1896 Newcastle East End (h)
3-3 (0-2)
Friendly 
Wardrope (1-2), Lennox(2-2,3-2)
McFarlane(0-1,0-2), Dean(3-3) 
200
The Magpies staged a benefit match at Gallowgate for Northern Alliance side Trafalgar, who had re-branded as East End after the former club of that name moved from Heaton to SJP as United. 

Despite fine weather on the Wednesday evening in question though, a tiny crowd gathered.

Bottom of the Alliance, East End resigned from the league ahead of the following season. 

Team: Henderson, Milne, Foyers, Miller, Graham, Stott, Lennox, McDonald, Thompson, Aitken, Wardrope.

1899 Sheffield Wednesday (a)
3-1 (1-1)
Division One
P33, 30pts, 13th/18 
Stevenson(1-1,3-1), Aitken(2-1)  
Hutton(5)
4,000 
This was the last match played at The Owls' old Olive Grove ground (not far from Bramall Lane) and the meagre attendance and score did little to cheer up Wednesdayites. 

Worse was to come for the relegated Owls however, when news broke that City rivals United had won the FA Cup that afternoon at The Crystal Palace.

1905 Aston Villa (n)
0-2 (0-1)
FA Cup Final 
Hampton(3,76)
101,117 
United's first-ever appearance in the FA Cup Final ended in disappointing fashion, as their hopes of a league and cup double quickly evaporated. 

After Harry Hampton had put the underdogs ahead, Jimmy Howie wasted an opportunity to grab an equaliser before half time.

And Villa scored again when Magpies 'keeper Jimmy Lawrence was unable to hold a shot and Hampton nipped in to net the rebound.  

This was Newcastle's first final appearance at the Crystal Palace - a venue that they were to visit on five occasions without ever once winning there. 

Draws against Barnsley in 1910 and Bradford 12 months proved to be their best results - with the cup win in a replay at Goodison and then lost at Old Trafford a year on. 

1911 Blackburn Rovers (h)
2-2 (1-1)
Division One
P37, 39pts, 6th/20 
Higgins(40) Stewart(47) 
R.Crompton(41pen), Latheron(67)
25,000 
United striker Albert Shepherd - who had hit eight goals in the club's FA Cup run - was stretchered from the field following a 25th minute collision with the Rovers goalkeeper that badly damaged his right knee.

Not only would he miss the following week's final and subsequent replay, but also the whole of the next season.

1912 Hibernian (Scotland) (a)
4-2 (1-2)
Friendly 
Hibbert(30), Wilson(2-2), Fleming(3-2,4-2)  
Fleming(20), Hendren(35) 
8,000
48 hours after drawing 1-1 with Liverpool at Gallowgate, United were at Easter Road for a Bank Holiday Monday kickabout.

Team: Sinclair, McCracken, Hudspeth, Willis, Low, Hay, Gibson, Stewart, Fleming, Hibbert, Neilson.

1922 West Bromwich Albion (h)
3-0 (2-0)
Division One
P38, 40pts, 10th/22 
Harris(22,85), Mitchell(41) 
28,000
Beaten 1-2 at home by Bradford 24 hours earlier, Newcastle made four changes to their side and bounced back to beat the Baggies. 

1927 Huddersfield Town (h) 1-0 (0-0)
Division One
P37, 51pts, 1st/22 
Gallacher(46) 
62,500
Hughie Gallacher's 34th league goal of the season saw off a Town side who had won the title in the previous three seasons and sat three points behind United in third before kick-off.

1933 Leeds United (a)
1-6 (1-3)
Division One
P37, 45pts, 4th/22 
Allen(6)
Fowler(9,58), Mahon(19,54), Copping(40), Hydes(78) 
14,967
Beaten 0-6 at Chelsea a week earlier, Leeds returned to winning ways in some style at Elland Road, despite allowing the visitors to score first.

Writing in the Sunday Sun, former Magpie Colin Veitch characterised Newcastle's display as, "lifeless, futile and full of all the wrong things that a team could manage to accomplish in one afternoon's play".

1938 Norwich City (h)
0-1 (0-0)
Division Two
P36, 33pts, 14th/22 
Proctor(82)
20,000
This was anything but a Good Friday for Newcastle, who suffered their third successive defeat as the Canaries won by a single goal on Tyneside for the second time in as many seasons.

United took just four points from their last six games, avoiding relegation to Division Two by the narrowest of margins.

1939 Bury (a)
1-1 (0-1)
Division Two
P40, 44pts, 9th/22 
Ancell(78) 
Roberts(14)
6,656 
Billy Pears debuted at right half, but was to make only one more senior appearance for United, before the outbreak of hostilities curtailed his promising career.

1949 Middlesbrough (h)
1-0 (0-0)
Division One
P37, 49pts, 2nd/22 
Milburn(87) 
64,381
A discontented Good Friday home crowd had resorted to slow hand claps before Jackie Milburn fired home the winner.

Victory saw United remain in second spot, but a failure to take maximum points from any of their final four games consigned them to a fourth place finish.

Defeat for Boro sent them back to the bottom of the table but they would avoid relegation by a solitary point.

1950 Arsenal (a)
2-4 (2-2)
Division One
P39, 44pts, 8th/22 
Hannah(30), G.Robledo(35) 
Goring(1,20,48), Lewis(71)
51,997
Following a 6-1 home victory over Stoke City the previous Monday, Arsenal were in prolific scoring form again at Highbury.

Hitting a brace against the Potters, Peter Goring went one better against United as the Magpies wore their FA Cup Final kit of orange shirts and white shorts.

United were without Jackie Milburn, in Glasgow as twelfth man for England in the home international against Scotland.

1953 East Fife (Scotland) (h) 4-1 (1-0)
Friendly 
Mitchell(19,86), Mulgrew(60), Hannah(85)
Fleming(88) 
18,600
United staged another midweek floodlit friendly against top-flight Scottish opposition, following visits from Celtic and Airdrieonians.

However, overcast conditions forced the Magpies to switch the lights on before the first half - having originally planned only to flick the switch at the interval.

Team: Simpson, Cowell, Batty, Stokoe, Woollard, Crowe, White, Mulgrew, Milburn, Hannah, Mitchell.

1959 Stoke City Reserves visited SJP in a Central League fixture and played out a 3-3 draw. 

Gordon Hughes, Ken Hale from the penalty spot and Alex Tait netted for United.

1960 Sheffield Wednesday (h) 3-3 (2-2)
Division One
P38, 42pts, 6th/22 
Bell(38), White(43,46)
Fantham(37), Wilkinson(39)
Ellis(79)
39,942
Five goals in nine minutes, either side of half-time, entertained this Good Friday Bank Holiday crowd at SJP but having got in front for the first time, United allowed Wednesday to equalise late on.

1961 Blackpool (a)
1-2 (0-1)
Division One
P40, 28pts, 21st/22 
Woods(56) 
Parry(42), Charnley(80)
19,381
The Tangerines ended a three match losing run with the victory that ultimately saw them avoid relegation at Newcastle's expense by a solitary point.

They were aided in their quest by some poor goalkeeping from Dave Hollins, who allowed Ray Parry's shot to bounce into the net.

The hosts fielded both 18 year old Gordon West and 46 year-old Stanley Matthews. 

1963 Easter Monday saw 3,072 fans at SJP as Blyth Spartans and Ashington drew 1-1 in the Northumberland Senior Cup Final.

The two sides met again at Croft Park just over a month later, Blyth running out 1-0 winners on their own ground.

1968 West Bromwich Albion (a) 0-2 (0-2)
Division One
P38, 41pts, 8th/22 
Brown(14,36)
22,367
Three days after the two sides had shared four goals at SJP, a brace from Tony 'Bomber; Brown at the Hawthorns gave Albion both points.

1974 Norwich City (h)
0-0 (0-0)
Division One
P38, 35pts, 18th/22 
31,132
The first of two stalemates against the Canaries within 48 hours, with a 1-1 draw at Carrow Road following.

1978 Arsenal (a)
1-2 (0-0) Division One
P38, 21pts, 21st/22 
Burns(60) 
Brady(75), Price(79)
33,353
Referee Clive Thomas created controversy, ruling that a fourth minute effort by Geoff Nulty hadn't bounced down off the crossbar and over the goal line before Pat Jennings grabbed the ball.

United did go ahead for the first time in eight games when Mickey Burn crossed for Nulty, but both he and Jennings missed the ball which dropped into the net.

A first league victory in fifteen attempts would elude them though, as the Gunners roused themselves in the closing stages and peppered Mick Mahoney with shots.

Coach Peter Morris took charge, with manager Bill McGarry travelling to Holland to scout Sparta Rotterdam striker Ray Clarke playing against Ajax the day after.

Clarke would go on to sign for Ajax before belatedly becoming a Magpie in 1980.

1981 Blackburn Rovers (h) 0-0 (0-0)
Division Two 
P38, 39pts, 11th/22
13,128 
United thought they'd got a late winner through Mick Harford only for referee Michael Lowe to bizarrely invoke a new rule of "standing in the goalkeeper's ground", defender David Barton the unwitting transgressor.

1989 Arsenal (a)
0-1 (0-0)
Division One 
P33, 29pts, 19th/20
Marwood(70)
38,023 
A sunny day at Highbury was soon overshadowed by news of a major incident during the FA Cup Semi Final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest taking place at Sheffield's Hillsborough Stadium.

In pre-mobile phone days, those with radios began relaying claims of fatalities. News of the abandonment of the Semi Final was then relayed over the Highbury PA "due to crowd trouble", which triggered anti-Scouse chants, memories of Heysel in 1985 still fresh.    

Durham-born Brian Marwood scrambled home the only goal of the game late on to hand United a fourth successive defeat and virtually confirm our relegation.

The only visiting player to enjoy the occasion was former Gunner Kenny Sansom, warmly welcomed back to his old stamping ground. 

Sansom came close to opening the scoring with a shot that hit the goal frame and also had an effort disallowed at 0-0.

Youngster David Roche made his senior debut from the bench, while future Magpie coach Kevin Richardson was in the home XI.

The true scale of the Hillsborough disaster only became apparent after full time, with a first view of chilling TV footage bringing to mind scenes of crushing during Newcastle's visit to Spurs for an FA Cup tie in 1987.

Former and future Magpie Peter Beardsley played at Hillsborough, fellow Reds John Barnes and manager Kenny Dalglish subsequently following him to SJP.

A trio of Forest participants meanwhile would later join United:  Stuart Pearce plus loan duo Terry Wilson and Tommy Gaynor.

1992 The Reserves boosted their survival chances by defeating Bolton Wanderers 3-1 at SJP.

An own goal and Mick Quinn's brace put a strong line-up in the driving seat, aided by a 61st minute penalty save by Pavel Srnicek to deny Chic Charnley.

2000 Leicester City (h)
0-2 (0-1)
Premiership
P33, 43pts, 11th/20
Cottee(7), Savage(52)
36,426
Martin O'Neill's Foxes made off with the points as Newcastle's post-Wembley semi-final comedown continued with a second league defeat in five days.
NUFC.com match report

2003 Carl Cort sealed a 2-1 victory over Everton Reserves as United came from behind after an early Nick Chadwick goal. Robbie Elliott had equalised two minutes after the Toffees had taken the lead.
NUFC.com match report

2004 Three first half goals beat Hartlepool Reserves at Whitley Park. Bradley Orr and Michael Bridges scored inside the first six minutes and Andy Ferrell got the third before the interval.
NUFC.com match report

2006 Wigan Athletic
3-1 (2-1)
Premiership
P34, 48pts, 9th/20
Shearer(28pen,66), Bramble(36)
Bullard(5)
52,302
Titus Bramble headed home against his future employers and although he didn't know it, the two goals scored by Alan Shearer were to be his final competitive strikes at SJP, in his last Premier League outing on home territory.

48 hours later Al's 206th goal for the club followed at the stadium of plight, before he sustained his career-ending injury. 
NUFC.com match report

2009 Newcastle confirmed that striker Nile Ranger had signed a new three and a half year contract at the club.

2015 Derby County's U21s won 2-0 at St. James' Park in a contest that ran true to form. The visitors had just won five on the trot - United hadn't won in four months.
NUFC.com match report

2018 Arsenal (h)
2-1 (1-1)
Premier League
P33, 41pts, 10th/20
Perez(29), Ritchie(68)
Lacazette(14)
52,210
Following ten unsuccessful attempts to overcome the Gunners at SJP (nine in the league), Newcastle deservedly did so - and  pretty much guaranteed Premier League football for another season in the process.

And as he had against Manchester United, Matt Ritchie netted to take another big scalp on the way to a top half finish.

Ritchie's future Magpie team mate Joe Willock made his Premier League bow for Arsenal.
NUFC.com match report

2021 Details began to emerge of plans by the Premier League to allow limited home crowds before the end of the season, following a relaxation of COVID rules. 

All PL clubs would play one home and one away game with fans present after the government's May 17th go-live date.

In Newcastle's case that would be the visit of Sheffield United to SJP and the season-closer away at Fulham.

2023 Aston Villa (a)
0-3 (0-1)
Premier League
P30, 56pts, 3rd/20
Ramsey(11), Watkins(64,83)
42,055
United's run of five successive victories was ended abruptly by a slick Villa side, who inflicted our fourth league loss of the season - and the first by more than two goals.
NUFC.com match report