Supermac: "Football is special because you can put 60-odd strangers into a room and it can bring people together"

Club legends Malcolm Macdonald, Bob Moncur, John Anderson, David Craig, Mick Martin and Tommy Cassidy as well as Newcastle United Women head coach Becky Langley all attended the event at St. James' Park on Thursday, with fans enjoying a Christmas lunch, quiz and meet and greet session as they reminisced about years gone by.

Macdonald, who has been a regular at previous Memory Cafe sessions, praised the work, which forms part of the club's inclusion commitment to help engage with supporters who may be suffering from memory loss illnesses or social isolation.

"I love coming to the Memory Cafe and speaking to fans who remember my era and how football was back then and when we look back on those years," he said.

"The Memory Cafe does everybody the world of good and when we bring in former players to talk to fans, it's brilliant. It's called the Memory Cafe, and whilst it is looking back on memories of years gone by, what it actually does is creates new special memories - memories of making new connections with fans and players, and I think it's absolutely marvellous.

"The people attending these sessions remember football from the '70s and everybody has so much in common because of these special memories. It's lovely to hear people talking about their memories and what they made of football and the club from all those years ago."

Macdonald engrained himself into the fabric of the club with his performances in the early 1970s and admitted that it is a special feeling when supporters still talk to him about his performances in a black and white shirt.

"I've just had a conversation with a gentleman who was telling me about an away day to QPR, and it's a game that he remembers and sticks in my mind as we kicked off and literally went straight down and I scored, so we were ahead early and went on to win 4-1," he said. "Hearing the gentleman's recollection about that game is special, as it sticks in his mind.

"Football is special because you can put 60-odd strangers into a room and it's the one thing that can bring people together and create conversation. It's been a big part of people's lives and when you talk to people about football and their memories of the game, it's magic."

The Memory Cafe was formed in early 2019, with monthly sessions seeing former players attend to look back on their careers and stimulate conversation with supporters who watched games in past decades.

Each monthly event is free for supporters to attend as part of the club's United As One pledge, which aims to reach and engage with fans of all backgrounds. Anybody who may wish to come along or know more can get in touch via unitedasone@nufc.co.uk.