mixture of goals, injuries, loss of form, reserve team goals and more injuries.

Picked (and dropped) by seven permanent managers and five temporary ones, Shola saw off a host of other forwards but never quite carved out a top flight starting place or inherited Alan Shearer's crown. 

The 2002/03 campaign saw Ameobi add to his scoring record in the previous season's Intertoto and League Cup competitions, netting three times in Champions League matches, including one in Barcelona.

The following two seasons unfurled in similar style, UEFA Cup goals adding to his slowly increasing league tally and our only strike in the FA Cup Semi-Final against Manchester United in Cardiff.

Following a six month layoff in the 2006/07 season, an ongoing hip issue would affect Shola's mobility - and prompt accusations of laziness from disgruntled Toon fans.

Loaned to Stoke City in March 2008 with just over a year of his contract left, six scoreless outings followed as the Potters won promotion to the Premier League - but there never seemed any desire on either side to make the move permanent.

Returning to SJP, Shola looked set to run down the final year of his contract before looking for a new club as a free agent. And when a permanent move to Ipswich Town in August 2008 broke down amid claims of a failed medical, that looked even more likely.

By January 2009 though, Ameobi was back in the Newcastle first team, had scored three times (his first goals for two years) and had a new three year contract.

Selected by JFK, Shola netted his first goal in two years at home to Manchester City in October 2008 and added a handful more before losing his place again.

Relegation that season gave Shola a new lease of life at SJP; lifting some of the gloom with a hat-trick against Reading in our opening Championship home game.

Ten league goals helped Unite to the title and after regaining his place in the first team the following season, Ameobi added to his "mackem slayer" reputation with a brace in the 5-1 home derby success.

He also created club history, when younger brother Sammy came off the bench at Chelsea in May 2011. That made them the first brothers to play in the same league XI for nearly 60 years.

Awarded a new deal following the sale of Andy Carroll led to accusations that the club lacked ambition, the arrival of Papiss Cisse to play with Demba Ba seeing Shola's first team involvement diminish.

That continued in 2012/13, three of Shola's four goals in Europa League ties. 

With the next season confirmed as his last for United, he ended a league scoring drought stemming back to 2012 with efforts in his last two home appearances - fittingly scoring one at each end of SJP.

With no testimonial mentioned, Ameobi's final game as a Magpie in May 2014 ended rather earlier than expected - two yellow cards in quick succession for dissent seeing him dismissed by referee Phil Dowd in the season closer at Anfield.

Linked with a variety of overseas clubs, Shola's next port of call proved to be a rather unexpected one, joining Turkish second tier side, Gaziantep BBK.

However, that would be only short-term; by December he was back in the region amid talk of financial issues in Turkey that saw him designated as a free agent.

Appearing at the United training ground for some physio led to false claims of an offer to rejoin the club, but his Premier League career would be rather unexpectedly extended during January 2015.

Alan Pardew's move to Crystal Palace saw him looking to boost the Eagles squad and despite a contract offer from former boss Tony Pulis at West Bromwich Albion, Shola opted for Selhurst Park. 

Retaining the 23 shirt number for Palace, Ameobi wasn't in the squad when United visited Selhurst in early February but did make his debut against Arsenal days later.

Released by Palace in June 2015 after four non-scoring sub appearances, he had trials with Huddersfield Town, Wolves and Sheffield Wednesday before signing a short-term deal at Bolton Wanderers.

Scoring in the final minute of his last Trotters game in January 2016, he joined Fleetwood Town for the rest of the season.

A free agent again, Shola trained at Notts County before signing in February 2017, playing for ex-SJP colleague Kevin Nolan.

After four goals in 17 appearances he agreed a further 12 months and added seven more strikes to his total as the other Magpies lost in the League Two play-off semi-finals. 

Leaving Meadow Lane in June 2018, Shola returned to SJP a year later as the "loan arranger", tasked with finding temporary placements for U21 squad players.

The number of loanees that subsequently warmed benches suggested that his impact was limited, although the placement of Elliot Anderson at Joey Barton's Bristol Rovers was a success.

July 2026 then saw Shola take up a new role as Head of Corporate affairs at SJP.

Sharing the SJP dressing room with a variety of felons and miscreants over the years, Ameobi's own brush with the law proved to be an embarrassing own goal.

Reporting a burglary at his Jesmond home in 2009, Shola later admitted that there had in fact been no break-in and that his "stolen" cheque book and other items were merely misplaced in his untidy abode.

(He'd not had that problem a few years earlier, when proudly displaying his home to TV cameras in a particularly cringeworthy episode of MTV's "Cribs".)

Internationally, rejecting the opportunity to represent Nigeria in 2001, Shola then scored seven times for England U21s.

Senior selection for the Three Lions was never likely however and after declaring his availability for Nigeria in 2009, he was finally called up two years later - only to then withdraw due to a facial injury that saw him play for United wearing a facemask.

A belated international debut for Nigeria came against Venezuela in November 2012, with his first goal arriving the following September against Burkina Faso. 
 
A trip to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil with Nigeria followed, but he managed just two appearances from the bench before the Super Eagles were eliminated.