Newcastle Falcons vs Sale Sharks Match-Day Programme

35 YEARS AGO – APRIL
29, 1989
GOSFORTH 42-19 BRADFORD AND
BINGLEY
Although not appreciated at the time, the events of this
weekend 35 years ago were to prove pivotal to the futures of
Northumberland’s two most senior rugby clubs.
Gosforth had sold their Great North Road ground for
approximately £1.7m and had purchased the old Chronicle and
Journal Sports Ground, on which the current Falcons stadium
now stands, for about £50,000. Gosforth were scheduled to play
their last ever game at their old ground, but no commitment
had been made to develop the site at Kingston Park, and the
club were still in the dark as to where they would play their
home matches in in the 1989-90 season.
Gosforth had had a fairly average season by their lofty
standards, with 22 wins and a draw from 42 matches. Only
four of those victories had come in Courage League 2, and they
were beaten in the semi-final of the Northumberland Senior
Cup by Tynedale. Nevertheless, Bradford and Bingley were not
expected to stand in the way of Gosforth signing off from the
Great North Road with a victory.
Gosforth did in fact achieve a comfortable win, but the match
was actually played at Northern’s McCracken Park. Northern
had contested the Northumberland Cup final with Tynedale the
previous Wednesday, and the two closely-matched teams had
fought out a 12-12 draw. The County decreed that the final must
be replayed on the Saturday, and as they had sold their home
ground at Regent Centre and were looking for a neutral venue
for the replay, Gosforth agreed to step aside so that the last
match at the old ground did not involve a Gosforth team at all.
For the uninitiated, Bradford & Bingley had nothing to do with
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
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